WSE 316: Wood and Fiber Chemistry

Natural Resources Librarian

Bonnie Avery
Office Hours: By Appointment (Email or Call: 7-7602)
Office Location: The Valley Library
Contact Info:

vlibavery (AIM)

About this Guide

Help with finding information resources in wood chemistry.

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1Search

About Search

You do allow embedded content.

You can now search across our e-journal collection with "1Search" located in the upper right corner of the library's webpage.

Remember to use the more specialized databases mentioned on this guide when 1Search is not enough.
1Search may not be the tool of choice when looking for a specific reference.

OSU Libraries on the Web

Be sure you can locate the the OSU Libraries Home Page and from there use the "FIND IT" tab find these three links:

OSU Libraries Catalog
Databases
E-Journals
Interlibrary Loan (a.k.a. "Scan and Deliver")

Two other useful links under FIND IT are:

Subject/Discipline Guides (general guides for forestry, engineering, etc.)
Course Guides (guides for specific classes, like this one)

In addition, the suggestions below are not specific to this class but you may find them interesting.

If you would like a "primer" on the library research, go to the library tutorial page;
If you would like to learn more about tracking current research, the keeping current guide provides some short tutorials.
You may also want to review the SciFinder Scholar Tutorials.

Why bother using the library?

Top five reasons for incorporating use of the library's resources into your homework routine for this class:

You have three homework assignments that will call on you to use library resources, and in particular the database, SciFinder Scholar (a.k.a. "Chemical Abstracts").
You will be asked to research and write a report on a topic of your choice related to this course.
You will be need to locate information for the report you write in your professional development class, WSE 407.
You will need to conduct a literature review for your senior project.
You will likely achieve a higher grade in these if you review and utilize "library" resources.

What's where in the library

If you are an extended campus student be sure to read the information linked from the Ecampus View on accessing articles and books.

If you are on camous, you may need to be familiar with where things are on the first and second floors -- to do this, use this link to Floor maps

A word to the wise:, the first floor, which houses most forestry material, seems complicated at first. On this floor we house older volumes of journals in "compact shelving" on the North side. Journals volumes from 1990 through last year are shelved with the books on the South side. The current year of print journals are unbound in display shelving in the Southeast corner.

It is *always* okay to ask questions - here are some options to try before you get frustrated:

Look for the in-library phone on each floor -- use it to call the Reference Desk (7-7295).
Come to the Reference Desk on the 2nd floor.
Try the *ASK A LIBRARIAN!* chat service on the right of most library pages.

Obtaining journal articles from OSU Libraries

The indexing databases are independent of the holdings of any one library so you should expect that OSU Libraries will not subscribe to or own every journals you need. If you find reference to an article but are asked to pay for it (maybe you tried Google Scholar), be sure to try the library first.
Citation Linker: If you have a reference and want to see if OSU Libraries subscribes to the electronic version of that journal (or some service that provides the full-text from that journal), click the E-Journals link on the Library's home page and look for the Citation Linker.
360 Link to Full Text: When you do a search in a database you should look for the "360 Link to Full Text" by each reference. Use this link to check if the library has a full-text version of the article. If not it will provide you with a link to check the library catalog so you can see if we have the journal in print. AND if we don't have either of these, you will find a link to the Interlibrary loan form needed to request it from another library.
Online Catalog: Not all references are in journals so if in doubt, try the library catalog. You can borrow most books and bound items or you can photocopy/scan what you need from them.
You may need to use Interlibrary loan (ILL) to obtain the articles but as explained above, we are trying to make that an easier process.

Interlibrary Loans (ILL)

You can get a copy of any journal article not available at OSU Libraries by using Interlibrary Loan (ILL). This service is free to you.

You must have an ONID account to register for ILL. From the OSU Libraries catalog, look for the link to Interlibrary Loan and select "Log on for ILL Service." Consider registering now, before you actually need to request an article.

We are able to obtain the majority of requested articles within 3-5 days depending on the number of libraries owning the journal. Some requests take more time some take much less. On the rare occasion that the Library is unable to identify a lending library, we will try to get the information you will need to contact the author directly.

Articles come as PDF files that are sent you on a secure website for your use. You can also use ILL to request books (or chapters of books) if you are unable to locate then in the Summit catalog.

Format for bibliography

Consistency is the rule of thumb in creating a bibliography. To this end, there are several style guides available and you can learn more about these from the library's page on Style and Citation Guides. One approach is to select a journal of note in your field and follow the instructions given for authors writing for that journal. To locate these, look for a link to information or instructions for authors on the journal's website or on the cover pages of the most recent issue. Since you will be citing some articles from the web, be sure to note their instructions about how to do this. The American Chemical Society provides suggestions for citing references on their website.

You might want to learn to use EndNote to organize your references, particularly if you plan to pursue graduate studies.

Course Instructor

Joe Karchesy
Office:
110 Richardson Hall
Contact:

Instructor's Website

Where to begin

Before beginning to search for articles and other information, it's a good idea to have a plan for finding information. Focus your search by characterizing the kind of information you are seeking. Examples include:

Information needs: background information, synthetic procedures, specific data
Type of information or data: reviews, research results, data, maps,
Subject area: analytical, inorganic, organic, or physical chemistry

Decide what resources might help you find the information you need. Examples include:

Handbooks
Journal articles
Textbooks

Come up with terms to use when searching such as:

Authors' names
Chemical names
Subjects (e.g., substances, uses,)

Search until you are certain that you have found the information you need. If you rely on a web resource like Wikipedia, try to verify the information with a second source (your text for instance).

Finding books: library catalogs

If you are looking for books, begin your search with the OSU Libraries Catalog.

Experiment with the OSU Libraries Catalog; here are some hints:

Search by keyword. Use quotation marks around phrases. Ex: "wood chemistry"
Simple keyword search results are in relevancy order (not by date or alphabetical order) but if you use "" the order will be by date.
If the book you want is checked out or you don't find it in your catalog search, use the "Try Summit Libraries" button and see if it's available at one of our partner libraries in Oregon and Washington (sometimes this link is slow but worth the wait usually).
When you start in the Summit catalog, click on the line that tells you how many libraries have the book. If OSU doesn't have it, or our copy is checked out, click on "Request Summit Item" and complete the information asked for.
It will take 3-5 workdays for the book to arrive at the Valley Library. A notice will be sent to your ONID email when it's available and it will be held for 5 days for you to pick-up.

While you can use the catalog to look for journals, you cannot use it to look for specific articles in those journals. For this you need to use the databases discussed below.

Finding articles on Wood and Fiber Chemistry Topics

The Valley Library subscribes to several databases which index peer-reviewed scientific journal articles relevant to wood and materials science topics. The process of "peer-review" (sometimes called "refereeing") is discipline and journal specific. It is intended to assure that the articles in that journal represent good scientific methodology, good writing, and are regarded as a contribution to the literature of that field of study. If in doubt about whether a journal contains peer reviewed articles, ask.

Most databases noted in ths guide will index a high percentage of "refereed" journals and therefore these databases will retrieve, for the most part, peer reviewed articles. They may also include first hand reporting of research findings or state-of-the-art reviews from other reporting sources such as federal agency reports, dissertations, conference proceedings, professional journals, etc. All of these will have gone through some sort of peer reveiw process prior to publication and may prove useful resources for framing and addressing your research question.

Selecting databases to search

When considering a database, it is important to be aware of its content including:

Subject coverage
Types of publications indexed in the database e.g., research journals, scientific magazines, conference proceedings
Dates of coverage

This is usually available in the short descriptions available on the database listing indicated by an " i ". For an overview of how to think about wood science topics and some database suggestions follow the "read more" link below.

Consider your topic or interest, e.g. wood dust; non-timber products as "functional foods"/"nutraceuticals", wood products as allergens, etc.

If you need an overview, or general articles, try EBSCOhost's Academic Search Premier but don't let that be your only tool. To decide what esle you might need, begin with question(s):

What issue(s)/discipline(s) surround the topic?
Why would someone write about this?
Is it "in the news"
Is it regulated* by:
- USDA (safe to grow),
- FDA (safe to eat, ingest),
- EPA (safe for the environment or for new use)*
- See "U.S. Database of Completed Regulatory Agency Reviews"
Is it (perceived as) a potential health problem
Is it of potential economic importance
Is it on the market now in some form
Who would be writing about it?
Where do they publish their information?
For how long has it been written about/of concern, in the news, etc.?

By considering these questions (even if you don't have answers to all of them) you can anticipate problems you may have related to "access" as you identify and locate information on your topic:

Some information is proprietary information;
You may encounter "language" barriers (material in a language you don't read, and technical or jargon outside your field of expertise);
Identifying sources of very current information can sometimes be difficult because it is not yet in print--though the WWW has helped, you need to consider the reliability of web sources and be able to identify who is writing;
Identifying sources of older information may require use of "old" (non-web-based) indexing tools.

Asking questions will also provide you with clues about what databases to use.

If your topic been discussed in the news during the past couple of years:

Try Lexis Nexis Academic (for major newspapers (NY Times, etc.) articles in full-text and international news in Spanish, Dutch, French and German; news magazine coverage)
Try EBSCOhost Newspaper Source for major newspapers in full-text;

If your question has to do with human health or nutrition:

Try Medline = National Library of Medicine journals indexed;
- Also known as PubMed,
- Includes clinical trials, audience is physicians, "think sick," there are many ways of accessing this database)
Try CAB Abstracts it includes nutrition research as well as agriculture and forestry.
Try Agricola = National Agriculture Library holdings indexed (like CAB but includes both research and "extension" information)
Try FSTA = Food Science and Technology Abstracts (research on foods, food additives, food processing, new food products)

If your question relates to public policy, government regulations or law:

Try CAB Abstracts which includes nutrition research as well as agriculture and forestry.
Try GPO Monthly Catalog = Government Printing Office publications (agency publications) or Science.gov
Try Lexis-Nexis Academic (state and federal codes, case law, federal regulations, and some international law)

If your question relates to business, economics, etc.:

Try EBSCOhost's Business Source Premier
Try Gale's Business and Company Resource Center
Try Lexis-Nexis Academic

If your question has to do with environmental risk/safety or pollution and waste management:

Try Environmental Science and Pollution Management (ESPM)
Try Toxline (emphasis on toxicological information related to humans)
Try Compendex = Engineering Index (emphasis on engineering solutions)

If in doubt, begin with the basics for your field consult a Subject Research Guide or begin with the most well known databases for Forestry and Forest Products:

- Forest Science Database (excellent from Forest Products research)
- Environmental Sciences and Pollution Management
- SciFinder Scholar = Chemical Abstracts
- Biosis = Biological Abstracts
- Agricola
- TreeSearch = US Forest Service Documents including those from the USFS Forest Products Lab
- Web of Science

NOTE: To find the databases referred to above are all located on the OSU Libraries Website at http://osulibrary.oregonstate.edu -- look for the link to "Databases."

Consider your topic or interest, e.g. wood dust; non-timber products as "functional foods"/"nutraceuticals", wood products as allergens, etc.If you need an overview, or general articles, try EBSCOhost's Academic Search Premier but don't let that be your only tool. To decide what esle you might need, begin with question(s):

What issue(s)/discipline(s) surround the topic?

Why would someone write about this?

Is it "in the news"

Is it regulated* by:

Is it (perceived as) a potential health problem

Is it of potential economic importance

Is it on the market now in some form

Who would be writing about it?

Where do they publish their information?

For how long has it been written about/of concern, in the news, etc.?

By considering these questions (even if you don't have answers to all of them) you can anticipate problems you may have related to "access" as you identify and locate information on your topic:

Some information is proprietary information;

You may encounter "language" barriers (material in a language you don't read, and technical or jargon outside your field of expertise);

Identifying sources of very current information can sometimes be difficult because it is not yet in print--though the WWW has helped, you need to consider the reliability of web sources and be able to identify who is writing;

Identifying sources of older information may require use of "old" (non-web-based) indexing tools.

Asking questions will also provide you with clues about what databases to use. If your topic been discussed in the news during the past couple of years:

Try Lexis Nexis Academic (for major newspapers (NY Times, etc.) articles in full-text and international news in Spanish, Dutch, French and German; news magazine coverage)

Try EBSCOhost Newspaper Source for major newspapers in full-text;

If your question has to do with human health or nutrition:

Try Medline = National Library of Medicine journals indexed;

Also known as PubMed,
Includes clinical trials, audience is physicians, "think sick," there are many ways of accessing this database)

Try CAB Abstracts it includes nutrition research as well as agriculture and forestry.

Try Agricola = National Agriculture Library holdings indexed (like CAB but includes both research and "extension" information)

Try FSTA = Food Science and Technology Abstracts (research on foods, food additives, food processing, new food products)

If your question relates to public policy, government regulations or law:

Try CAB Abstracts which includes nutrition research as well as agriculture and forestry.

Try GPO Monthly Catalog = Government Printing Office publications (agency publications) or Science.gov

Try Lexis-Nexis Academic (state and federal codes, case law, federal regulations, and some international law)

If your question relates to business, economics, etc.:

Try EBSCOhost's Business Source Premier

Try Gale's Business and Company Resource Center

Try Lexis-Nexis Academic

If your question has to do with environmental risk/safety or pollution and waste management:

Try Environmental Science and Pollution Management (ESPM)

Try Toxline (emphasis on toxicological information related to humans)

Try Compendex = Engineering Index (emphasis on engineering solutions)

If in doubt, begin with the basics for your field consult a Subject Research Guide or begin with the most well known databases for Forestry and Forest Products:

Forest Science Database (excellent from Forest Products research)
Environmental Sciences and Pollution Management
SciFinder Scholar = Chemical Abstracts
Biosis = Biological Abstracts
Agricola
TreeSearch = US Forest Service Documents including those from the USFS Forest Products Lab
Web of Science

NOTE: To find the databases referred to above are all located on the OSU Libraries Website at http://osulibrary.oregonstate.edu -- look for the link to "Databases."

Limiting CAB Abstracts to Forestry

To limit a CAB Database search to articles related to forestry, add "KK" as your CABI Code. More than one of these codes may be assigned to each article and there are subdivisions of the KK code (see the link to "read more" below). KK includes all aspects of forestry, forest products, and forest science research.

For a brief over view of other CABICODES follow the read more link below:

The broad breakdown of CABICODES are:

AA = Agriculture General/Research
BB = History and Biography/Palaeontology/Archaeology
CC = Education, Extention, Information and Tranining
DD = Agencies and Organizations/Laws and Regulations
EE = Economics
- EE112 Forest Economics (New March 2000)
- EE119 Leisure, Recreation and Tourism Economics, (New March 2000)
- EE120 Policy and Planning
FF = Plant Science
HH = Pathogen, Pest, Parasite and Weed management
JJ = Soil Science
KK = Forestry
- KK000 Forestry, Forest Products and Agroforestry (General)
- KK100 Forests and Forest Trees (Biology and Ecology)
- KK110 Silviculture and Forest Management
- KK120 Forest Mensuration and Management, (Discontinued March 2000)
- KK130 Forest Fires
- KK140 Protection Forestry, (Discontinued March 2000)
- KK150 Other Land Use, (Discontinued March 2000)
- KK160 Ornamental and Amenity Trees
- KK500 Forest Products and Industries (General)
- KK510 Wood Properties, Damage and Preservation
- KK515 Logging and Wood Processing
- KK520 Wood Utilization and Engineered Wood Products
- KK530 Chemical and Biological Processing of Wood
- KK540 Non-wood Forest Products
- KK600 Agroforestry and Multipurpose Trees: Community, Farm and Social Forestry
LL = Animal Science/Animal Health etc.
MM = Aquatic Sciences
NN = Engineering and Equipment
PP = Natural Resources
QQ = Food Science and Food Produce (Human)
RR = Forage and Feed Products (Non-Human)
SS = Non-food/Non-feed Agricultural Products (all aspects)
TT = Medical and Veterinary (through 1995 only)
UU = Social Sciences (includes Leisure, Tourism and Travel)
- UU600 Leisure
- UU610 Recreational Facilities and Management, (New March 2000)
- UU620 Recreation and Sport, (Discontinued March 2000)
- UU625 Sport and Recreational Activities, (New March 2000)
- UU700 Tourism and Travel
VV = Human Health and Hygiene (includes Nutrition, Public and Occupational Health)
WW = Biotechnology
XX = Wastes (animal, plants, humans) and Biodegredation
YY = Zoology of Wild animals (including pathogens, toxicology)
ZZ = Other sciences

The broad breakdown of CABICODES are:

AA = Agriculture General/Research

BB = History and Biography/Palaeontology/Archaeology

CC = Education, Extention, Information and Tranining

DD = Agencies and Organizations/Laws and Regulations

EE = Economics

EE112 Forest Economics (New March 2000)
EE119 Leisure, Recreation and Tourism Economics, (New March 2000)
EE120 Policy and Planning

FF = Plant Science

HH = Pathogen, Pest, Parasite and Weed management

JJ = Soil Science

KK = Forestry

KK000 Forestry, Forest Products and Agroforestry (General)
KK100 Forests and Forest Trees (Biology and Ecology)
KK110 Silviculture and Forest Management
KK120 Forest Mensuration and Management, (Discontinued March 2000)
KK130 Forest Fires
KK140 Protection Forestry, (Discontinued March 2000)
KK150 Other Land Use, (Discontinued March 2000)
KK160 Ornamental and Amenity Trees
KK500 Forest Products and Industries (General)
KK510 Wood Properties, Damage and Preservation
KK515 Logging and Wood Processing
KK520 Wood Utilization and Engineered Wood Products
KK530 Chemical and Biological Processing of Wood
KK540 Non-wood Forest Products
KK600 Agroforestry and Multipurpose Trees: Community, Farm and Social Forestry

LL = Animal Science/Animal Health etc.

MM = Aquatic Sciences

NN = Engineering and Equipment

PP = Natural Resources

QQ = Food Science and Food Produce (Human)

RR = Forage and Feed Products (Non-Human)

SS = Non-food/Non-feed Agricultural Products (all aspects)

TT = Medical and Veterinary (through 1995 only)

UU = Social Sciences (includes Leisure, Tourism and Travel)

UU600 Leisure
UU610 Recreational Facilities and Management, (New March 2000)
UU620 Recreation and Sport, (Discontinued March 2000)
UU625 Sport and Recreational Activities, (New March 2000)
UU700 Tourism and Travel

VV = Human Health and Hygiene (includes Nutrition, Public and Occupational Health)

WW = Biotechnology

XX = Wastes (animal, plants, humans) and Biodegredation

YY = Zoology of Wild animals (including pathogens, toxicology)

ZZ = Other sciences

Patent Searching

Patents are a rich source of engineering information. The easiest way to search for US Patents these days is to use Google Patent Search. But, Google Patents does not search the US Patent applications, nor does it cover international patents.

US Patent and Trademark Office Search for Published Applications. The USPTO has a large backlog of patent applications that have not been processed.

The European Patent Office Search (eSpace) covers many countries, including Japan.

For more information consult the Library's Patents and Trademark Searching Guide

Evaluating web sites

Items are added to the library selectively so when you discover something via a Google search, be selective. When evaluating a web site look for these attributes:

Purpose : Is it there to inform? Persuade? Sell? Entertain?
Authorship & Authority : What are the person's (group's) credentials? Can you tell? Is the person/group credible? An authority?
Objectivity : Does the site have a bias? Can you articulate what it is?
Accuracy : Are sources cited or acknowledged?
Currency : How current is the information? Is this important?
Completeness : Is the information complete or just a summary of information found elsewhere?

Where possible look for additional sources of information to verify information you find on the web, particularly if your are unsure about its authority, accuracy, and currency. Consider limiting your google searches to .edu and .gov sites.

Last Update: September 21, 2010 18:15 | Tagged with: Wood Chemistry databases