Using Scifinder Scholar electronic search engine for many scientific journals (but not all!).

Scifinder is used to search Chemical Abstracts.  Chemical Abstracts is one of two services world wide that writes abstracts for many published journals and correlates these into databases.  There are  4 simultaneous copies for the entire campus. Please use it efficiently and then log off so the next person gets a chance.

The SciFinder Scholar interface is installed on the computers in GBAD 311 and it is on the PC’s that run Oasis at Valley Library (look under networked databases.) This is the electronic version of Chemical Abstracts. There are limitations depending on how you search and which database is searched (there are several such as Registry, CAReacts, etc.) 

Rather than searching the compound as a structure, if you are looking for characteristics on compounds, then search by RESEARCH TOPIC. You will get an initial "hit list".  If you get a lot of hits, refine your search by searching the first hit list with another RESEARCH TOPIC to narrow down the choices (see button at bottom of first hit list).

Check the box next to the likely candidates and select the microscope icon to view the abstract for the paper.  You can generally tell from the abstract if the full paper is useful or not.  Selecting the page icon will send you to a portal that will look to see if OSU owns rights to the journal, if we do, and it is online, you can get the electronic article through ChemPort, ask for help from one of us or a Librarian at Valley if you get stuck.  If it is not online, but OSU has a copy, you can hoof it to the library and get the real paper version in the stacks (good experience!)

There are more hints at the Valley Library web page:

http://osulibrary.oregonstate.edu/research/guides/sfs.html

(last updated (cp) 02/01/2011)