LibGuides: Animals in Research: Searching Alternatives : Databases

Duke Databases

You are required to search at least TWO relevant databases.

Below are the most commonly used databases for animal researchers. Use the 'Get it @ Duke' link to see if Duke has full text access to articles via institutional subscriptions. Let us know if you have questions!

PubMed (MEDLINE) This link opens in a new window
PubMed® is comprised of millions of citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include links to full text content from PubMed Central and publisher web sites.
Scopus This link opens in a new window
Abstract and citation database which includes peer-reviewed titles from international publishers, Open Access journals, conference proceedings, trade publications, and quality Web sources.
Click here for search tips.
Web of Science This link opens in a new window
Provides bibliographic data, full-length author abstracts, and cited references for peer-reviewed journals.
Click here for search tips.
PsycINFO This link opens in a new window
Covers psychology and related disciplines including medicine, psychiatry, nursing, education, pharmacology, and other areas.
Click here for search tips.
Biosis Citation Index This link opens in a new window
Life sciences and biomedical research from journals, meetings, patents, and books.
CAB Abstracts This link opens in a new window
Provides coverage of the applied life sciences including agriculture, environment, veterinary sciences, applied economics, food science and nutrition. Includes books, journal articles, conference papers, and reports.
SciFinder-n This link opens in a new window
SciFinder-n (formerly SciFinder Scholar) provides easy access to worldwide scientific journal and patent literature. Please note: Access is available to Duke users via the Web, but registration for an individual user account is required.
Embase This link opens in a new window
Biomedical and pharmaceutical database covering drug effects, therapies, and evidence based information to help in delivering systematic reviews of the literature. Includes titles not covered by Medline.
Click here for search tips.
Zoological Record This link opens in a new window
Covers all aspects of modern animal research, including behavior, biodiversity, ecology, evolution, genetics, parasitology, physiology, reproduction, and more.

More databases from the Library

AWIC Training

In 2014, AWIC trainers visited Duke and held several training sessions on Meeting the Information Requirements of the Animal Welfare Act.

Slides from the training are available here. A set of additional slides are available here.

Steps to Find Full-Text Articles

Databases (e.g., PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus, Lexicomp, etc.)
There may be several different full-text links for you to try from publisher links to the blue GetIt@Duke button. Each database looks a bit different or has different options.
Duke Libraries Search Widget
If you were unable to get to the full-text through the database you were searching, try using the Duke Libraries Search Widget. Search the full title of the article and try any of the full-text links. If there are none, you can try looking for free full text (Step #2).
E-Journals
If you were unable to get to the full-text through the database you were searching via the widget, you can search for the specific E-Journal to see if Duke has access. (NOTE: You will need the article citation to look for full-text access.)

Search the name of the journal; then, browse to determine if the library subscribes to the specific year. Select the first link that includes the year the article was published. Each publisher website will look different. Find the specific year, volume, and issue that you need and then look for your specific article title.

If you are unable to find full-text articles using the links below, you will need to order it via InterLibrary Loan (Step #3).

Google Scholar This link opens in a new window
1. Make sure your Google Scholar is connected to Duke, as this will give you the Get It @ Duke button. To do this: In Google Scholar > Settings > Library links > Search for Duke > Check all that apply and Save.
2. If you are retrieving too many results, try putting the article title in quotes and / or adding the author last name.

Google
For difficult to find citations, try regular Google.
1. Use the same techniques of putting the title in quotes and adding author information if needed.

Before making a request for full-text articles through Interlibrary Loan (ILL), please try steps #1 and #2 to search for the full-text. This allows our service to focus on articles that are not available for free nor via our Duke subscriptions. Our Interlibrary Loan service is no charge to Duke borrowers for all article requests. If there are copyright or other fees associated with your article request, we will contact you.

Find the article citation in a database: If you aren't already in a database, go back to PubMed or other database such as CINAHL, Embase, or Web of Science to look up the article. Why? Because our Get it @ Duke button will fill out the ILL form for you with all the article information – this saves you time and ensures greater citation accuracy.
Click the GetIt@Duke button: Once you locate the article in a citation database, click the Get It @ Duke link.
Select second button to request as Med Center User: From the page that says “We don't have this online — see below for other ways to get it” click the green button that says “Request – Med Center users.”
Log on with your DHE / NetID username and password: This will take you to the ILL form. The article information will be filled into the form automatically. Scroll to the bottom, verify accuracy, and click submit.

If you can't find the citation in a database or you don't see a GetIt@Duke button, you can place a request manually through our interlibrary loan service. Follow the steps below.

Interlibrary Loan & Document Delivery Request page
First, log in with your DHE Active directory username and password (NetID/pw).
Next, in the left hand menu, click New Request > Article/Chapter
Finally, fill out the required fields; please take care to ensure accuracy as incorrect citations may cause your order to be delayed or cancelled.

Questions about Interlibrary Loan? All interlibrary loan questions should go to Louis Wiethe, Document Delivery & Interlibrary Loan Manager, 919.660.1179 or louis.wiethe@duke.edu

Freely Available Databases

These databases are freely available and most are specifically designed for searching for animal alternatives.

Agricola This link opens in a new window
SEARCH is the USDA National Agricultural Library’s main search tool. It provides simple, one-stop access to more than 8 million records covering all aspects of agriculture and related disciplines. It includes results from the Catalog and Articles database (AGRICOLA), PubAg, and the NAL Digital Collections (NALDC).
ALTBIB This link opens in a new window
ALTBIB is the Bibliography on Alternatives to the Use of Live Vertebrates in Biomedical Research and Testing and was developed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to provide access to PubMed citations for users seeking information on alternatives to animal testing.
Animal Welfare Institute Refinement Database This link opens in a new window
This database, created in 2000, is on the refinement of housing, husbandry, care, and use of animals in research. It is updated every four months with scientific articles, books, and other publications related to the welfare of animals. Full text not included.

AWIC (Animal Welfare Information Center)
US National Agricultural Library produces bibliographies, briefs, and Fact Sheets on alternatives, humane care, euthanasia, toxicity testing and legislation.
NCI Oncology Models Forum
Fills an important need for the diverse cancer research communities who use various mammalian models.
NORINA
NORINA (A Norwegian Inventory of Alternatives) is an English-language database with information on approximately 3700 audiovisual aids and other alternatives that can be used instead of animals in teaching and training.
PrimateLit
A database for primatology spanning 1940-2010.
The Zebrafish Model Organism Database
An on-line database of information for zebrafish researchers.

Journals and Literature

ALTEX
The journal ALTEX – Alternatives to Animal Experimentation publishes open access academic articles on the development and implementation of alternatives to the use of animals for scientific purposes.
Comparative Medicine
Comparative Medicine is an international journal of comparative and experimental medicine that expands biomedical knowledge and promotes human and animal health through the study of laboratory animal disease, animal models of disease, and basic biologic mechanisms related to disease in people and animals.
Experimental Animals
Experimental Animals is published by the Japanese Association for Laboratory Animal Science.
ILAR Journal (1989-2021)
The ILAR Journal is the peer-reviewed, theme-oriented publication of the Institute for Laboratory Animal Research. ILAR is currently on 'hiatus' and its last issue was published in 2021.
Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science
The Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (JAALAS) serves as an official communication vehicle for the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science (AALAS).
Laboratory Animals
The international journal of laboratory animal science, technology, welfare and medicine, Laboratory Animals publishes peer-reviewed original papers and reviews on all aspects of the care of animals in research.
Laboratory Primate Newsletter (1962-2011)
The Laboratory Primate Newsletter provided a central source of information about nonhuman primates and related matters to scientists who use these animals in their research and those whose work supports such research.
Toxicology in Vitro
Toxicology in Vitro is affiliated with the American Association for Cellular and Computational Toxicology & the European Society for Toxicology. It publishes original research focusing on the application and use of in vitro & in silico systems for toxicological evaluations.

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Animals in Research: Searching Alternatives : Databases

Duke Databases

AWIC Training

Steps to Find Full-Text Articles

Freely Available Databases

Journals and Literature