Biology Research Guide

This guide is the starting point for identifying, locating, using, and evaluating  materials relating to Biology in the Carmichael Library and on Internet.  If you need additional assistance, please Ask a Librarian.

Finding Library Materials     
Library Catalog
The Library Catalog is often the best place to begin research. Search by author, title, subject, keyword, or a variety of other specialized searches.

Several examples of standard Biology subject headings appropriate for use in the Main Catalog when searching for Biology materials are:

• Biology 

• Biology -- Research  (Subject heading BIOLOGY and the Subdivision RESEARCH)

• Life sciences (Broader Topic) 

• Aquatic biology (Narrower Topic) 

• Biomass (Related Topic)

To obtain an authoritative list of subject headings check the Library of Congress Subject Headings, near the Ask Here desk.

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Call Numbers
Carmichael Library uses the Library of Congress system to organize library materials.  Biology materials, and other related subjects, can be found in these call number ranges:

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Reference Materials
Reference materials include dictionaries, encyclopedias, atlases, and indexes.  They are good starting points in the research process. 

Several examples of Biology reference materials available for use in the Carmichael Library include the following:

• Animal Behavior Desk Reference, Ref QL750.3 .B37 2001

• Anatomy of the Human Body, Ref QM23.2 .G73 1985

• Bergey's Manual of Determinative Bacteriology, Ref QR81 .A5 1994

• Color Atlas of Biochemistry, Ref QP514.2 .K6613 1996

• Dictionary of Biology, Ref QH302.5 .I534 1999

• Dictionary of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics, Ref QH540.4 .L56 1998

• Dictionary of Genetics, Ref QH427 .K55 1997

• Ecology, Ref QH541 .B415 1996

• Encyclopedia of Biodiversity, Ref QH541.15 B56E53 2001

• Encyclopedia of Evolution, Ref QH360.2 .E54 2002

• Encyclopedia of Genetics, Ref QH427 .E53 1997

• Encyclopedia of Insects, Ref QL462.3 .E48 1986

• Encyclopedia of Marine Mammals, Ref QL713.2 .E53 2002

• Encyclopedia of Reptiles and Amphibians, Ref QL641 .E53 1998

• Five Kingdoms: An Illustrated Guide to the Phyla of Life on Earth, Ref QH83 .M36 1998

• Flowering Plants of the World, Ref QK495 .A1F58 1993

• Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia, Ref QL3 .G7813

• Grzimek's Encyclopedia of Mammals, Ref QL701, .G7913 1989

• Habitats and Ecosystems, Ref QH76 .C73 1999

• Oxford Dictionary of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Ref QD 45 .A25 O94 2002

• Plant Identification Terminology:  An Illustrated Glossary, Ref QK9 .H37 1994

• Using the Biological Literature, Ref QH303 .D38 2002

To obtain a list of field guides go to the Main Catalog, select Series Keyword and type "field guide".

Be sure to check the Reference databases for electronic reference materials.  

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Journals and Periodicals
Journals and periodicals are published at regular intervals in print and electronically. 

Print Biology periodicals available in the Carmichael Library include the following:

• American biology teacher.

• American zoologist.

• Audubon.

• Copeia.

• Ecology.

• Genetics.

• Herpetological review.

• Human biology.

• Invertebrate biology.

• Journal of bacteriology.

• Journal of heredity.

• Journal of herpetology.

• Journal of mammalogy.

• Microbiology and molecular biology reviews.

• National wildlife.

• Outdoor Alabama.

• Sierra

Biology periodicals available electronically from the Main Catalog include:

• Genetics

• Journal of Bacteriology

• Journal of Biological Chemistry

• Journal of General Physiology

• PLoS Biology

The following searches may also be helpful in finding electronic journals in the catalog:

• Biology - Periodicals (Subject alphabetical search)
• biology periodicals (General keyword search)

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Electronic Resources
Databases
Electronic access to journal articles is available from the Databases page.  Most databases can be searched using author, title or subject in either basic or advanced search formats. The results of a search will include either a citation, a citation and abstract, or a citation, abstract and full text of the article depending on the database searched.

Listed below are databases you could use to locate information about Biology.  You can access these, and other databases, from the Databases by name page or the Databases by subject page.

• BasicBIOSIS  Index

  Provides citations to articles in popular and scholarly journals in the life sciences including biochemistry, biology, biotechnology, botany, ecology, environment, genetics, etc.

• Biological and Agricultural   Index

  Select Biological & Agricultural in the Subject Area. 
  A subset of OmniFile Full Text, this database covers many areas in biology and agriculture.  Provides citations to articles from popular and professional journals in biology and agriculture.

• BioOne  Full Text 

  Access to core research in the biosciences with links to articles in biology, ecology and environmental sciences.

• Biology Digest   Index and Abstracts

          Provides citations and abstracts to articles from 1989 to present 
          in  botany, environmental science, health, life sciences, medicine, 
          and zoology.  

• Medline   Index and Abstracts 

              The U.S. National Library of Medicine's index to medical literature 
           dating back to 1962.

• Oxford Journals   Full Text

             Provides full text of articles published by Oxford University Press.

• PubMed Central   Full Text

          The U.S. National Library of Medicine's archive of life science  
           journals.

Additional information about specific databases is available at each database site. 

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Internet Links
Several recognized Biology sites are listed below:

• All the virology on the WWW

• Biodiversity Hotspots

• Biology Online

• BiologyBrowser

• BioResearch - Intute: Health and Life Sciences

• BioTech: Life Sciences Resources and Reference Tools

• Biozone

• CELLS alive

• Genetics Education Center

• genomics.energy.gov - Genome projects of the U.S. Dept. of Energy Office of Science

• Glossary of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

• Marine Biology Web

• MendelWeb

• National Center for Biotechnology Information

• NatureServe

• On-Line Medical Dictionary

• UCMP Glossary - U. of California Museum of Paleontology

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Additional Resources
Associations
Associations provide a forum for the exchange of ideas within a profession.  Listed below are the names of a few Biology associations.

• American College of Medical Genetics

• American Institute of Biological Sciences

• American Medical Association

• American Physiological Society

• American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

• American Society for Cell Biology

• American Society for Microbiology

• American Society of Human Genetics

• American Society of Plant Biologists

• Botanical Society of America

• Ecological Society of America

• Environmental Protection Agency

• Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology

• Genetics Society of America

• Mycological Society of America

• Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology

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Updated 3-07

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