| The C. B. Newton Library |
|
Research Guide - Biology - |
The recommendations listed below represent some, but certainly not all, of the library resources worth exploring as you begin a research assignment in this subject area. Please consult your teacher and/or a librarian for further suggestions.
Print Resources: Reference Collections
Begin with encyclopedias and reference works specific to your subject matter:
|
Dictionary of Scientific Biography (18 v.) |
Q141 .D5 1981 |
|
Notable 20th Century Scientists
(4 v.) |
Q141 .N73 1995 |
|
Encyclopedia of Astronomy & Astrophysics
(4 v.) |
QB14 .E525 |
|
Macmillan Encyclopedia of Physics (4 v.) |
QC5 .M15 1996 |
|
Macmillan Encyclopedia of Chemistry (4 v.) |
QD4 .M33 1997 |
|
Chemical Elements (3 v.) |
QD466 .N464 1999 |
|
Encyclopedia of the Life Sciences (20 v.) |
QH302.5 E53 2001 |
|
Encyclopedia of the Human Genome (5 v.) |
QH447 N28 2003 |
|
Gale Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders (2
v.) |
RB155.5 G35 2001 |
|
Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine (5 v.) |
RC41 .G35 1999 |
|
Magill Medical Guide: Health & Illness (6
v.) |
RC41 .Ma34 1995 |
Print Resources: Circulating Collections
Use the library online catalog (IPAC) to find additional resources from the circulating collections. Subject headings in library catalogs follow standardized formats, in Pingry’s case Library of Congress Subject Headings. Plan your searches thinking about this organization.
| Sample subject headings |
Biochemistry -
History; Biology - Encyclopedias; Life Sciences - Dictionaries; Genetic disorders - Diagnosis; Chemistry, Analytic - Laboratory manuals; Physics - Great Britain - Biography |
| Sample keyword search | The term "genetic disease" will find books on the subject heading Genetic Disorders. |
Subscription Databases:
(From the library home page)|
Access Science: |
McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science &
Technology |
| EBSCOHost: |
Articles and abstracts, especially
Academic Search Elite |
|
Encyclopedia
of the Life Sciences: |
Online biology encyclopedia from Nature
Publishing Group |
|
Encyclopedia Britannica Online: |
General background information |
|
Facts-on-file
|
General science information, select the
Science Online option. Excellent for diagrams. |
|
Proquest |
Periodical articles and abstracts,
including the New York Times and
Proquest Historical Newspapers |
| SIRS Knowledge Source | Periodical articles and government documents on Science topics. |
Internet Resources:
BioTech: Life Sciences Resources and Reference Tools
Dept. of Entomology, Iowa State University
Healthy NJ: Information for Healthy Living (UMDNJ)
Museum of Paleontology (Univ. of CA, Berkeley)
Virtual Library of Ecology & Biodiversity
Women in Biology Internet Launch Pages
Additional Resources
Before beginning:
Follow the steps of the research process as recommended in the Cornell University Libraries.
Recommended Search Engines and Meta-Search
Engines:
No one search engine has indexed the entire web. Each search engine uses
a program, referred to as a "spider," that visits web pages searching for
terms.
All The Web
Google
Kartoo
ProFusion
Teoma
Vivisimo
Recommended Directories:
Unlike search engines,
directories are composed by people who evaluate the content of web sites and
organize them into broad subject categories.
Librarian's Index to the Internet
Internet Public Library
Virtual Reference Desk (NJ State Library)
Resource Discovery Network
Yahoo
Citing Internet Resources
Consult the
Pingry Manual of Style
for acceptable citation formats.
Plagiarism:
A few guidelines in this regard
Plagiarism: What It Is and How to Recognize and Avoid
It (University of Indiana)
What is Plagiarism? (Georgetown University)
Avoiding Plagiarism (Purdue University OWL-Online
Writing Lab)
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Last updated 04/09/2009