RSIS: Highlighting Reliable Rangeland Research
The Challenge:
In this information era, facts and figures are everywhere. So much available information can make discerning what is valid or useful, and what is not, difficult. Finding relevant published research is critical for making wise and defensible land management decisions.
Our Response:
Because agency personnel must be able to find reliable land management information in a timely fashion, the Range Science Information System (RSIS) is the place to go. RSIS is a repository of summaries of peer-reviewed journal articles pertaining to rangeland science. Topics covered include grazing effects, riparian ecology, weed management, wildlife resources and rangeland livestock management. For each article, RSIS highlights information, including a summary of methods and major findings, vegetation type and major land ecoregions where the research was conducted, and type of article (i.e., primary research, synthesis article or case study). RSIS also has the search capability to find articles by keyword, subject, author or title. Each article has a direct link to an online full-text version of the article, if it’s available, or a link to a library resource contact for hard-copy information.
Output and Outcomes:
Over 1,400 article summaries are available in the RSIS searchable database at: http://rangescience.info.
Rangeland Center Members Involved:
- Jeremy Kenyon — University of Idaho Library
- Karen Launchbaugh — Forest, Rangeland and Fire Sciences