Research Guides: Research Starter: Biology: Home

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Databases

For General Biology Articles:

BIOSIS Previews (includes Biological Abstracts) This link opens in a new window
Index and abstracts to international journal articles in biological and medical research. BIOSIS Previews also covers books and meetings.
BIOSIS Previews (includes Biological Abstracts) collects abstracts and bibliographic references to worldwide biological and medical literature. Biological Abstracts contains references to journal items focusing on vital biological and medical research findings, pharmacological studies, and discoveries of new organisms. Approximately 5,500 international journals are monitored, representing virtually every life science discipline. BIOSIS Previews also covers international meetings, review articles, books, and monographs.
Scopus This link opens in a new window
Scopus is a large abstract and citation database of research literature and quality web sources. It's designed to find the information scientists need.
Biological & Agricultural Index Plus This link opens in a new window
Biological & Agricultural Index Plus provides full text of articles from over 100 journals dating back to 1997, as well as indexing and abstracts of more than 380 publications. Subject coverage includes agriculture & agricultural research, atmospheric science, biochemistry, biology, biotechnology, botany, chemistry, environmental science, geology, marine biology microbiology, physics and much more.
AGRICOLA This link opens in a new window
Citations for journal articles, monographs, theses, patents, software, audio-visual materials, and technical reports related to agriculture.
AGRICOLA provides citations to journal articles, monographs, theses, patents, software, audio-visual materials, and technical reports. The records describe publications and resources encompassing all aspects of agriculture and allied disciplines including plant and animal sciences, forestry, entomology, soil and water resources, agricultural economics, agricultural engineering, agricultural products, alternative farming practices, and food and nutrition. Auxiliary subjects that support the U.S. National Agricultural Library's Information Center activities, such as agricultural trade and marketing, rural information, and animal welfare are also included in the database.

For Background Research

AccessScience This link opens in a new window
Contains the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology, and The McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms. Includes or has links to full text.
AccessScience is an online encyclopedia of science and technology. AccessScience contains encyclopedia articles, dictionary terms, biographies, research updates, and science news.

Subject keywords: Agriculture, Forestry and Soils. Anthropology and Archaeology. Astronomy and Space Science. Biological and Biomedical Science. Chemistry. Computing and Information Technology. Data, Tables, and Tools. Earth Science. Engineering and Materials. Environmental Science. Food Science and Technology. General Science and Technology. Mathematics. Medicine. Military Science. Navigation. Paleontology. Physics. Psychiatry and Psychology. Veterinary Medicine.
Science Reference Center This link opens in a new window
Topics covered include: biology, chemistry, earth & space science, environmental science, health & medicine, history of science, life science, physics, science & society, science as inquiry, scientists, technology and wildlife.

For Systematic Reviews, Standard Protocols & Lab Methods

Springer Protocols This link opens in a new window
Springer Protocols is a comprehensive collection of peer-reviewed life sciences protocols, based on the research protocols and methodologies in the critically acclaimed Methods in Molecular Biology series by Dr. John M. Walker.
Springer Protocols is a comprehensive collection of peer-reviewed life sciences protocols, based on the research protocols and methodologies in the critically acclaimed Methods in Molecular Biology series by Dr. John M. Walker. Other book series included in the protocols are: Methods in Molecular Biology, Neuromethods, Methods in Molecular Medicine, Methods in Pharmacology and Toxicology, and Methods in Biotechnology, More than 22,000 protocols are available with an additional 2000 added each year. Subjects included: Biochemistry, Biotechnology, Cell Biology, Imaging/Radiology, Infectious Diseases, Molecular Medicine, Pharmacology/Toxicology, Protein Science, Bioinformatics, Cancer Research, Genetics/Genomics, Immunology, Microbiology, Neuroscience, and Plant Sciences
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR) This link opens in a new window
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews contains full text articles, as well as protocols focusing on the effects of healthcare.
The reviews are highly structured and systematic, with evidence included or excluded on the basis of explicit quality criteria, to minimize bias. Data is evidence-based medicine and is often combined statistically (with meta-analysis) to increase the power of the findings of numerous studies, each too small to produce reliable results individually. This database is updated quarterly.

All General Biology Databases

Science & Mathematics Databases

Reference Books

Dictionary of Biology by Oxford University Press Staff (Created by); Robert S. Hine (Editor); Elizabeth Martin (Editor)
Call #: REFERENCE 570.3 D554
Publication Date: 2008-03-15
Bioethics by Stephen Holland
Call #: MAIN 174.2 H737B
Publication Date: 2016-12-05

Reference Books

The Handy Biology Answer Book by Patricia Barnes-Svarney; Thomas E. Svarney
Call #: MAIN 570 B261H
Publication Date: 2014-08-12
Tools for Critical Thinking in Biology by Stephen H. Jenkins
Call #: MAIN 570.72 J52T
Publication Date: 2015-04-28

Library Collection Search: Subject Headings

Search Centennial Library by subject group:

Websites

Encyclopedia of Life
Database that seeks to increase awareness and understanding of living nature through knowledge in an open, freely accessible and trusted digital resource
PLOS Biology
Features works of exceptional significance, originality, and relevance in all areas of biological science, from molecules to ecosystems, including works at the interface of other disciplines, such as chemistry, medicine, and mathematics.
National Science Foundation
Promotes the progress of science and support basic research and people to create knowledge that transforms the future.
National Center for Biotechnology Information Search Database
The NCBI houses a series of databases relevant to biotechnology and biomedicine and is an important resource for bioinformatics tools and services
Phylogeny - Tree of Life Web Project
The Tree of Life Web Project (ToL) is a collaborative effort of biologists and naturalists and provides information about biodiversity, the characteristics of different groups of organisms, and their evolutionary history (phylogeny).

Format Style

APA

Purdue OWL | APA
These OWL resources will help you learn how to use the American Psychological Association (APA) citation and format style. This section contains resources on in-text citation and the References page, as well as APA sample papers, slide presentations, and the APA classroom poster.
APA Quick Guide
Guide created by Centennial Library covering APA topics and how to cite your sources properly.

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association 7th Ed. by American Psychological Association
Call #: MAIN 808.06615 P976
ISBN: 9781433832154
Publication Date: 2019-10-01

CSE

Council of Science Editors Manual
This is a quick guide for scientific style and format citation
Council of Science Editors - UW Writing Center
A quick guide to the CSE citation system

Scientific Style and Format by Council of Science Editors
Call #: REFERENCE 808.0666 S416
Publication Date: 2014-05-07

Research Tips: BIOLOGY

Tip #1

Use AccessScience and Google Scholar to begin your research and to identify current background information, news, videos and and related links to scholarly journals.

Tip #2

Likewise, take time to navigate the BIOSIS database for specific biology-based research & visit the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the PLOS Biology for the most up to date trends and work in Biology.

Tip #3

Sign up and begin using a Citation Manager to manage your citations to create a quick bibliography and even quick in-text citations using the ProQuest RefWorks and Zotero add-ons for Google Docs and Microsoft Word.

Tip #4

Sign up for a Research Appointment with your STEM/Business Faculty Librarian for extra support in navigating databases and the research process.

Writing In: BIOLOGY

A Student Handbook for Writing in Biology by Karin Knisely
Call #: MAIN 808.06657 K71S
Publication Date: 2009-04-10
This book provides practical advice to students who are learning to write according to the conventions in biology.
Writing Undergraduate Lab Reports by Christopher S. Lobban; María Schefter
Call #: MAIN 808.0665 L796W
Publication Date: 2017-07-27
Writing clear, impactful reports is a crucial skill for science students. This book, particularly useful for biology students, adopts a hands-on approach, using example reports and published papers as models to put guidance into practice.