HRT103: Introduction to Plant Science

The library subscribes to some databases specific to horticulture, as well as some general subject databases, to help you with your research.

Database Search Tips

• Search with specific keywords
• Search 2-3 keywords at a time
• Use quotation marks around words you want to search as a complete phrase (example: "coffee bean")
• Use limiters: full text, scholarly peer-reviewed, and date range
• Revise your search using different keywords to see how that changes your results
• Use Boolean operators:
  • AND connects two unrelated words (example: coffee bean AND cultivation)
  • OR connects similar words (coffee bean OR Coffea arabica)
  • NOT eliminates results with a specific word (coffee bean NOT brewing)

Whether you're starting with a specific research question or just exploring a topic, searching a horticulture-specific database like Gale OneFile: Gardening and Agriculture is a good starting point.

• Use specific keywords, not questions
• Use the database's limiters: full text, scholarly peer-reviewed limiters, and date range

1. Go to Gale OneFile: Gardening and Horticulture.
2. Click on Advanced Search.
3. Type some keywords in the search box(es), then press Enter.

Example: medicinal plants

The results show you information from a variety of formats: magazines, academic journals, books, news, and more. If your instructor asks you to use scholarly sources, click on Academic Journals.

When you find an article you want to read, click the title. From there, you can:

• View the full text of the article. Keep an eye out for more keywords to revise your search!
• Save the article to your Google Drive
• Get the article's citation (Cite tool)
• Print, email, or copy the link to the article (Permalink tool)