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If you are taking a biology class where there is outside-of-lab research
involved, chances are you need to use library resources to find that
information!
The links and tips below are designed to help you find what you need
without having to search useless sites, waste time wading through
un-related search results, and to avoid plain old, bad research in
general.
Journal Article Searching:
TIP #1: When searching for journal articles in the area of
biology, it is integral that you first completely understand your topic
and what it is you are looking for. Because it is so important
that you have a firm grasp of the basics on your topic, I always
recommend that people who feel they are a bit unsure of themselves look
up their topic(s) in a
basic science encyclopedia (that link will take you to Access
Science, a very good general science encyclopedia) first to get a
general understanding of what they are looking for before starting to
search for journal articles.
LINK #1: The link below will take you straight to all of the
article-containing databases that the library has access to. These
databases are NOT the same thing as what is available to anyone/everyone
out on the web - they are much much much better! They have been
screened, reviewed, etc. and therefore contain valid scientific research
that has in itself been thoroughly reviewed and scrutinized. These
are the databases you always want to start off searching before anything
else!
Journal Article Databases for Science & Medicine
Book Searching:
Tip #2: Almost as important as understanding your subject is
knowing how to describe it using keywords. Computers don't think
like people do, and using the proper keywords can make the difference
between getting 5 search results back versus 55. Try writing down
a varied list of keywords on your subject and search them all in
different combinations of one or two at a time - you'll get VERY
different results - and you'll be glad you took the time to do so!
LINK #2: While books are not as frequently used in the sciences as
journal articles are, they still hold valuable and often necessary
information, and as such should not be overlooked. You can easily
search through the entire USM system's book holdings by using the link
below. If you find a book that you want/need that is not available
at SU, you can put a hold on that book and have it sent to you here in
about a week - at no cost - all done electronically on the computer by
you via the link below...
Search & Request Books in the Whole USM System
The librarian liaison
to Biology, Chemistry, Environmental Issues, Geography,
Mathematics/Computer Science, and Physics is Susan Brazer,
sebrazer@salisbury.edu
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