Library: Plants of Hawai'i: Finding Articles

Search Tips

Databases have different search capabilities. To become a better searcher, follow these tips.

1. Familiarize Yourself
Ask yourself, "What kinds of information can I get from these databases?"

2. Determine the Access Points
Ask yourself, "What search options are available in these databases?" Can I do a subject browse?

3. Search ALL the Plant Names
Ask yourself, "What are the various names of my plant?"

Selected Article Databases

What are databases? Databases index and sometimes provide full-text access to peer-reviewed and popular magazine articles. The databases below index many Hawaii and Pacific journals and magazines, thus are most likely to have articles about your topic.

Academic Search Complete (EBSCO)
This is a large, multi-disciplinary collection of mostly full-text magazine, newspaper, and journal articles on a wide array of subjects. It's a great place to start for almost any topic.
AGRICOLA
For finding materials related to agriculture, forestry, and animal science. It has citations and some full-text journal articles, books, theses, patents, software, audiovisual materials, and technical reports.
Botany Commons
This contains full-text scholarly articles, book chapters, and other original scholarly work from universities and colleges.
Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
A tool for finding and linking to free full-text, high-quality, peer-reviewed journals and articles covering all subjects.
Google Scholar
Find scholarly articles and other materials. Hint: don't pay for any articles! Ask a librarian to help you track down the articles you want.
If you can't find a free version of an article, ask a librarian to help you get it.
Hawaii Pacific Journal Index (HPJI)
Citations to articles from publications related to Hawai`i and the Pacific region. A librarian can help you locate the articles.
JSTOR
Articles, books, primary sources, images, and research reports in the arts & sciences, sustainability, security studies, life sciences, and literature.
Science Direct
Includes scholarly publications from a wide range of disciplines, including physical sciences, health sciences, life sciences, and social sciences.
Science Reference Source
Full-text science encyclopedias, reference books, articles, and images.

Selected Journals

Environment Hawaii Index by Year
"Since 1990, the Environment Hawai`i Newsletter has published articles on important environmental issues, from fisheries management to endangered species protection to native forest restoration and more." Print issues of the newsletters are located in WCC's Hawaiʻi Collection.