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Databases

Under each category is a list of the top resources for getting started in that area. For a more extensive list of resources click on the More Resources link.

Article Databases Newspapers

Public Policy/Opinion Polls

Article Databases

	Academic Search (1984-)	Reasons to Use: Good mix of research and popular articles on almost any topic under the sun. Not comprehensive so use only to get started or when you need a few things. Searching Help | Setting up Alerts
	Communications Abstracts (1977 to date)	Reasons to Use: Focus is specifically on the communication discipline. Eliminates search results which may have used your words in a different context. Example: In Web of Science a search on presumed influence may retrieve articles which talk about presumed influence in driver assistance systems as opposed to communications. Searching Help | Setting up Alerts
	Communications & Mass Media Abstracts (updated weekly; dates vary)	Reasons to Use: Includes communication journals not covered in most other databases. Examples: Harvard Journal of Press/Politics, International Communications Association Annual Meetings, and Newspaper Research Journal. Very current information. Focused on subject. Searching Help | Setting up Alerts
	Web of Knowledge: 1982 to date (updated weekly)	Reasons to Use: The unique Cited Reference search allows you to find all the papers that have cited a specific author or article. Easy way to follow the experts to find recent developments, responses, and even retractions. Searching Help | Setting up Alerts
	More Resources	Science Databases Databases by Subject

Newspapers

	NEXIS (LEXIS/NEXIS) Academic Universe Web	Reasons to Use: Approximately 5,000 legal, news, reference, and business sources, Including Broadcast Transcripts. Can be limited to the Midweast or Wisconsin. Searching Help
	Newspapers By Region.	Quick links to UW-Madison News and Student Newspapers, Madison and Wisconsin News. Some National and International.
	Global Newsbank	Reasons to Use: International issues and events. Covers Africa, Asia, Europe, the former Soviet Union, Pacific Rim, Central and South America and the Middle East. Includes translated broadcasts, news agency transmissions, wire services, and newspapers.
	ProQuest Newspapers	Reasons to Use: Easy Interface. 41 national and Wisconsin newspapers. For Wisconsin NewsStand click on Databases Selected in the upper left. Scroll down and Un-check the box to the left of Proquest Newspapers. Continue scrolling down and click in the box for Wisconsin NewsStand. Scroll up to the top of the screen and click on Continue. Searching Help | Setting Up Alerts

Public Policies & Opinion Polls

	CQ Researcher	Contains weekly indepth reports that cover the most current and controversial issues of the day with complete summaries, insight into all sides of the issues, bibliographies and more
	Opposing Viewpoints	A complete one-stop source for information on social issues. Access viewpoint articles, topic overviews, statistics, primary documents, links to websites, and full-text magazine and newspaper articles
	PollingReport	An independent, nonpartisan resource on trends in American public opinion. Use the left menu bar Table of Contents to browse by topic or Search the Website.
	Polling the Nations	Polling the Nations is a compilation of questions and responses from more than 14,000 national, state, local and special surveys in the U.S. and more than 80 other countries. The surveys contain information on more than 4,500 subjects, and are gathered from professional polling organizations, television networks, universities, newspapers, businesses and associations
	iPoll Databank	The iPOLL Databank at the Roper Center for Public Opinion Research is a full-text, question-level retrieval system for United States public opinion back to 1935. Through subject, word, organization, and date indexes, users can retrieve the complete question text and the percentage of respondents giving each response.

Resources by Topic

Agriculture

See also Agricultural News publications

• Agriculture
• Eureka Alert: Agriculture
• Food Safety

Biology/Life Sciences

• Biology Subject Guide
• The Why Files
• Eureka Alert: Biology
• Genetically Modified Organisms

Business & Economics

• Agricultural and Applied Economics
• Family Economic Security
• Retailing
• Madison and Dane County (Business Library)

Community Change & Development

• Community Growth and Conflict
• Youth Leadership/Youth Community Development

Consumer Communication

• Consumer Products and Services
• FCC Consumer Information Directory
• AC Nielsen Trends and Ratings

Environment

• Beat Tools: how-to articles on topics including environment beat basics, tips on interviewing, using spreadsheets, and more.
• Climate Change: a Guide to the Information and Disinformation
• Environmental Journalism Gallery
• Environmental Communications NetWork

Health Communications

• CDC: Centers for Disease Control
• Harvard Medical School's Consumer Health
• Health Source: Consumer Edition
• Health Policy Information
• Healthy Wisconsin People
• MedlinePlus for Health Care Information
• Nutrition
• State HealthFacts (Kaiser Family Foundation)
• Wisconsin Consumer Guide to Health

Interviewing

Video: Finding Scientists on Campus to Interview

• Getting the Most from your Interviews (Steve Buttry, API)
• Interview Preparation (Deborah Potter, NewsLab)
• Tips on Interviewing from Society of Environmental Journalists
• University of Wisconsin-Expertise (Community of Science)
• University Communications Experts Database

Journalism & Ethics

• Code of Ethics (Society of Professional Journalists)
• Code of Ethics (Radio-Television News Directors Association)
• EthicNet ( Databank for European Codes of Journalism Ethics)

Local TV/Radio/News Resources

• Radio and Television Stations, Newspapers, and Magazines in Madison, WI
• Madison and Local Community Information Sources

Marketing/Advertising

• Advertising World
  Extensive links on topics related to advertising from the University of Texas at Austin
• Nielsen Media Research
  Nielsen Media Research provides competitive advertising intelligence information through Nielsen Monitor-Plus in the U.S. and 30 other markets worldwide. Through a network of affiliates, coverage is extended to more than 70 countries, representing 85% of the world’s advertising spending.
• Who Own's What
  Columbia Journalism Review's online guide to what major media companies own

Media Literacy

• Center for Media Literacy
  The Center for Media Literacy is a non-profit educational organization that provides information about media literacy education as a framework for accessing, analyzing, evaluating and creating media content for pre-K through 12 grades.
• Center for Media and Public Affairs
  Information and links to info on the role the media plays in communicating information about health risks and scientific issues.
• It ain’t necessarily so : how media make and unmake the scientific picture of reality
• Media Awareness NetWork
• Media Literacy Online Project from University of Oregon
• Selling Science: How the Press covers Science and Technology
• Studies in Medial & Information Literacy Education This is a journal of peer-reviewed articles on the topic of media literacy.

Writing & Citing

General Writing/Citing Tips & Tools

• RefWorks (Web-based Information Manager. Automatically formats bibliographies. Free to UW-Madison students, staff and faculty)
• ProCite Guide
• EndNote Guide
• The Writing Center
  Homepage for the UW-Madison Writing Center. Links to a writer's handbook and other resources.
• Instructions to Authors in the Health Sciences
  Links to Web sites which provide instructions to authors for over 3,500 journals in the health and life sciences.
• Internet Citation Guides
  Bibliography of online style guides from Memorial Library.
• Using the Web as a Research and Reporting Tool
  
  Press Releases
• Writing a News Release: A Checklist (K. Hallahan, Colorado State)
• How to Write a Press Release
• PRWeb Press Release Tips and Guidelines
• The Well Tempered Press Release (Daniel Dern)


Feature Writing
• Feature Writing (Bruce Itule)
• Feature Writing (SNN Newsroom by Beth Ryan)
• Top Tips for Writing Feature Article (PDF)


Science Writing
• Communicating Science News
• Writing and Presenting Scientific Work
  Extensive bibliography of links related to scientific writing. Includes dictionaries, grammar books, online reference services, style guides, copyright information, technical writing, manuscript submission, and abbreviation lists.
• A Field Guide for Science Writers2006
• Ideas into Words: mastering the craft of science writing

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General Reference Tools for Journalists (Life Sciences Reference Tools listed below)

Dictionaries

• American Heritage® Dictionary
  Over 90,000 entries feature 10,000 new words and senses, 70,000 audio word pronunciations, 900 full-page color illustrations, language notes and word-root appendixes.
• Babelfish Translation Service
  Provides rough translations between a number of common languages of selections of text or entire webpages.
• CancerWeb's Online Medical Dictionary
  OMD is a searchable dictionary created by Dr. Graham Dark and contains terms relating to biochemistry, cell biology, chemistry, medicine, molecular biology, physics, plant biology, radiobiology, science and technology. It includes: acronyms, jargon, theory, conventions, standards, institutions, projects, eponyms, history, in fact anything to do with medicine or science.
• GardenWeb Glossary of Botanical Terms
  Contains 4400 terms relating to botany, gardening, horticulture and landscape architecture and is regularly updated.
• Life Science Dictionary
  This free resource contains over 8,300 terms that deal mainly with biochemistry, biotechnology, botany, cell biology and genetics. There are also some terms relating to ecology, limnology, pharmacology, toxicology and medicine.
• Merriam-Webster Dictionary
  Provides access to a standard English dictionary. Can also search Merriam-Webster Thesaurus from the same interface.
• National Agricultural Thesaurus
  Collection of terms used to index websites and materials dealing with agriculture, such as the USDA, ARS, and AgNIC. Useful for locating search terms for use on agricultural web sites.
• Nomenclatural Glossary for Zoology
  This glossary is based on a text intended to aid indexers in the production of nomenclatural entries for the Zoological Record, the index to world zoological literature published by BIOSIS and the Zoological Society of London. It covers terminology commonly encountered within publications dealing with the systematics and nomenclature of animals.
• OneLook Dictionaries
  A search engine for words and phrases. More than 5 million words in more than 900 online dictionaries are indexed.
• Oxford English Dictionary Online
  Contains the complete contents of the 20-volume Second Edition of the Oxford English Dictionary and three Additions volumes published from 1993-97. Each of the 616,000 entries contains the etymology, definition, part of speech, date of origination, pronunciation, cross-references, and quotations.
• yourDictionary.com
  A portal for language and language-related products and services on the web with more than 1,800 dictionaries with more than 250 languages.

Encyclopedias

• Animal Diversity Web
  An online database of animal natural history, distribution, classification, and conservation biology at the University of Michigan. Features thousands of species accounts about individual animal species and descriptions of levels of organization above the species level, especially phyla, classes, and in some cases, orders and families.
• Encyclopædia Britannica Online
  Online edition of the standard general encyclopedia. Interface also allows user to search the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary and Thesaurus.
• Gray's Anatomy
  The Bartleby.com edition of Gray’s Anatomy of the Human Body features 1,247 vibrant engravings—many in color—from the classic 1918 publication, as well as a subject index with 13,000 entries ranging from the Antrum of Highmore to the Zonule of Zinn.
• Infoplease.com
  Source of a large number of short articles on just about every topic under the sun.
• Online Dictionaries The Faster Finder
• Plants Database (USDA)
  Focuses on vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens of the U.S. and its territories. The PLANTS Database includes names, checklists, automated tools, identification information, species abstracts, distributional data, crop information, plant symbols, plant growth data, plant materials information, plant links, references, and other plant information.

Books

MadCat
MadCat is the catalog of books, journals, and other materials held in UW-Madison libraries. More about Madcat

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Statistics and Facts

• Agricultural Statistics Resources on the Internet
• CIA World FactBook
  Country maps and data, country profiles , etc. from the 2004 CIA World Factbook.
• FedStats
  The full range of official statistical information available to the public from the Federal Government.
• National Agricultural Statistics Service
• Polling the Nations
• Polling Report.com
  Gives easy access to a timely, high quality cross-section of poll date on topics of national political, economic, and socio-cultural interest.
• Research Guide to Statistics
  A cooperative site between Steenbock Library and UW Extension. Groups statistics sites as Wisconsin; General; Aging and Caregivers; Agriculture; Children/Youth; Families, Marriage, Divorce and Parenting; Demographics and Housing; Food and Nutrition; and Health.
• State HealthFacts
  Health and health policy information for all fifty states and U.S. territories. Data are divided into ten categories including - demographics and the economy, health status, health coverage and uninsured, health costs and budgets.
• Statistical Abstract of the United States
  Collection of statistics on social and economic conditions in the United States.
• The USDA market news and agricultural statistics
• U. S. Census Bureau
  Contains all of the reports generated from the U.S. Census. Wealth of information on demographics, population, geography, and much, much more.
• Wisconsin agricultural statistics
• WisStat
  Wisconsin specific demographic, economic, and agricultural data.
• Zip Code Statistics from the U.S. Census
  How to find 1990 and 2000 census statistics on people, houselholds, personal income, labor force, housing and businesses by ZIP code with links to get the data.

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Jobs

• Career Services, College of Agricultural & Life Sciences, UW Madison
• Job Hunting on the Internet (from drop-in workshop at Steenbock Library)
• Journalism Jobs (from the Society of Environmental Journalists web site)
  This page contains links to Internet sites listing job openings in journalism which includes broadcasting, print media, freelance and selected job banks.
• Journalism.org Jobs
  More links to Internet sites listing job openings in journalism.
• Public Relations Society of America Job Center
• The Riley Guide: Employment Opportunities and Job Resources on the Internet
  See the sub-page devoted to job opportunities in Writing, Broadcasting & Journalism

Grants and Funding Opportunities

• Community of Science
  On-line resource for networking with colleagues, promoting research, and seeking funding opportunities.
• Grants Information Center
  Collection of resources dedicated to scholarships, fellowships, grants, and other funding opportunities.
• GrantSelect
  The GrantSelect database provides information on more than 10,000 research grants available to both individuals and organizations from more than 4,000 federal, state, and local governments, commercial organizations, associations, and private foundations. Funding programs listed include all academic disciplines, and must be relevant to higher education. Emphasis is on U.S. programs, yet some foreign programs are included as well. Also includes full text of various publications for grant writers.

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People, Places and Organizations

UW-Madison | Government | Organizations | Conferences/Activites

UW-Madison

Departments

• CALS Communication Program
• CALS Departments and Programs
• Consumer Science Department
• Family and Consumer Communications
• Journalism and Mass Communications
• Life Science Communications Department

People

• UW-Madison Expertise
  (Community of Science) The Expertise database can be searched by faculty name, department, area of expertise, patents, and recent publications.
• University Communications Experts Database
• Experts.Com

Government

Local and State

• City of Madison
  Homepage for the city of Madison. Provides access to commonly used services and information about city government and policies.
• Dane County
  Homepage for Dane County. Provides access to commonly used services and information about city government and policies.
• Government Documents at Steenbock Library
  Provides information on the government documents held by Steenbock Library, how to find them, and links to other online sites dealing with government documents.
• Great Lakes Information Network (GLIN)
  Offers a wealth of data and information about the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence region’s environment, economy, tourism, education and more.
• Wisconsin.gov
  The state of Wisconsin's official web portal. Contains links to anything and everything associated with state government and programs.

• Wisconsin Agribusiness Council
• Wisconsin Board for Health Care Information
• Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade, and Consumer Protection
• Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation
• State of Wisconsin Web site

Federal

• Code of Federal Regulations
• Federal Agricultural Sites.
• County and City Data Books
• Federal Register
• FedStats
  The full range of official statistical information available to the public from the Federal Government.
• FedWorld Information Network
  A gateway to government information. The online locator service for a comprehensive inventory of information disseminated by the Federal Government.
• USA.gov: U.S. Federal Government online resources
  Designed as a centralized place to find information from U.S. local, state and federal government agency websites. Connects to more than 51 million web pages. If the government has put it on the web, you can find it through USA.gov.
• GPO Access
  GPO Access is a service of the U.S. Government Printing Office that provides free electronic access to a wealth of important information products produced by the Federal Government.
• Science.gov
  A subsection of Firstgov designed as a centralized location for "authoritative selected science information provided by U.S. Government agencies, including research and development results."
• Statistical Abstract of the United States
  Collection of statistics on social and economic conditions in the United States.
• Thomas Legislative Information
  Gateway to Federal legislative information on the internet from the Library of Congress. Includes information on current actions in the House of Representatives and Senate, public laws, vote results, committee reports and homepages, and the full text of the Congressional Record. Also features directories of House and Senate members, a FAQ, an overview of the legislative process, summaries of congressional activities, historical documents, and the full text of congressional debates.
• U. S. Census Bureau
  Contains all of the reports generated from the U.S. Census. Wealth of information on demographics, population, geography, and much, much more.
• U.S. Geological Survey

• USDA Agricultural Research Service
• USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
• USDA Economic Research Service
• USDA Economics and Statistics System
• USDA Homepage

International

• CIA World Factbook
  Concise profiles of nations including a brief historical overview and sections on geography, people, government, economy, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues.
• State Department Background Notes
  Similar to the CIA World Factbook, but with a much more extensive section on each nation's history and information on diplomatic relations with the United States.
• United Nations
  Official homepage of the UN. Contains information on the organization and its activities.
• Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
  Homepage of the UN Organization dedicated to raising levels of nutrition and standards of living. Provides information on current activities and general information on sustainable agriculture and development.
• The World Clock
  Chart of world time zones, showing current times in major world cities.

Organizations

• American Agricultural Editors Association
• Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communications
• Association of Health Care Journalists (AHCJ)
  AHCJ is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to advancing public understanding of health care issues.
• BioCommunications Association (BCA)
  BCA membership is international in scope, and made up of professionals who create and use the highest quality images and presentations in visual communications media for teaching and documentation in the life sciences and medicine.
• International Federation of Agricultural Journalists (IFAJ)
  IFAJ is a non-political, professional association for agricultural journalists in 29 countries.
• National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA)
• Native American Journalists Association (NAJA)
  NAJA serves and empowers Native journalists through programs and actions designed to enrich journalism and promote Native cultures.
• National Association of Medical Communicators (NAMC)
  The mission of NAMC is to unite and support medical journalists and communicators as they provide health information to consumers via various media, including broadcast, print and the Internet.
• National Association of Science Writers (NASW)
• North American Agricultural Journalists Home Page (NAAJ)
  NAAJ is a professional, group of agricultural editors and writers.
• Society of Environmental Journalists (SEJ)
  SEJ is a U.S.- based membership organization of working journalists dedicated to improvements in environmental reporting.
• More Journalism Organizations and Associations

Conferences, Meetings, Seminars

• Wisconsin Activities and Conferences (UW-Extension)

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This page available at http://steenbock.library.wisc.edu/subjectguide/lifescience_com.htm

Please send comments about this page to: Patricia Herrling

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Steenbock Memorial Library is the primary resource library for the University of Wisconsin-Madison's College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, School of Human Ecology, School of Veterinary Medicine and UW Extension, Cooperative Extension.