The following is a listing and description of bibliographic databases on water and related topics accessible through DigiTop, which is available to USDA staff and on-site library users. Effective use of DigiTop resources in this subject area should include searches on related full-text journals. To facilitate your efforts, see WQIC's Journals page, which contains information on individual journal titles related to water and agriculture.

Database Picks by WQIC Staff

• AGRICOLA (1970-present)
  National Agricultural Library, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, Beltsville, MD
  Provides comprehensive coverage of worldwide literature of agriculture and related subjects, such as pollution, pesticides, and natural resources. Select items have indexing terms and abstracts.
  Updated monthly and contains over 4 million citations from the NAL collection of journals, monographs, and videos.
  For more information see About the NAL Catalog (AGRICOLA).
  Access this database through AGRICOLA
  
  
• AQUATIC SCIENCES AND FISHERIES ABSTRACTS (ASFA) (1978-Present)
  Cambridge Scientific Abstracts, Bethesda, MD
  Covers the science, technology and management of marine and freshwater environments. Topics include pollution of aquatic environments, oceanography, aquaculture, and other living resources. Contains citations to over 5,000 journals, monographs, conference proceedings, and technical reports.
  Updated monthly and contains approximately 850,000 records.
  For more information see the ASFA Factsheet.
  Access this database through DigiTop
  
  
• WATER RESOURCES ABSTRACTS (1967-Present)
  Cambridge Scientific Abstracts, Bethesda, MD
  Contains citations on water-related topics covering the characteristics, conservation, control, pollution, treatment, use and management of water resources. Most citations include abstracts drawn from journals, books, conference proceedings, and technical reports in the physical and life sciences, as well as from engineering, legal and government publications. Topics include groundwater, estuaries, water supply and conservation, watershed protection, water quality management, and engineering works and hydraulics.
  Updated monthly and contains approximately 380,000 records.
  For more information see the Water Resources Factsheet.
  Access this database through DigiTop

• BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES (1982-Present)
  Cambridge Scientific Abstracts, Bethesda, MD
  This database contains records covering several biological research disciplines such as biomedicine, biotechnology, zoology and ecology, and some aspects of agriculture and veterinary science. The database includes over two dozen areas of expertise and provides access to information from over 6000 journals, as well as conference proceedings, reports, books and patents. Topics covered include aquaculture, aquatic organisms, bioengineering, ecology, marine biology, protozoology, and toxicology.
  Updated monthly and contains approximately 3 million records.
  For more information see the Biological Sciences Factsheet.
  Access this database through Digitop

  Listed below are individually searchable subsets of this database:

  • AGRICULTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL BIOTECHNOLOGY ABSTRACTS (1993-Present)
    (Part of the CSA Biological Sciences Database)
    Cambridge Scientific Abstracts, Bethesda, MD
    Covers world literature on agricultural products involving both plants and animals, new applications across the food environment and environmental development. Topics include treatment and disposal of wastes and sewage, and biochemical applications in water treatment, pollution and industrial hygiene.
    Updated bimonthly and contains approximately 40,000 records.
    For more information see the AEBA Factsheet.
    Access this database through "Biological Sciences" on Digitop. In the Biological Sciences database, click on "Specific Databases," and expand the category "Biological Sciences."
  • ALGOLOGY, MYCOLOGY AND PROTOZOOLOGY ABSTRACTS (Microbiology C) (1982-Present)
    (Part of the CSA Biological Sciences Database)
    Cambridge Scientific Abstracts, Bethesda, MD
    Coverage includes life cycles, biochemistry, genetics, and impact on man, animals and the environment. Useful for researchers in disciplines such as immunology, pathology, environmental research, and toxicology. Abstracts are also arranged taxonomically for identification of items relevant to specific organisms.
    Updated monthly and contains over 200,000 records.
    For more information see the Microbiology C Factsheet.
    Access this database through "Biological Sciences" on Digitop. In the Biological Sciences database, click on "Specific Databases," and expand the category "Biological Sciences."
  • BACTERIOLOGY ABSTRACTS (Microbiology B) (1982-Present)
    (Part of the CSA Biological Sciences Database)
    Cambridge Scientific Abstracts, Bethesda, MD
    Provides access to clinical findings as well as research in bacteriology, biochemistry, and genetics. While mainly medically-oriented in focus environmentalists, agricultural researchers, toxicologists, and others will find valuable resources. Topics include ecology and distribution, human and animal bacteriology, identification and public health.
    Updated monthly and contains approximately 300,000 records.
    For more information see the Microbiology B Factsheet.
    Access this database through "Biological Sciences" on Digitop. In the Biological Sciences database, click on "Specific Databases," and expand the category "Biological Sciences."
  • BIOENGINEERING ABSTRACTS (1993-Present)
    (Part of the CSA Biological Sciences Database)
    Cambridge Scientific Abstracts, Bethesda, MD
    Provides international literature for practitioners in diverse fields such as biochemical engineering, microbiology, and environmental engineering for medical and biological applications of engineering technology. Topics include biomaterials, biomechanics and human engineering, and rehabilitation engineering.
    Updated monthly and contains over 100,000 records.
    For more information see the Bioengineering Factsheet.
    Access this database through "Biological Sciences" on Digitop. In the Biological Sciences database, click on "Specific Databases," and expand the category "Biological Sciences."
  • ECOLOGY ABSTRACTS (1982-Present)
    (Part of the CSA Biological Sciences Database)
    Cambridge Scientific Abstracts, Bethesda, MD
    Provides a cross-section of current findings in ecological research. Includes coverage on resources and ecosystems management and modeling, water resources, depletion, erosion and pollution.
    Updated monthly and contains over 250,000 records.
    For more information see the Ecology Factsheet.
    Access this database through "Biological Sciences" on Digitop. In the Biological Sciences database, click on "Specific Databases," and expand the category "Biological Sciences."
  • ENTOMOLOGY ABSTRACTS (1982-Present)
    (Part of the CSA Biological Sciences Database)
    Cambridge Scientific Abstracts, Bethesda, MD
    Provides all the latest information on millions of insects and insect-like species, for global coverage of the field. Topics include physiology, anatomy, biochemistry, ecology, behavior, and biology.
    Updated monthly and contains over 200,000 records.
    For more information see the Entomology Factsheet.
    Access this database through "Biological Sciences" on Digitop. In the Biological Sciences database, click on "Specific Databases," and expand the category "Biological Sciences."
  • HEALTH AND SAFETY SCIENCE ABSTRACTS (1981-Present)
    (Part of the CSA Biological Sciences Database)
    Cambridge Scientific Abstracts, Bethesda, MD
    Provides access to recent articles, books, proceedings and other materials relating to public health, safety, and industrial hygiene. Issues such pollution, waste disposal, radiation, pesticides, and epidemics as related to health and safety in the environment or the workplace are covered. Topics include environmental and ecology safety, pesticides, epidemology and public health, and toxicology.
    Updated monthly and contains approximately 150,000 records.
    For more information see the Health and Safety Science Factsheet.
    Access this database through "Biological Sciences" on Digitop. In the Biological Sciences database, click on "Specific Databases," and expand the category "Biological Sciences."
  • INDUSTRIAL AND APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY (Microbiology A) (1982-Present)
    (Part of the CSA Biological Sciences Database)
    Cambridge Scientific Abstracts, Bethesda, MD
    Provides access to information in agricultural, food, chemical, and pharmaceutical industries. Topics include fermentation, microbial toxins, forestry, soil microorganisms and mineral microbiology.
    Updated monthly and contains approximately 180,000 records.
    For more information see the Microbiology A Factsheet.
    Access this database through "Biological Sciences" on Digitop. In the Biological Sciences database, click on "Specific Databases," and expand the category "Biological Sciences."
  • TOXICOLOGY ABSTRACTS (1981-Present)
    (Part of the CSA Biological Sciences Database)
    Cambridge Scientific Abstracts, Bethesda, MD
    Toxicology Abstracts covers issues from social poisons and substance abuse to natural toxins, from legislation and recommended standards to environmental issues. Information from toxicology studies of industrial and agricultural chemicals, household products, pharmaceuticals, and other substances, as well as toxicity testing methodology and analytical procedures for toxic substances are included for contaminants, agro-chemicals, toxins and other substances.
    Updated monthly and contains over 180,000 records.
    For more information see the Toxicology Factsheet.
    Access this database through "Biological Sciences" on Digitop. In the Biological Sciences database, click on "Specific Databases," and expand the category "Biological Sciences."
  • VIROLOGY AND AIDS ABSTRACTS (1982-Present)
    (Part of the CSA Biological Sciences Database)
    Cambridge Scientific Abstracts, Bethesda, MD
    Provides coverage of the international literature on every aspect of virology in humans, animals, and plants, with issues ranging from replication cycles to oncology. Topics include viral physico-chemical properties, structure, and morphology, and viral infections of humans, animals and plants.
    Updated monthly and contains approximately 200,000 records.
    For more information see the Virology Factsheet.
    Access this database through "Biological Sciences" on Digitop. In the Biological Sciences database, click on "Specific Databases," and expand the category "Biological Sciences."

• BIOSIS PREVIEWS® (1969-present)
  BIOSIS®, Philadelphia, PA
  Comprehensive worldwide coverage of research in biological and biomedical sciences. Contains citations from Biological Abstracts(BA)® , Biological Abstracts/RRM® (Reports, Reviews, Meetings (BA/RRM) and BioResearch Index® (BioI), the major publications of BIOSIS®. (BA/RRM is the successor to BioI beginning in 1980.) Gathers information from over 5,000 primary journals, book titles, proceedings and patent records and includes all life sciences topics such as biology, botany, zoology and agriculture.
  Updated weekly and contains over 13 million records.
  For more information see the BIOSIS Previews® Web site or the BIOSIS Previews® Factsheet (PDF | 94 KB).
  Access this database through Digitop

• CAB ABSTRACTS® (1973-present)
  CAB International, Wallingford, Oxfordshire, U.K.
  Covers journals in 50 different languages from over 140 countries, as well as books, theses, and conference proceedings. Advantages in comparison to AGRICOLA: provides abstracts for many documents and cites many non-U.S. publications.
  Updated weekly and contains over 4 million records.
  For more information see this CAB Abstracts® Web site.
  Access this database through Digitop

• FISH & FISHERIES WORLDWIDE (1971-Present)
  National Information Services Corporation, Baltimore, MD
  Comprised of a collection of databases related to ichthyology, fish culture, fisheries, and related aspects of aquaculture. Topics include culture and propagation, limnology and oceanography, genetics and behavior, natural history, parasites, diseases, habitat management, fish processing/marketing, and fisheries management. Records are indexed to provide taxonomic and geographic search terms.
  Updated quarterly and contains over 350,000 records.
  For more information see the Fish & Fisheries Worldwide Factsheet.
  Access this database through Digitop

• FOREST SERVICE DATABASE (1904-Present)
  U. S. Forest Service, Atlanta, GA
  Provides access to U.S. Forest Service published or authored materials in addition to other forestry-related materials from the U.S. Forest Service Library catalog. Types of materials include technical reports, research papers, journal articles, regulatory documents, environmental impact statements, proceedings and books.
  Updated daily and contains over 185,000 records.
  For more information see the Forest Service Database Homepage.
  Access this database through Digitop

• NEWSBANK(1970-Present)
  NewsBank Inc., Naples, FL
  News resource featuring 110 million articles from more than 500 newspapers, periodicals and wire services. Covers a broad range of subjects.
  For more information visit the NewsBank Web site.
  

  This resource is divided into three subsets:
  

  • NewsBank Newsfile(1991-Present)
    NewsBank Newfile is an Internet-based news resource consisting of full-text articles from regional, national and international sources. Select articles from 660 news sources such as newspapers, periodicals and wire services. Also contains the full text for 160 full-text general news, subject-specific and military periodicals.
    Updated daily and contains over 500,000 records.
    For more information visit the Newsbank Web site.
    Access this database through Digitop
  • NewsBank Retrospective (1970-1991)
    Similar in scope to NewsBank Newsfile, the NewsBank Retrospective offers items from 1970 to 1991.
    For more information visit the NewsBank Web site.
    Access this database through Digitop
  • Access World News
    Full-text articles from over 1,000 news sources around the world, some "translated into English when written in other languages."
    For more information visit the NewsBank Web site
    Access this database through Digitop

• WILDLIFE & ECOLOGY STUDIES WORLDWIDE (1935 & earlier-Present)
  National Information Services Corporation, Baltimore, MD
  Provides bibliographic records from several databases to form the ultimate resource on wildlife information. Topics include animal behavior, habitat use, habitat management, pesticides/pollution, animal morphology, and ecosystems. Records are indexed to provide taxonomic and geographic search terms.
  Updated monthly and contains over 580,000 records.
  For more information see the Wildlife & Ecology Studies Worldwide Factsheet.
  Access this database through Digitop