Research Guides: Biological Sciences Research Guide: General Biology

Literature Guides

Using the Biological Literature by Diane Schmidt
ISBN: 0429097654
Publication Date: 2014-04-14
Includes a general introduction to biological literature, general reference resources, and reference resources by biological specialty area.

Nomenclature and Word Origins

Analyzer of Medical-Biological Words (Schmidt) 1973 (ref R 123 S32)
Biolexicon: A Guide to the Language of Biology (Blinderman) 1990 (ref QH 302.5 B59 1990)
Bioscientific Terminology: Words from Latin and Greek Stems (Ayers) 1972 (ref QH 83 A94)
Composition of Scientific Words (Brown) 1956 (ref PE 1175 E76 1978)
Naturalist's Lexicon: A List of Classical Greek and Latin Words Used or Suitable for Use in Biological Nomenclature (Woods) 1944 (ref QH 83 A94)
Source-Book of Biological Names and Terms (Jaeger) 1959 (ref QH 83 J3 1959)

Handbooks, Manuals and Protocols

Handbooks and Manuals

You can search in the Library Catalog under the subject of "Biology" and more specific subheadings such as "methodology" or "techniques" or "laboratory manuals" or "measurement" or "handbooks, manuals, etc." Or check out some of these suggestions to get an idea of what to look for:

Biology Data Book (Altman) 1972-1974 (ref QH310 A39 1972) (3 volumes) Compilation of evaluated reference data in the life sciences, with over 18,000 literature citations from which the information was compiled.
Handbook of Bird Biology (Lovette) 2016 (ref ProQuest EBOOK) Covers all aspects of avian diversity, behavior, ecology, evolution, physiology, and conservation. Using examples drawn from birds found in every corner of the globe, it explores and distills the many scientific discoveries that have made birds one of our best known - and best loved - parts of the natural world.
Cell Biology: a laboratory handbook (Celis) 2006 (ref QH583.2 .C45 2006) Covers topics ranging from transfer of macromolecules and small molecules to cloning of embryos, transgenics, and gene targeting. Cell-free extracts, permeabilized cell systems, and expression systems are also discussed, along with proteins. Comprised of 58 chapters, this volume begins with a detailed account of microinjection of RNA, DNA, and proteins into somatic cells, followed by an analysis of computer-automated capillary microinjection of macromolecules into living cells.
Molecular biology techniques a classroom laboratory manual (Carson) 2012 (ref ProQuest EBOOK) Introduces advanced undergraduates and beginning graduate students to the techniques of recombinant DNA technology, or gene cloning and expression. The techniques used in basic research and biotechnology laboratories are covered in detail.
Measuring the distribution of animals in relation to the environment (Western and Grimsdell) 1979 (ref QH352 W47 1979)

Protocols

A list of different resources you can use for accessing and managing protocol information.

protocols.io - A secure platform for developing and sharing reproducible methods.

Bio-protocol.org - Created in 2011 by a group of Stanford scientists, Bio-protocol is an online peer-reviewed protocol journal. Its mission is to make life science research more efficient and reproducible by curating and hosting high quality, free access protocols.

Current Protocols - A comprehensive source for step-by-step protocols and overviews covering essential and advanced experimental design, methods, and analyses in all areas of the life sciences including molecular and cell biology, genetics, bioinformatics, immunology, neuroscience, microbiology, pharmacology, chemical biology, model organisms, translational research, and more.

Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

Biology (Encyclopedia) (Robinson) 2003 (ref EBSCO eBooks)
Biologist's Handbook of Pronunciation (Jaeger) 1966 (ref QH 13 J3)
Dictionary of the Biological Sciences (Gray) 1967 (ref QH 13 G68)
Dictionary of Life Sciences (Martin) 1983 (ref QH 302.5 D52 1984)
Dictionary of Theoretical Concepts in Biology (Roe & Frederick) 1981 (ref QH 302.5 R63)
Encyclopedia of Bioethics (Post) 2004 (5 volumes) (ref EBSCO eBooks)
Encyclopedia of Evolution (Pagel) 2002 (2 volumes) (ref QH 360.2 E54 2002)
Facts on File Dictionary of Biology (Tootill) 1988 (ref QH 13 F33 1988)
Henderson's Dictionary of Biological Terms (Lawrence) 1995 (ref QH 302.5 H65 1995)
McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology (Ninth Edition) 2002 (ref Q121 .M3 2002) 20 volumes

Encyclopedia of Earth
(Environmental Information Coalition) Includes 3,500 articles about the Earth, its natural environments, and their interaction with society. Articles are written by scholars, professionals, educators, and other approved experts who collaborate and review each others' work. The articles are written in non-technical language and are intended to be useful to students, educators, scholars, and professionals, as well as to the general public.
Encyclopedia of Life
Work-in-progress that provides scientific information on the 1.9 million known plant, animal and microbiological species -- taxonomy, geographic distribution, collections, genetics, evolutionary history, morphology, behavior, ecological relationships, human importance and literature references.
Hutchinson Pocket Dictionary of Biology
(Cal Poly Humboldt users only)
Life Science Dictionary
(BioTech)

Internet Subject Directories/Gateways/Portals

WWW Virtual Library: Biosciences
- links to other more specialized biological directories in the "virtual library" network
National Center for Biotechnolofy Information
As a national resource for molecular biology information, NCBI's mission is to develop new information technologies to aid in the understanding of fundamental molecular and genetic processes that control health and disease. More specifically, the NCBI has been charged with creating automated systems for storing and analyzing knowledge about molecular biology, biochemistry, and genetics; facilitating the use of such databases and software by the research and medical community; coordinating efforts to gather biotechnology information both nationally and internationally; and performing research into advanced methods of computer-based information processing for analyzing the structure and function of biologically important molecules.
American Institute of Biological Sciences
Promotes the use of science to inform decision-making and advance biology for the benefit of science and society.

Content Attribution

Some of the content of this page was created in another format by Robert Sathrum, HSU Librarian, retired 06/2013.