Earth and planetary sciences

Where to Find Background Information

If you are not sure what your topic is all about, look it up in a dictionary or encyclopedia. Start with:

Dictionaries and encyclopedias

• A dictionary of earth sciences
• A dictionary of ecology
• Encyclopedia Britannica (general)
• Encyclopedia of earth
• Encyclopedia of hydrological sciences
• Encyclopedia of physical science and technology
• The Oxford companion to the earth
• Oxford reference online
  (searches an online collection of dictionaries, encyclopedias, and other reference textbooks)
• Water encyclopedia

Where to Find References to Journal Articles

• Web of Science
  Multidisciplinary database; allows citation searching
• Scopus
  Multidisciplinary database; allows citation searching
• GeoRef
  Subject-specific database; provides access to the geoscience literature of the world; it covers the geology of North America from 1785, and the rest of the world from 1933
• GEOBASE
  Subject-specific database; covers development studies, earth sciences, ecology, geomechanics, human geography, and oceanography 

Additional sources for finding references to journal articles

• Compendex
  Engineering database; use for searching the engineering aspects of geology
• Environmental Sciences and Pollution Management
• Oceanic Abstracts
• Meteorological and Geoastrophysical Abstracts
• ProQuest Dissertations and Theses
  A database of doctoral dissertations and master's theses from the United States, Canada and selected international institutions

You can also search the full text of core journals

• Annual Reviews in Earth & Planetary Sciences
• GeoScienceWorld
  A full text database that contains the journals published by leading geoscience societies; also includes the GeoRef database
  
• ScienceDirect
  A full text database that contains the journals published by Elsevier; also allows citation searching

How to Locate Books or the Full Text of Journal Articles

Look for the Find It button when searching databases.  Click on this button to link to our catalogue.

Search the McGill Library Catalogue to find journals or books, whether in print or electronic format.

• For Journals: Choose "Journal Title begins with..." and enter the title of the journal in which the article is published.  
• For Books: Choose "Title begins with..." and enter the title of the book you are interested in.

How to Obtain Materials not available at McGill

McGill students and staff may order articles and books that are not available at McGill using COLOMBO.  Please do not wait until it is too late for us to help you with COLOMBO.

Selected Internet sites for Earth and planetary sciences

• Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences (McGill University)
• Encyclopedia of Earth
• Digital Library for Earth System Education
• Earthquake Hazards Program (U.S. Geological Survey)
• Envirofacts Warehouse
• How Volcanoes Work (San Diego State University)
• Minerals Yearbook
• NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)
• NASA Global Change Master Directory
• PlanetEarth: Earth Sciences for Society

Sources of Photographs & Images for EPSC topics

Use the EPSC Images Search Engine to identify which of the resources below contains the best images on your topic.  Then, visit the appropriate resource to conduct a comprehensive search of its website.    

• Clipart ETC Earth Sciences (images can be used for educational purposes)
• Earth Science World Image Bank (images can be used for educational purposes)
• Oxford Earth Sciences Image Store (images can be used for educational purposes)
• U.S. Geological Survey Photographic Library (images can be used for educational purposes)
   
• ScienceDaily: Earth Science Images (images for personal use only)
• Slide Sets from UBC‘s Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences (images for personal use only)

Other Internet resources

• Geological Survey of Canada library guide
• Natural Resources Canada
  (this website links to data, maps, and/or government funded reports on climate change, energy and minerals, geography and boundaries, groundwater, earthquakes, and space weather; the focus is on Canada but it also links to international content)
• The Turret (Schulich Library blog)