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Penn State University Libraries
University Library Home > Agriculture, Biology, and Health

Nutrition

 

Contact

Nancy Henry
Title: Health Sciences Librarian



phone: 814-865-3713
Life Sciences Library
408 Paterno Library

Articles and Databases

Core Resources...

  • PubMed (Medline) covers all aspects of human biology and medicine.
  • CAB Abstracts includes Nutrition Abstracts A&B, focusing on human and animal nutrition, in addition to coverage of agriculture and dairy science.
  • PsycInfo coverage of the international literature in psychology.
  • ERIC encompasses all aspects of education, sponsored by U.S. Dept Education.

Other Relevant Resources...

  • IBIDS searchable as a subset (click on LIMIT and look for subset option) of PubMed. Provides access to the  international and scientific literature on dietary supplements.
  • Biological Abstracts is the premier database for biology, including microbiology.
  • AGRICOLA Articles a core agriculture database that also covers nutrition information.
  • Dissertation & Thesis includes dissertations from most U.S. institutions.
  • Web of Science search for new articles which cite an older article by using the "cited ref" search mode.

 

Don't forget: Try These First if you want general popular interest magazines and newspapers or pro and con debate information.

Already have a citation?  Use Citation Linker to see if Penn State has it online or in print!

Article Search Tips

Finding the best articles on your topic requires a number of steps.

  • Select an appropriate database.
  • Enter and combine terms appropriate to your topic
  • Look at the best references you retrieve and determine the subject terms used for those articles. Then revise your search using these new terms.
  • Save, write down or print off all pertinent information (called the 'citation') including the journal title, volume, date, and page numbers.
  • Explore other databases and subject terms (which vary between databases) for more information.

Get the full text

Once you find the citation, try the Penn State Get It Button button to see if Penn State has the electronic or print version of the article you need. If the electronic version is available, it will appear as the first link on the Get it! menu. If the article is not available electronically, click on The CAT link to automatically search our catalog and see if Penn State has a print copy. If no other copy is available, you use the InterLibrary Loan link to request it from another library.

Books

Use The CAT for finding books owned by Penn State.

CAT Search Tips:  The CAT is the list of what is owned by Penn State Libraries.

Go to the Browse function if you are looking for a specific title or author (type last name first).

Go to the Keyword function and combine terms to search on a topic then use the subject headings from relevant books for additional search terms.

Write down the call number and location for any book you want.

For electronic books, click the words "online content" to access the full text.

Quick Guide to Searching the CAT (HTML version) or Quick Guide to Searching in the CAT(easy-print PDF version).

Learn how to refine your search with Savvy Searching in the CAT (html) or easy-print PDF version: Savvy Searching in the CAT.

Suggested CAT Search Terms: Search for information on a disease (i.e. cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes mellitus, eating disorders), broad concepts (i.e. dietary supplements, food habits, functional foods, nutraceuticals, obesity, vitamins, lipids, omega-3 fatty acids) or a specific vitamin, mineral, or dietary supplement (i.e. vitamin c, Ginkgo Biloba).

Call Numbers: Nutrition information is generally located in the Life Sciences Library on the 4th floor of Paterno Library. Note exceptions in call number listing that follows:

  • BF – Psychology (UP location: 5th floor Paterno)
  • QM – Human Anatomy
  • QP – Physiology
  • QR – Microbiology
  • RA – Public Aspects of Medicine, Personal Health
  • RB – Pathology
  • RM – Therapeutics, Diet in Disease, Dietetics, Diet Therapy


Full text books online: Annual Reviews, MD-Consult, Online Reference Shelf, NCBI Bookshelf, SpringerLink

Books elsewhere: WorldCat

Libraries Borrowing Policies

Once you have the books, check them out at the nearest lending desk or self check-out station. Loan periods are usually four weeks but books can be recalled for another user, so respond promptly to library notices. For more information see the University Libraries Lending Code. 

Reference

Many reference publications are available in print in the Life Sciences Library and online full-text.

Statistics

Internet Sites

Other Resources

The following resources provide additional information that may be helpful for completing your 490W Nutrition assignments:

Evaluating Resources for Content

To evaluate print sources and web sites, you should ask a series of questions concerning the source’s currency, authority, validity, intended audience and bias. See this How to Evaluate Information site for details.

Citing Sources

When using information from another source you must give credit to the original author or you are plagiarizing. You give credit by citing the source. Make sure your citation contains everything you would need to backtrack and find the information again. It is best to pick one citation style and be consistent. Check the Citation and Writing Styles for details and formatting information.

Plagiarism, whether you copy a paragraph from a book or cut and paste someone else's words from an e-mail, is a violation of Penn State's academic integrity policy. See this Statement on Plagiarism and Academic Dishonesty.