LibGuides: Entomology: Find Research Resources

Dr. A.L. (Axel Leonard) Melander (right) of Washington State College, and Dr. J.M. (John Merton) Aldrich (left) of the University of Idaho. The pair were two of the world's leading experts in Diptera (two-winged insects). Ca. 1917. From the WSU Manuscripts & Special Collections.

Top Picks to Find Scholarly Research

Below are some great research databases where you will find peer reviewed research, conference proceedings, and much more. If you need any assistance using these databases contact David Luftig who is the agricultural sciences librarian at WSU.

Web of Science (Clarivate Analytics)
One of the top science databases. Web of Science can assist you in finding research, following citations, evaluating research impact, and much more.
AGRICOLA (EBSCO)
AGRICOLA contains bibliographic records from the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Library.

WSU Libraries SearchIt
SearchIt is the WSU library catalog. You can search among many different types of resources and order materials from other institutions if they are not immediately available through WSU. You will find the most resources in Search It but you will also find the most noise.

If you are unsure if a resource is peer reviewed, you can use Ulrich's Periodicals to see if the journal is peer-reviewed.

Other Useful Scholarly Databases

AGRIS (FAO)
AGRIS is the international information system for the agricultural sciences and technology. It was created by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in 1974, to facilitate information exchange and to bring together world literature dealing with all aspects of agriculture. AGRIS is a cooperative system in which participating countries input references to the literature produced within their boundaries and, in return, draw on the information provided by the other participants. To date, 240 national, international and intergovernmental centers participate.
BIOSIS Previews
BIOSIS Previews¨ is the online version of Biological Abstracts¨ and Biological Abstracts/RRM¨ (Reports, Reviews, and Meetings), the largest collection of biological sciences records in the world.
CAB Abstracts (CABI)
Citations with abstracts to the world literature on all aspects of agriculture including forestry and nutrition. Updated weekly. Contains all data from these individual CABI indexes: Agroforestry Abstracts, Field Crop Abstracts, Forest Products Abstracts, Forestry Abstracts, Grassland and forage Abstracts, Horticultural Abstracts, Irrigation and Drainage Abstracts, Nutrition Abstracts : Human Nutrition, Plant Breeding Abstracts, Potato Abstracts, Review of Plant Pathology, Seed Abstracts, Soils and Fertilizers, Weed Abstracts, Wheat Barley and Triticale Abstracts.
SciFinder Scholar
This service works best with Internet Explorer. First time users MUST register. Full text access to: Chemical Abstracts since 1907, Chemical Abstracts Registry CASREACT: since 1974, Medline since 1985, Chemcats and ChemList since 1979.

Encyclopedias & Dictionaries

C.M.I. Descriptions of Fungi and Bacteria (CABI)
The Descriptions of Fungi and Bacteria are designed for use by plant pathologists and veterinary and medical mycologists. They provide integrated information to allow identification / confirmation of identity of significant species, along with related information on pathology or other economic significance.
Dictionary of Ecology
This dictionary entries on all aspects of ecology and related environmental scientific disciplines such as biogeography, genetics, soil science, geomorphology, atmospheric science, and oceanography. Coverage is wide-ranging and includes plant and animal physiology, animal behaviour, pollution, conservation, habitat management, evolution, environmental pollution, climatology and meteorology.
Dictionary of Plant Sciences
This dictionary gives wide coverage on topics including biochemistry, plant physiology, cytology, ecology, genetics, evolution, bio-geography, earth history, and the earth sciences. There is worldwide coverage of taxonomic groups - one-third of the entries are devoted to taxa, from bacteria and fungi to the main groups of flowering and non-flowering plants.
Encyclopedia of Agricultural, Food and Biological Engineering
This is a comprehensive guide on raw production technology. It examines the role of engineering in delivery of quality consumer products.
Encyclopedia of Pest Management
This encyclopedia covers all aspects of pest management and serves as a guide for students, scholars, workers, the public and policy makers.
Encyclopedia of Plant and Crop Science
This encyclopedia covers classic and modern studies in plant biology in conjunction with research, applications, and innovations in crop science.
Encyclopedia of Soil Science
This encyclopedia provides information on the chemistry, analysis, and evaluation of soils and geography with a focus on agricultural development in the third world emphasizing research on sustainable management of natural resources, soil productivity and environmental quality.
Oxford Encyclopedia of Food & Drink In America
This encyclopedia covers the significant events, inventions, and social movements in American history that have affected the way Americans view, prepare, and consume food and drink. The articles treat regions, people, ingredients, companies, advertising, historical eras, holidays and festivals, and political, scientific, and economic currents pertinent to American cuisine.

Digital Collections & Historic Resources

Smithsonian National Museum Entomological Collection Search - Approximately 450,000 records are currently available in this online catalog, including Genetic Samples, and the Primary Type, Specimen, and Species Inventories. Also available are the Illustration Archive records that include images and data about published scientific illustrations. See also:

The Smithsonian National Museum overview for their entomology collection.
The Smithsonian National Museum Entomology Subject Guide which provides links and descriptions to their entomology collection.
Smithsonian's BugInfo, a user-friendly guide to assist with learning about the insects of North America

Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) - Provides an extensive collection of digital materials and books, See also:

Dazzling Diversity: The Insect World a collection of 28 digitized Natural History volumes .

Cornell University Insect Collection - A large, searchable, resource with thousands of digital images.

New York Public Library Digital Collections: Illustrations of exotic entomology - An enormous collection of pre-1920 illustrated zoologies from Europe and the Americas.

The WSU Manuscript & Special Collections (MASC) - MASC has an extensive collection of historic resources pertaining to WSU entomology. They also have a large digital collection.

*To find info on the history of land use and agriculture (including photographs, maps, publications, and much more), take a look at the WSU Libraries' history of agriculture library research guide.