Geographical Sciences

This guide provides access to essential resources for geography research at ASU, including databases, journals, maps, geospatial data, and professional organizations.

Find articles

Academic Search Ultimate

Access to popular press magazines and peer-reviewed scholarly journals across various academic disciplines, including open-access journals and historic Associated Press videos.
GeoScienceWorld
GeoScienceWorld is a nonprofit collaborative and comprehensive resource for research and communications in the earth sciences. Searchable full text is integrated with GeoRef, a comprehensive indexing and abstracting database for information from geosciences journals, conference, dissertation and other resources. Coverage for GSW journals is mostly 2000 to present, with records from GeoRef covering geosciences literature from the late 1700's to present. Advanced search capabilities, including geographic searching by latitude and longitude, variety of options for limiting results sets, and other features are available.
Google Scholar (with Library Links)

Find scholarly literature, including peer-reviewed journal articles, books, theses and dissertations, conference papers, pre-prints, technical reports, and other publications for all research disciplines. The link enables ASU affiliates to include ASU Library’s full text and InterLibrary Loan Services in a search.
Scopus

An abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature, including journals, proceedings, and patents. It offers tools for citation analysis, research tracking, and collaboration. Includes AI assistant: Scopus AI, for enhanced research with natural language searches, summaries, and expert identification.

Quick search tips

Get better results with these proven search strategies:

Start Broad, Then Narrow

Begin with general terms (e.g., "urban sprawl"), then add specifics if you get too many results (e.g., "urban sprawl Phoenix sustainability")

Use Boolean Operators

AND - Narrows results (climate change AND agriculture)
OR - Expands results (GIS OR "geographic information systems")
NOT - Excludes terms (maps NOT historical)

Try Different Keywords

If you're not finding what you need, try synonyms:

Geographic Information Systems = GIS = spatial analysis = geospatial technology
Climate change = global warming = climate crisis
Urban = city = metropolitan

Use Quotation Marks for Phrases

Search for exact phrases: "food desert" will find that specific term, not just articles about food and deserts

Truncation and Wildcards

Use * for word variations: geograph* finds geography, geographer, geographical, geographies
Use ? for single character variations: wom?n finds woman and women

Filter Your Results

Most databases let you filter by:

Date - Focus on recent research (last 5 years) or historical perspectives
Peer-reviewed - Ensure scholarly quality
Full text available - Get immediate access
Subject/discipline - Narrow to geography-specific content

Check the References

Found a great article? Look at its bibliography to find related research (citation chaining)

Choosing the right database

For General Geography Topics → Start Here

Academic Search Ultimate

Best for: Broad, multidisciplinary searches across all geography topics
Use when: You're starting research and want to see what's out there
Coverage: 4,650+ journals, including many geography publications
Tip: Great starting point for undergraduate research papers

Google Scholar

Best for: Casting the widest net; finding older articles; discovering books and theses
Use when: You want maximum coverage, including grey literature
Coverage: Indexes scholarly literature across all disciplines
Tip: Check "cited by" to find newer research building on key articles

For Physical Geography and Geosciences

GeoScienceWorld

Best for: Geology, geomorphology, physical geography, earth sciences
Use when: Researching landforms, natural processes, and earth systems
Coverage: Peer-reviewed geoscience journals with GeoRef indexing
Tip: Excellent for environmental and earth science topics

For In-Depth Research and Citation Analysis

Scopus

Best for: Comprehensive research; tracking citations; analyzing research impact
Use when: Conducting literature reviews or researching publication trends
Coverage: Largest abstract and citation database
Tip: Use citation tracking to find the most influential articles in your field