How do you get to all the library resources? Go to our library website HERE
(The library website, and all our online resources - including full-text articles and eBooks - can be accessed from our website 24/7 from any location.)
Do you need to find a book? Search our library catalog HERE
Do you need to find a journal, magazine, or newspaper article? Search one of our library databases from the Databases A-Z list HERE
Do you need to meet with a librarian? Schedule a research session HERE
The default search option in WC Discover and in the library databases will be a keyword search. But you can adjust the search options to search by author, title, or subject.
Searching by Keyword searches for the word(s) anywhere in the title, author, abstract and subject field. You get a lot of results from a keyword search, and some of them won't be relevant - but some of them will. A keyword search is the best way to start searching for sources.
Searching by Subject searches just the subject terms that are attached to each entry in a database or catalog. Subject terms are added to the entry to describe what the book or article is about. You don't get as many results from a subject search, but the results will be much more specific. However, because subject terms are so specific, it can be hard to guess what they are.
The easiest solution is to use Keyword and Subject searching together - start with a keyword search, and then when you have some articles or books that you like, look at the subject terms attached to those records, and use those subject terms to run a subject search.
If a book or article is not at available at Watson Library or through OhioLINK, you can request it via inter-library loan (ILL). This is a different requesting process, in which the library staff contact libraries across the country to source the material you request, and the items are shipped via regular mail.
ILL requests will take longer than OhioLINK requests, because the process is not as automated and items may be shipping from several states away. (ILL requests for articles can usually be scanned and sent over email, so they are still relatively quick if the article is available.)
If there is no access through OhioLINK, the library catalog and the databases will offer you the option to place an ILL request, and the standalone form for submitting an ILL request is HERE
A scholarly journal article is an article that has gone through peer review before being published in an academic journal.
Peer Review is the process of submitting an author’s scholarly work or research for review by other experts in the same field.
Most articles in a Scholarly or Academic Journal are Peer Reviewed, but not necessarily all – be careful of editorials, opinion pieces, or book reviews.
If your professor tells you to use articles that are "peer reviewed," "scholarly," or "from an academic journal" - they mean the same thing.
Most of our library databases will have an option to limit search results to JUST peer reviewed.
Watson Library has a variety of books on agriculture topics! The books listed below are a sampling of what we have available in the library - to find more, check our library catalog.
A Dictionary of Agriculture and Land Management - Available as a Book
Principles of Agronomy for Sustainable Agriculture - Available as an eBook
Soil Survey: Clinton County Ohio - Available as a Book
Field to Lab: A Comprehensive Handbook for Agricultural Extension - Available as an eBook
Agricultural Engineering - Available as a Book
