The rangeland resource science literature is part of the larger scientific literature and is composed of specific discipline literature as well as that of other basic scientific disciplines. Scientific literature is the principal medium for communicating the results of scientific research and represents a permanent record of the collective achievements of the scientific community. It is composed of the individual "end products" of scientific research and continues to expand as new research builds on earlier research.
Scientific literature is divided into two basic categories - "primary" and "secondary". Publications that report the results of original scientific research constitute the "primary" literature and include journal papers, conference papers, monographic series, technical reports, theses, and dissertations. The "primary" literature is eventually compacted into "secondary" sources which synthesize and condense what is known on specific topics. These include reviews, monographs, textbooks, treatises, handbooks, and manuals.
Availability of scientific literature varies depending upon its publication format. Some formats are widely available, e.g., journal papers, while others have limited distribution and are difficult to identify and acquire. This "gray literature" commonly includes technical reports, theses, and dissertations.
Rangeland resource science serials can be grouped into the following three categories:
Copies of papers contained in serials that are not available in the HSU Library can be requested through the Library's Interlibrary Loan Service.
Since most rangleland resource science indexes and "Reference Cited" lists abbreviate serial titles the following sources can help you find the unabbreviated serial title:
in front of every index for any
available lists
For a more expanded distinction between journals and magazines see Journals - Scholarly or Popular?
Journals. The research paper published in a scientific journal represents the most important "primary" source of information for the range scientist and manager. Papers published in journals generally go through a "peer review" process before acceptance and publication. Presently there are over 25,000 peer reviewed scientific journals that being published. . Fifty percent of the range literature is published in this format.
Rangeland Resource Science Indexes can be used to find individual research papers by author, subject, taxonomic category, habitat, time period, chemical substance, or geographic area. In addition many journal publisher websites now maintain a searchable database of articles that have been published in their journals. If you need to locate indexing for a specific journal JAKE (Jointly Administered Knowledge Environment) allows you to search by individual journal title to identify in which of 195 possible indexes or fulltext databases a title is indexed.
The following list contains journals available in the HSU Library which publish research of interest to rangeland resource science. For a more comprehensive list, see Agricultural and Animal Science Journals and Serials: An Analytical Guide (Jensen) 1986 (ref S 493 J45). There are many others in the Library which publish forestry, water, wildlife, fisheries, and planning research. Check the Journal and Newspaper Finder for specific holdings and call number and for other titles that are not on this list.
Magazines and Newsletters. Articles appearing in these publications tend to be popular in format and scope. They may contain news and perspectives of professional societies and environmental organizations, report on research published in scholarly journals, report on environmental problems and new political initiatives, or contain articles aimed at the layperson.
While the results of most range research are published in journals,
perhaps 20% of the research is published in individual issues of
monographic series. Longer contributions resulting
from scientific research are often published in this format. Monographic
series typically have the following characteristics:
A typical example is:
Neff, Don J.; et al.(a) 1979. Forest, Range, and Watershed
Management for Enhancement of Wildlife Habitat in Arizona.(b)
Arizona Game and Fish Dept.(c) Special Report(d) 7(e)
where a=individual author; b=individual title; c=series author; d=series
title; e=series number
To locate monographic series in the HSU Library you need to consult the following
sources:
As with individual journal papers indexes also can be used to identify research published in this format. See Rangeland Resource Science Indexes.
Following are some of the rangeland resource science monographic series available in the HSU Library that are located in the regular bookstacks.
Papers presented at national and international conferences, symposia, and workshops are another source of "primary" scientific information in rangeland resource science. For many of these meetings the presented papers are eventually published in a "proceedings" or "transactions" volume. Those available in the HSU Library are listed in the HSU Library Catalog under author (generally the name of the conference, individual editor or sponsoring organization) and title.
Subject, taxonomic, geographic, and author access to individual conference papers also is provided by indexes. See Rangeland Resource Science Indexes.
Following are some of the regularly recurring range conferences received by the HSU Library. In addition there are many other one-time specialty conferences listed in the HSU Library Catalog.
Monographs generally are not part of the "primary" literature of science, but rather are "secondary" sources of information. They may be either scholarly contributions or popularizations on specific topics. Through scholarly monographs the "primary" literature on specific topics is condensed, summarized or reviewed. Most include references back to the "primary" literature. They may take the format of textbooks, treatises, taxonomic works, or a multitude of reference works, such as encyclopedias or handbooks. Monographs are listed in the HSU Library Catalog. For guidance in use library catalogs in general see the section on Library Catalogs and Subject Classifications.
Send comments and suggestions about this page to: Robert Sathrum
Latest entry: April 5, 2006
Links last checked: January 30, 2004