BioOne: BioOne focuses on biological, ecological, and environmental sciences, with a collection of high-quality journals in these fields.
PubMed: PubMed is a comprehensive database for biomedical and life sciences literature. It includes articles on topics such as genetics, cell biology, microbiology, and more.
Academic Search Complete: ASC is a basic source for general interest and scholarly journals, covering the social sciences, humanities, general science, multicultural studies, education and more.
GreenFILE: GreenFILE contains information covering all aspects of human impact to the environment. Its collection of scholarly, government and general-interest titles include content on global warming, green building, pollution, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, recycling and more.
Health Source: Health Source provides access to scholarly journals focusing on many medical disciplines. And also includes the Lexi-PAL Drug Guide and Merriam-Webster's Medical Desk Dictionary.
JSTOR: JSTOR offers access to a wide range of scholarly articles across disciplines, including biology. It's particularly useful for historical and retrospective research.
ScienceDirect: ScienceDirect offers access to a vast collection of scientific articles, including many biology-related journals. It covers topics such as cell biology, genetics, and biochemistry.
Citation styles in biology research, as in other scientific fields, serve to give proper credit to sources, facilitate clear communication of ideas, and ensure the reproducibility of research. Visit our Citation LibGuide for information on how to use the various citation styles properly.
Google Scholar is a freely accessible search engine that indexes scholarly articles, conference papers, theses, patents, and more from a wide range of disciplines. You can use it to search for biology research articles, authors, or keywords. It provides a quick way to find relevant scholarly content not only at SNC, but throughout other academic institutions.
When using Google Scholar, it’s a good idea to download the LibKey Nomad browser plugin from the Mulva Library. This extension connects your web browser to SNC's library resources, providing direct links to PDF full text, and also helps you avoid paywalls and authentication hurdles by searching the internet for open-access articles and redirecting you to our ILL service if it’s not available. For more information about how LibKey Nomad can benefit your research reach out to us!
Understanding the difference between primary and secondary sources is crucial in conducting thorough and well-informed biology research. These sources serve distinct purposes and offer varying levels of credibility and relevance.
Primary sources in biology research are original, firsthand accounts of scientific studies, experiments, and observations. They provide access to the raw data and findings of researchers. Primary sources can take various forms, such as peer-reviewed articles, lab notebooks, field notes, and other original data.
Secondary sources in biology research are interpretations, analyses, or summaries of primary sources. They offer context, analysis, and synthesis of existing research. Secondary sources can include reviews and news articles, textbooks, and biological databases (compiling primary data).
For basic knowledge, start with secondary sources like textbooks or review articles to gain an overview of the topic. When conducting original research or in-depth analysis, rely on primary sources such as peer-reviewed articles, lab notebooks, or field data. If you have questions about the credibility and relevance of a source please reach out to us for assistance!
