Biological Abstracts
| Company type | Database |
|---|---|
| Industry | Bibliographic database, Scientific publishing |
| Founded | 1926 |
| Founder | Williams and Wilkins (originally) |
| Products | Biological literature abstracts |
| Owner | Clarivate Analytics |
Biological Abstracts is a comprehensive database curated by Clarivate Analytics, encompassing summaries from peer-reviewed scholarly journals across various disciplines such as biology, biochemistry, biotechnology, botany, pre-clinical and experimental medicine, pharmacology, zoology, agriculture, and veterinary science. Its publication history dates back to 1926.
Users can access this resource via multiple platforms including EBSCO, Ovid, and Web of Science.
History
The origins of Biological Abstracts trace back to 1926 when it was first released as a printed compilation, formed through the consolidation of Abstracts of Bacteriology (1917–1925) and Botanical Abstracts (1919–1926), both originally issued by Williams and Wilkins in Baltimore. Initially distributed in paperback volumes organized by subject area, the abstracts were predominantly produced by American researchers to mitigate the challenges posed by foreign-language publications. At the time, it served as a rival to the classified indexing system offered by the Concilium Bibliographicum based in Zurich.
The earliest electronic iteration was delivered on magnetic tape, presenting bibliographic details without complete abstracts, functioning primarily as a swift notification tool.
See also
- List of academic databases and search engines
- Lists of academic journals
- List of open-access journals
- List of scientific journals
- Google Scholar