Biology Research Guide
- Find Background Info
- Find Books and Films
- Find Articles
- Citing Sources
Find Background Info
Background sources, such as specialized encyclopedias and dictionaries, are an essential piece of the research process. They can help you:
- Gather information about your topic and understand the scope of the research
- Locate reliable sources and clarify keywords
- Pinpoint important authors, texts, ideas, and keywords about the research area.
Knowing what the primary phrases and concepts are will help you a lot as you are searching library databases and online sources.
Credo Reference
Credo Reference is a multi-publisher collection of high-quality reference titles. Available titles also include a range of multimedia options, including thousands of high quality diagrams, photographs, maps, and audio files. Credo includes several books on topics in biology, including:
Find Books and Films
Print and e-books are valuable sources for academic research. They will help you gain an overview of your topic and often contain in-depth information about the scholarship or history of research on a subject. Some books are written by single authors, while others include essays or chapters by multiple scholars within a discipline. Don’t let the length of books intimidate you because you don’t need to read them from cover to cover. Look at the table of contents and index to find the sections that are relevant to your work.
Academic Videos Online (AVON)
AVON provides unlimited access to a comprehensive selection of videos curated for the educational experience.
Find Books Using GriffinSearch
GriffinSearch is a good starting place if you are looking for books, journal articles, films, and other materials available in the library. In addition to searching the Giovale Library catalog for physical materials, GriffinSearch finds e-books and articles from several of our databases. To get started, search by keyword or type in the title of a book here:
WorldCat
WorldCat lets you search for books, articles, videos, and other material that are available in libraries worldwide. If you are doing in-depth research on a topic and are considering requesting resources through Interlibrary Loan, WorldCat can help you discover resources that might not be in the Giovale Library collection.
Interlibrary Loan (ILL)
Interlibrary Loan is a service where patrons of one library can borrow books and other materials, and access journal articles that are owned by another library.
Explore Interlibrary Loan Materials
Utah Academic Library Consortium
Giovale Library participates in the Utah Academic Library Consortium (UALC) and Westminster University students have reciprocal circulation privileges at UALC partner libraries. Each UALC library has different circulation policies, but all require a current, valid, legal photo identification and proof of current enrollment at Westminster. Some libraries may also require other verification methods, so it is recommended that you contact the library you are interested in for details.
Popular Titles and Featured Texts
Greenhouse Planet: How Rising CO2 Changes Plants and Life As We Know It
Great Salt Lake Biology: a Terminal Lake in a Time of Change
Human-Wildlife Conflict Management: Prevention and Problem Solving
Epigenetics: Beyond the Genetics and Medicine
Find Articles
The Giovale Library provides access to a number of subject databases that you can use to find journal articles on topics within a specific discipline or field of study. The databases listed on this page are those that are most useful for finding research published in Biology.
GriffinSearch
GriffinSearch is a good starting place if you are looking for books, journal articles, films, and other material available in the library. In addition to searching the Giovale Library catalog for physical materials, GriffinSearch finds e-books and articles from several of our databases.
Biological Science Database (ProQuest)
Biological Science Database (ProQuest) is an interdisciplinary database that provides abstracts and citations for a wide range of research in biomedicine, biotechnology, zoology and ecology and some aspects of agriculture and veterinary science. It includes scholarly articles, serials, conference proceedings, technical reports, monographs, and selected books and patents
Search Biological Science Database (ProQuest)
Science Database (ProQuest)
Science Database (ProQuest) contains full text articles from broad, interdisciplinary
science and engineering sources. Science Database features ongoing full -text from
prestigious and highly selective publishers such as Nature Publishing, Springer, Emerald,
Cambridge University Press and many others.
Search Science Database (ProQuest)
Earth, Atmospheric and Aquatic Science Database (ProQuest)
Earth, Atmospheric and Aquatic Science Database (ProQuest) includes scholarly journals, trade and industry journals, magazines, technical reports, conference proceedings, and government publications. Included are the renowned Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts (AFSA), and the Meteorological and Geoastrophysical Abstracts (MGA). This collection contains information about critical issues that affect the Earth's air, land, and water.
Search Earth, Atmospheric and Aquatic Science Database (ProQuest)
Environmental Science Collection (ProQuest)
The Environmental Science Collection (ProQuest) collection combines specialist topic resources from engineering, biotechnology, bacteriology, atmospheric science, ecology, and biology. Subject coverage includes: climate change and global warming; conservation; environmental education; environmental health; safety and risk; environmental law and policy; plant science; soil science; sustainability; waste management; and wildlife.
Search Environmental Science Collection (ProQuest)
Birds of the World
Birds of the World provides comprehensive life histories for all bird species and families. Image and video galleries show plumages, behaviors, habitat, nests and eggs, and more. In addition, this database features recordings of the songs and calls of their species. Contents are updated frequently, with contributions from researchers, citizen scientists, and designated reviewers and editors.
Environmental Studies Research Guide
See the companion research guide for the Environmental Studies program for more links to focused environmental and conservation resources.
Citing Sources
Citation Resources
Properly citing your sources shows that you’ve done research to become knowledgeable about your topic and helps you avoid plagiarism. Explore citation resources to learn how to correctly cite sources based on style.
Need help with your research?
Get in touch with:
Emily Swanson
Liaison Librarian for Biology
801.832.2257
eswanson@westminsteru.edu
Librarians are happy to answer questions via email, phone, or in-person.
Contact Emily with a question or to schedule a research help appointment.
Faculty: Contact Emily to suggest edits to this research guide.
Chat with a Librarian
Use the chat box below to ask the library staff a question. If chat is unavailable or we don’t respond quickly, please use the email form on our Get Research Help page and a library staff member will contact you as soon as we are available.