The Biology Library's Guide to Searching

Biological Abstracts (BA)

Producer:  BIOSIS, a Thomson Business

Description  |  Access  |  Searching  |  Working with Your Search Results  |  Saved Searches/Auto Alerts  |   More Information  |  Biological Abstracts SP Guide  |  BIOSIS Biological Abstracts Guide

Description

Biological Abstracts (BA) is the most important English-language index for the biological and biomedical sciences.  It includes references to articles from over 6,500 journals, most with abstracts.

Dates of coverage:   1969 - current.

Helpful Features:  

• Direct link to UIUC Online Library Catalog.   Click the "Search the UIUC Online Library Catalog for library copy volume and issue information" link at the bottom of each record in your search results to find out if the journal is available and which library has it.

• Search other WebSPIRS SilverPlatter databases individually or all at once (including AGRICOLA, CAB Abstracts, and Zoological Record); instructions below.

• There is a “How do I …?” help box on the right upper screen which defaults to topics related  to the current database activity.  For help with Biological Abstracts features and fields, click on Database Guide in maroon bar at top of page.  For help with WebSPIRS (Silver Platter’s Internet Information Retrieval System) configuration and features, click on Help in maroon bar at top of page.

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 Access

To access (either from a UIUC library terminal or remotely):  UIUC patrons can access Biological Abstracts online from public library terminals or from remote locations. (NOTE: If you are dialing in from off-campus, you may be asked to log on with your campuswide NetID and Password.) 

• Follow this hyperlink: Biological Abstracts

OR

• From the Biology Library homepage <http://www.library.uiuc.edu/bix>, click on Biological Abstracts under "Link directly to..." near the top of the page

OR

• From Library Gateway menu  on the left side of the Biology Library homepage or directly from <http://www.library.uiuc.edu/>, click on Online Research Resources and do either 1 or 2 below:

1. Click the Article Indexes & Abstracts  tab, Fill in the database title words Biological Abstracts  in the search box, Select "Title Keywords" or "Start of Title," then Search   

OR

2. Click the Article Indexes & Abstracts tab, select Biological Sciences from All Online Resource Subjects - Science & Technology list (3rd column), click Search, and then click on   Biological Abstracts from the list 

NOTE #1:  You can search more than one Resource Subject by clicking box in front of each desired Resource Subject. 

NOTE #2: Biological Abstracts has numerous date range/database choices.  Default is all available (1969 – current).  The box in the upper right corner indicates Databases in use. Biological Abstracts is one of several WebSPIRS SilverPlatter databases, which includes AGRICOLA, CAB Abstracts, and Zoological Record.  These databases can be searched simultaneously along with Biological Abstracts.  To change date ranges and/or database selections, click Databases button on right side of screen, select specific time ranges and/or databases, and then select Open Selected Databases to activate selections.

 

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Instructions for Advanced Search in Biological Abstracts

Search by subject:

• Type word or phrase in search text box(s). 

• Select Terms anywhere for keyword search or select Subject Terms (TS)  in field box to  search all BA subject fields

NOTE:  Click on Database Guide in maroon bar at top of page for Biological Abstracts field descriptions. 

• Select “AND,” “OR,” “NOT”  operator if applicable. 

• Click Search.

• If your subject search is unsuccessful, check the Index for spelling, or for other forms of the word or phrase; see instructions below.

Search by author:

• Enter "last name-first name/initial-middle initial" with hyphens (e.g., smith-james-a;  or smith-james;  or smith-j-a) or truncate (e.g., smith-james*;  or smith-james-a*).  

• Select Author, Editor, Inventor (AU) in field box. 

• Click Search.

NOTE #1:  Names appear last name first, followed by the first name or initial, and are "bound" with hyphens. If you do search without hypens, search is treated as keyword search limited to the author field.   Authors first names are indexed just as they are published - either with first name initial or spelled out, with middle initial where applicable.  So to retrieve all titles that are indexed, you will need to do separate author searches - repeating the search with first name spelled out and then with it as an initial.  Use the truncation symbol (*) to retrieve variations of an author's name.  Author names may also be located in the General Index (link is in the right menu bar).

NOTE #2:  If your author search is unsuccessful, use the Index to check spelling and initials, etc; see instructions below.

Search by article title:

• Enter a word or phrase from the article title in search text box

• Select Title (TI) from field box, and click Search.fields

NOTE:  Click on Database in maroon bar at top of page for Biological Abstracts field descriptions.

Search by other fields (journal name, abstract, etc.):

• Type words into the search text box

• Select appropriate field

• Click Search.

NOTE: If your source (so) search is unsuccessful, check the journal name in the Index; instructions below.  If any keyword search is unsuccessful, use the Index to look for alternate spellings or forms of the word or phrase.

Truncation/Wildcards:

          Use wildcard characters if you are uncertain of spellings or endings of words.

• "*" for 0 or more characters (e.g. "pollut*" for pollute, polluted, pollution).
• "?" for 0-1 character (e.g. "cat?" for cat or cats; "labo?r" for labor or labour)

Boolean Operators:

          Combine words or phrases with Boolean operators to expand spellings or endings or limit search. 

• Combine words or phrases with boolean operators to expand or limit searches.
• AND (e.g., "cat and genetics") finds articles with both terms.
• OR (e.g., "cat or kitten") finds articles with either term.
• NOT (e.g., "cat not kitten")finds articles with one but not the other term. Use "not" carefully as it may exclude some relevant items.

Index (author names, scientific names, keywords):

Use the index to check for occurrence and spelling of author names, scientific names, journal names, or keywords in the Biological Abstracts

• Click on Index tab at top right of screen)
• Type a word or phrase, and click on Go to Term

NOTE #1:  "Aspart" takes you into the index near "aspartame" 
"canis lup" takes you into the index near "Canis lupus"
"journal of endoc" takes you into the index near "Journal of Endocrinology"

NOTE #2Click on terms in list to search them individually.  To search multiple terms, select them using the checkboxes, then click Search Marked..

Limiting searches (by year of publication, language, or other options):

Searches can be limited by year, document type, etc. 

• Click Change in the box to the far right of the Search box, where it says No Search Limits Set

• Select limits desired, and click OK. 

NOTE:  Limits remain in effect until you change the selected limits or click Clear.

Search History:

You can view and manipulate all searches done during the current session.  Your search history then appears in the bottom frame of the page as a list of all searches you have performed so far with links to the search results.  You can display retrieved records, rerun searches against new databases, automatically retype searches, combine multiple searches, edit searches, delete searches you no longer want, save your searches for future use, and load search histories you have already saved

• Click Display to view records
• Click the Save diskette icon on far right of yellow bar to save search.
• Click desired search boxes and Combine and search using "and" or "or" button on right side of yellow bar [select one]
• Click Remove button on middle of yellow bar to delete.
• Click Edit button on middle of yellow bar delete

Creation of SDI's:

• Begin by creating a search
• Go to the Search History tab. 
• Click on envelope icon with red exclamation point next to search
• A Personal Login screen will open 

NOTE:  The first time you'll need to choose your login / password.  To do this clickthe New User.  Your login must be your email address.  You choose your password.

• A Create a new SDI screen will open where you give your SDI a name [The name must consist of alphanumeric characters only (no spaces) and must be unique to you], type in the email address(es) you are sending the SDI to [You can add  up to 25 addressed]

NOTE:  You may set to send only when new results by selecting "Only send email if new results"

HINT:  In the comments box, you may want to indicate the name of the database the SDI is for, and something about the search or the search name, e.g., "CAB SDI: atpase and vacuol*;" which can be used for the email subject heading

• After completing your display selections, etc., click Create SDI

Changing databases / Searching multiple databases at once:

You can change to another ERL WebSPIRS database  or search other ERL WebSPIRS databases (including AGRICOLA, CAB Abstracts, and Zoological Record) simultaneously.

• Click Change button on right side of box “View databases being searched”

• Select specific time ranges and/or databases by clicking in checkboxes

• Select Open Selected Databases to activate selections.

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Working with Your Search Results

Mark record(s):

While viewing results, you can "mark" specific records of interest by clicking in the checkboxes to the left of the records.  Marked records can be displayed separately, printed, saved, or emailed.

Display results:

Results are displayed in the bottom frame immediately after a search.  The search results window can be enlarged by clicking on the red arrow tips on the far left part of the amber bar near the middle of the page.  Clicking on this again reopens the search area.  To change the display format (number of results per page, fields to display, field label format, sort results, etc.), click Change Display on the left side of the amber bar.  Then click OK.  To reset default, repeat process and click Restore Defaults.

Print record(s):

• While viewing the results of interest, click on Print Icon on the far right of the yellow bar in the bottom frame

• In the print window, select records, (all in set, record number range, or marked) and fields you want to print (You can do a print Preview to check record before printing by clicking Preview)

• Then click Print and follow directions

• Click Back to return to  search results.

NOTE:  If you are printing from a biology library terminal to the printer in the biology library, an additional dialog box will prompt you for your net ID and password, and you will be billed 10¢ per page.

Save record(s):

• While viewing the results of interest, click on Save Icon on the far right of the yellow bar in the bottom frame

• In the save window, select records, (all in set, record number range, or marked) and fields you want to print

• Choose drive, directory, and filename in the dialog box, and click Save.  (You cannot save to the C drive at public terminals, but you can borrow a disk from the library for saving your results.) 

E-mail record(s):

• While viewing the results of interest, click on E-mail Icon on the far right of the yellow bar in the bottom frame

• In the e-mail window, select records, (all in set, record number range, or marked) and fields you want to e-mail

• Fill in complete e-mail address(es) in box(es)

• Then click Send Mail

Exiting the System:

PLEASE, click Logout (top right of screen) to end your Biological Abstracts session and free up the connection for another user. Only a limited number of people can use the Biological Abstracts at one time.

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The ERL WebSPIRS SDI feature lets an authorized user save a Biolgogical Abstracts (BIOSIS) search and have it rerun automatically when this database is updated, with the results emailed to a defined set of users.  See SDI/auto alert for instructions.

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For More Information:

• Click Database Guide on the right side of the red bar at the top of the page for more information about Biological Abstracts, or click on the Help icon on the navigation list upper right corner of each screen for more information about searching WebSPIRS databases   

OR

• Click on  About  next to the database name in Library Gateway Online Research Resources lists for more information about Biological Abstracts 

OR

• Just ask a librarian!