Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Librarian
Leyla Cabugos
Contact:
Hello! These guides are designed to get you started in your information searches. I am available for information research consultations, and can work with you to develop learning experiences that address the information needs of your course or lab group. My work is informed by masters degrees in botany and library science, diverse professional experience in food systems, and ongoing study of evidence synthesis.
(805)756-5719
Subjects: Agribusiness, Agricultural and Environmental Plant Sciences, Agricultural Communication, Agricultural Education, Agriculture, Animal Science, BioResource and Agricultural Engineering, Botany, Earth Science, Environmental Science, Experience Industry Management, Food Science, Forestry and Natural Resources, Horticulture, Hospitality and Tourism, Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences, Nutrition, Plant Sciences, Recreation, Reference, Science, Soil Science, Sports, Water and Hydrology, Wine and Viticulture
Need Help?
- Research Help DeskChat Online with Library Staff 24/7
Important Information
- How to Read a Scientific ArticleAn excellent overview of how to read an article - includes a template for taking notes.
By Mary Purugganan, Ph.D. and Jan Hewitt, Ph.D. of Rice University
- Google Advanced Search OperatorsAn explanation of your search options and how Google processes them.
- Search Tips from a Google DeveloperTips on what to search for to get up to speed on a topic fast.
Research Tools
- Westlaw This link opens in a new windowWestlaw is a legal research database that includes case law, state and federal statutes, administrative codes, newspaper and magazine articles, public records, law journals, law reviews, and treatises.
- RAND California This link opens in a new windowRAND California provides information, research reports and statistics on the California economy and public policy issues, as well as access to selected policy reports, statistics, and information at the national and international scale.
- Statista This link opens in a new windowStatista is a statistics portal which provides direct access to quantitative data on media, business, finance, politics, and a wide variety of other areas of interest or markets. The database features unlimited downloads, source citations and direct use or export of results in PowerPoint, Excel PDF and Graphic (PNG) formats.
Users may need to disable ad blocking software on this site if search results links don't work. - HeinOnline Animal Studies: Law, Welfare and Rights This link opens in a new windowWith titles from the Animal Legal Defense Fund and Animal Welfare Institute, HeinOnline Animal Studies: Law, Welfare and Rights aims to establish the foundational laws pertaining to animals and follow the evolution of these rights throughout the years. It includes philosophical books dating back to the 1800's, videos, periodicals, brochures, and more.
- HeinOnline Water Rights & Resources This link opens in a new windowHeinOnline Water Rights & Resources touches on a wide range of water issues, including irrigation, hydropower, riparian rights, water conservation, drinking water quality, and tribal water rights, encompassing the unique water rights issues that span from the Eastern seaboard to the Great Lakes and across the arid West.
- Newspaper DatabasesAn introduction to specialized resources for finding and accessing current and archival news publications, curated by Kennedy Library's Coordinator of Reference.
- Hein Online COVID-19: Pandemics Past and PresentCollection of law and policy resources
- California Digital Newspaper Collection This link opens in a new windowCDNC is a freely accessible repository of digitized California newspapers from 1846 to the present.
- California Newspapers (Newsbank) This link opens in a new windowSearchable full text from California newspapers, including the Tribune (San Luis Obispo), the San Francisco Chronicle, the Fresno Bee, the Sacramento Bee, and the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Finding Books
- OneSearch Use OneSearch to find materials at Kennedy Library. Search by keyword, title, author, and more.
- Google BooksUse keyword searching to find old images and articles from magazines such as Jet, Life, and Ebony.
Searching for Articles
- Academic Search Premier This link opens in a new windowA comprehensive index of peer-reviewed scholarly journals in social sciences, humanities, general science, education and multicultural studies, as well as popular magazines published from 1990-present. Provides Full-text access to peer reviewed articles from thousands of journals.
- AGRICOLA (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new windowAGRICOLA is a comprehensive index to journal articles, book chapters, theses and more in the field of agriculture. Disciplines covered include food & human nutrition, agricultural engineering & technology, earth & environmental sciences.
- CABI: CAB Abstracts and Global Health (Web of Science) This link opens in a new windowCAB Abstracts provides research information on agriculture and related applied life sciences, including Agriculture, Animal Health, Forestry, Human Health and Nutrition, and Natural Resources Management. Global Health from CABI is the definitive international public health database.
- Communication Source This link opens in a new windowCommunication Source offers abstracts and indexing as well as full-text content from publications worldwide pertaining to communication, linguistics, rhetoric and discourse, speech-language pathology, media studies and other fields relevant to the discipline.
- Google Scholar This link opens in a new window
Off campus users: To avoid CAPTCHA errors during peak times, use VPN for access. Google Scholar allows you to simultaneously search scholarly content across many disciplines, databases, and information sources. Results can include books, articles, chapters, conference proceedings, and more.
Tips on using Google Scholar are available here.
- Google Advanced SearchA more powerful way to search google. Limit search by domain or site.
Important Publications
Government Resources
- USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS)The USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) conducts hundreds of surveys every year and prepares reports covering virtually every aspect of U.S. agriculture. Production and supplies of food and fiber, prices paid and received by farmers, farm labor and wages, farm finances, chemical use, and changes in the demographics of U.S. producers are only a few examples.
Professional Development and Networking Resources
- Ag Communicators of TomorrowNational ACT builds relationships among agricultural communication professionals and college students and faculty, to provide professional and academic development for members and to promote agriculture through communications efforts.
- Ag Relations Councilhe Agricultural Relations Council is the only association dedicated to serving the unique needs of public relations professionals working in agriculture, food, fiber and other related industries.
- American Ag Editors AssociationOur mission is to provide opportunities for professional improvement and networking to communicators across the spectrum of agriculture media—from editors, writers and photojournalists to designers and public relations professionals. As an organization driven by its membership, AAEA delivers the kind of professional improvement that the market place demands.
- Association for Communication Excellence in AgricultureACE is an international association of communicators, educators and information technologists. The organization offers professional development and networking for individuals who extend knowledge about agriculture, natural resources, and life and human sciences.
- Cooperative Communicators Associationhe organization's mission is to be the ultimate resource for the development of professional communicators as well as those with a vested interest in cooperative values and principles.
- National Association of Farm BroadcastersNAFB is dedicated to serving the interest of the agricultural community and creating value for its Broadcast member stations and networks. NAFB is an established liaison between farm broadcast stations and networks and the Agri-Marketing community of companies and agencies.
Citing Your Sources
- Purdue OWL APA Formatting and Style Guide APA (American Psychological Association) style is most commonly used to cite sources within the social sciences. This resource, revised according to the 6th edition, second printing of the APA manual, offers examples for the general format of APA research papers, in-text citations, endnotes/footnotes, and the reference page.
