Geology Research Guide
- Find Background Info
- Find Books
- Find Articles
- Find Surveys and Maps
- Citing Sources
Find Background Info
Background sources, such as specialized encyclopedias and dictionaries, are an essential piece of the research process. They can help you:
- Gather information about your topic and understand the scope of the research.
- Locate reliable sources and clarify keywords.
- Pinpoint important authors, texts, ideas, and key words about the research area. Knowing the primary phrases and concepts will help you a lot as you search library databases and online sources.
Credo Reference
Credo Reference is a multi-publisher collection of high-quality reference titles covering everything from the arts to astronomy, law to literature, and science to Shakespeare. Available titles also include a range of multimedia options including thousands of high-quality diagrams, photographs, maps and audio files. Credo hosts several books on topics in geology.
Rock Forming Minerals
A seminal book in mineralogy. It covers hundreds of minerals, with details of their structure, chemistry, optical and physical properties, distinguishing features, and paragenesis.
Encyclopedia of Geology
The Encyclopedia of Geology is an expansive collection of 340 articles each covering a different topic in geology. Articles intersect with other topics– like biology and chemistry– while remaining understandable to those inexperienced in geology.
The Handbook of Geoscience
The Handbook of Geoscience is an approachable handbook to the different areas in geology and their utilities for other fields such as physics, chemistry, and mathematics.
Encyclopedia of Paleontology
The Encyclopedia of Paleontology contains 328 articles that focus on the skills and ideas needed to study paleontology.
Find Books
Print and e-Books are valuable sources for academic research. They will help you gain an overview of your topic and often contain in-depth information about the scholarship or history of research on a subject. Some books are written by single authors, while others include essays or chapters by multiple scholars within a discipline. Don’t let the length of books intimidate you because you don’t need to read them from cover to cover. Look at the table of contents and index to find the sections that are relevant to your work.
Find Books Using GriffinSearch
GriffinSearch is a good starting place if you are looking for books, journal articles, films, and other materials available in the library. In addition to searching the Giovale Library catalog for physical materials, GriffinSearch finds e-books and articles from several of our databases. To get started, search by keyword or type in the title of a book here:
WorldCat
WorldCat lets you search for books, articles, videos, and other material that are available in libraries worldwide. If you are doing in-depth research on a topic and are considering requesting resources through Interlibrary Loan, WorldCat can help you discover resources that might not be in the Giovale Library collection.
Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
Interlibrary Loan is a service where patrons of one library can borrow books and other materials, and access journal articles that are owned by another library.
Explore Interlibrary Loan Materials
Utah Academic Library Consortium
Giovale Library participates in the Utah Academic Library Consortium (UALC) and Westminster University students have reciprocal circulation privileges at UALC partner libraries. Each UALC library has different circulation policies, but all require a current, valid, legal photo identification and proof of current enrollment at Westminster. Some libraries may also require other verification methods, so it is recommended that you contact the library you are interested in for details.
Popular Titles and Featured Texts
River Planet: Rivers from Deep Time to the Modern Crisis
Atlas of the Rock-Forming Minerals in Thin Section
A Story of Mountain Building: Neotectonic Evolution of a Convergent Margin on the Northwestern Pacific
Introducing Volcanology: A Guide to Hot Rocks
Long-Term Changes in the Earth's Climate
Find Articles
The Giovale Library provides access to several subject databases that you can use to find journal articles on topics within a specific discipline or field of study. The databases listed on this page are those that are most useful for finding research published in geology.
GriffinSearch
GriffinSearch is a good starting place if you are looking for books, journal articles, films, and other material available in the library. In addition to searching the Giovale Library catalog for physical materials, GriffinSearch finds e-books and articles from several of our databases.
Earth, Atmospheric & Aquatic Science Database (ProQuest)
Earth, Atmospheric & Aquatic Science Database (ProQuest) includes scholarly journals, trade and industry journals, magazines, technical reports, conference proceedings, and government publications. Included are the renowned Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts (AFSA), and the Meteorological & Geoastrophysical Abstracts (MGA). This collection contains information about critical issues that affect the Earth's air, land, and water.
Search Earth, Atmospheric & Aquatic Science Database (ProQuest)
Science Database (ProQuest)
Science Database (ProQuest) contains full text articles from broad, interdisciplinary science and engineering sources. Science Database features ongoing full text from prestigious and highly selective publishers such as Nature Publishing, Springer, Emerald, Cambridge University Press and many others.
Search Science Database (ProQuest)
Environmental Studies and Policy (Gale)
The Giovale Library addresses environmental concerns and research with coverage from journals and book reference content. Content includes articles relevant to biology, chemistry, and geology as well as environmental studies.
Find Surveys and Maps
Utah Geological Survey
The mission of the Utah Geological Survey is to provide “timely scientific information about Utah’s geologic environment, resources, and hazards.” The site includes interactive maps, datasets, and information about rocks, minerals, natural hazards, mineral industries, dinosaurs, the Great Salt Lake, ground water, and more.
U.S. Geological Survey
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) provides data sets, interactive maps, background information, and publications.
Macrostrat
A platform for the aggregation and distribution of geological data. Produced by the Macrostrat Lab at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Google Earth
Google Earth provides satellite imagery, maps, and terrains to anywhere on the earth.
Citing Sources
Citation Resources
Properly citing your sources shows that you’ve done research to become knowledgeable about your topic and helps you avoid plagiarism. Explore citation resources to learn how to correctly cite sources based on style.
Need help with your research?
Get in touch with:
Emily Swanson
Library Liaison for Geology
801.832.2257
eswanson@westminsteru.edu
Librarians are happy to answer questions via email, phone, or in-person.
Contact Emily with a question or to schedule a research help appointment.
Faculty: Contact Emily to suggest edits to this research guide.