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How do I search GeoRef?

Learn how to find the latest geological research.

Need Help?

Ask a Librarian @
Betty Sue Jessup Library

501 College Drive
Charlottesville, VA 22902
434.961.5309
reference@pvcc.edu

Search GeoRef

Step 1:

Access GeoRef. (If you're off-campus, you will be prompted to login with your myPVCC username and password)
 

Step 2:

Enter your search terms in the search box.  Select "Peer reviewed."  Peer reviewed means the article has been reviewed by several experts in the author's discipline prior to publication.  So, it's considered of higher quality.  Many Geology professors will require that the sources for your assignment are "scholarly" or "peer reviewed."  This filter ensures you only get results from those journals.

select peer reviews in search box

 

Step 3:

Click Search, and review your results.  Click the "Abstract/Details" to get a short summary of the article.  If you see "Full text - PDF", then click it to read the actual article.

click full text PDF to read actual article

 

Step 4:

If you do not see a "Full text - PDF" link, click the "Check another database" link.  (Note: Do not click the "Get full text" link.  It will take you to the article's publisher's website and, in most cases, the full text is not available.)

click check another database link

 

Step 5:

Look for links to databases in the "View Online" section of the webpage.  Click one if available:

view online links

 

If there are no links and you really want the article, click the "Not available? Request It" link.  This will take you to our Interlibrary Loan Request form.  Fill this out, and we will email you a copy of the article after we get it from another university.  There is no charge to students, faculty, and staff for this service!

request unavailable article via ILL

Tips!

tip

  • In geology, it can be important that the articles are recent.  Pay attention to the publication date as you review your results.  You can also use the filters on the left to limit your results to a specific timeframe.  Move the sliders to limit to a specific date range: 
    filter dates using silders