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Horticulture

Resources for your research in horticutlure

Are library resources always reliable?

Some sources are better than others!

While most of the content in books/ebooks and journals would be considered credible in terms of Wikipedia's criteria of verifiability and neutrality, exercise some amount of caution when considering the trade and popular sources. Some of these are published by industry or commercial entities and thus there is potential for bias to creep into content.

Learn to recognize key horticultural and scientific publishers! 

Go one step further in your Summon or catalogue searches to determine who is publishing the information. You're probably familiar with the major scientific publishers of our journal collections (Elsevier/ScienceDirect, Wiley, Springer, and Taylor and Francis), but take note of the following publishers in the Library's collection:

Google Scholar

Once you've searched the Library's databases, check Google Scholar for more articles and reports. Use the  links to take you to articles available through KPU's subscriptions.

Using Google Scholar off campus? Go to "settings", then look for "library links". Add Kwantlen Polytechnic University Library, and your search results will include links to items available through the Library's collection.

 

Google Scholar Search  

Open Access

The following are useful links for finding high-quality, reputable open access journals:

Predatory Journals

Let's look at this example from a Google Scholar search:

Variation of Pollination Rate on Eucalyptus grandis and E. tereticornis

 

  • What is the name of the journal? 
  • What can you determine from the journal homepage about the editorial board? peer-review process? author fees? copyright?
  • Still not sure? Open a new tab and do a Google search for the journal and any reviews you can find

Finding Images

For Creative Commons or Public Domain images with permitted usage, KPU has a page on its copyright guide: Images- How to Find, Use, and Cite

For collections with a horticultural or botanical focus, see the following: