PubMed and CAB Abstracts should be searched for nearly every research topic in veterinary medicine and biomedicine.
Covers biomedical research and clinical sciences for all health sciences. Most, but not all, major veterinary medicine journals are indexed (110 journals). The National Library of Medicine has put together several short videos and handouts on how best to search PubMed along with an extensive help section. MEDLINE includes over 25 million records from 1950 to the present.
The most comprehensive database for veterinary medicine. In addition to its coverage of animal health and veterinary medicine, CAB Abstracts also covers agricultural biotechnology, animal production & genetics, dairy science, and genetics. Includes over 3 million records for articles and conference proceedings from 1910 to the present.
Other databases recommended for veterinary medicine are listed below in alphabetical order because, depending on the research topic, any of these may be an essential database. For a complete A-Z list of all databases, see Databases by Title
Covers animal science, cytology, feed science, and microbiology
Can be valuable for microbiology, genetics, agriculture, biotechnology, biophysics, bioengineering, and the traditional areas of biology.
Consultant is a diagnostic support system for veterinary medicine. It covers roughly 7,000 diseases of 8 species (avian is the only exotic). It also functions as an online textbooks when searched by diagnosis. It selectively indexes 70 veterinary medical journals for quality articles that are relevant to clinical practice. Consultant is most useful for DVM students and clinicians.
Lacks the indexing that most databases offer, but it is a huge database and useful for checking references, finding links to full-text, and performing a "who cited this paper?" search. Since it links directly to the publisher's website Google Scholar is often helpful for getting full text ... but if the link fails or asks for money check the Library catalog to see if we have the journal in print or online.
International Pharmaceutical Abstracts
Covers pharmaceutical science and health related literature from 1970.
Useful for anything related to chemistry, particulary medicinal and pharmaceutical chemistry.
The major database for sports medicine, kinesiology, and fitness -- especially for horses but also for dogs.
Veterinary Information Network (VIN)
Covers veterinary medicine and was created for and developed by veterinarians. Includes search discussion boards. DVM students are given free access while in veterinary school (as are veterinary faculty). View a ten minute video to learn more about VIN.
Contains all of the veterinary content from CAB Abstracts (see above), CABI's Animal Health and Production compendium, and some full text (mostly conferenences). Includes 1.3 million records for articles and conference proceedings from 1910 to the present.
Web of Science (aka Science Citation Index)
An interdisciplinary database that covers the major journals in all sciences, including the medical sciences, and engineering. It is the major "who cited this paper?" database.
Covers parasitology, behavior, zoogeography, and the traditional areas of zoology.
For a complete A-Z list of all databases, see Databases by Title
