Biological Sciences
Find sources
Find good keywords
- Keyword tool: This tool from the University of Texas at Austin guides you through the process of creating a keyword search.
- Using Boolean logic: This pdf from teh University of Toronto explains how to use AND, OR, NOT, " ", * , and other modifiers in your search.
Choose a database (or use Library Search)
- Databases: specialized resources to find scholarly sources about a specific area, such as sciences, agriculture, medicine, etc.
- Library Search: search the entire library's holdings, including books and articles.
Evaluate your sources
How do you know if your sources are credible?
- Watch this video from North Carolina State University Library about evaluating sources.
- Consult this guide from the University of Texas Libraries.
Get sources from outside WMU
If a source you need is not available in our library, you can request it through Interlibrary Loan.
Get help
If you aren't finding the articles you need, or are unable to access the articles you find, contact a librarian.
- email me
- make an appointment to meet virtually or in-person
- contact the library with email or live chat
Biology databases
- Scopus This link opens in a new window
Indexes scholarly literature in the natural and social sciences. Use this to get extensive inter-disciplinary access to journal articles and also to find out which articles are being cited by other scholars . Cited references from 1970-present, records from 1788-present.
NOTE: WMU users do not have access to SciVal through Scopus - PubMed This link opens in a new window
Is the National Library of Medicine's interface for searching MEDLINE, the major index to medical research, from clinical medicine to cellular and biomolecular biology. Free citations and abstracts, limited full-text. Coverage from 1893 to Current. Updated weekly.
If you get an error message when logging into your personal account through WMU, please clear your browser history or use an incognito window. - AGRICOLA (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window
Covers agriculture, forestry and animal science, includes food science and nutrition. Updated monthly.
- ScienceDirect This link opens in a new window
Database for scientific research that contains the citations and abstracts of more than 1,800 Elsevier journals in the life, physical, medical, technical, and social sciences as well as selected full-text articles. ScienceDirect can be searched as a database or browsed by individual title. Coverage varies.
- Arabidopsis Information Resource (TAIR) This link opens in a new window
A database of genetic and molecular biology data for the model higher plant Arabidopsis thaliana. TAIR also includes the complete genome sequence along with gene structure, gene product information, gene expression, DNA and seed stocks, genome maps, genetic and physical markers, publications, and information about the Arabidopsis research community. Gene product function data is updated every week from the latest published research literature and community data submissions.
- Google Scholar This link opens in a new window
This service from Google searches scholarly literature, including articles, theses, books and technical reports, and "gray literature" from many areas of research. Some materials are free, some will be available to WMU users by clicking on "Article Linker" while others may require a fee. Use this source in addition to library databases for a more complete search of scholarly literature.
- Biodiversity Heritage LibraryThe Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) is the world’s largest open access digital library for biodiversity literature and archives. The BHL portal provides free access to hundreds of thousands of volumes, comprising over 60 million pages, from the 15th-21st centuries.
- Dissertations and Theses Global (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
Indexes virtually all doctoral dissertations and many masters theses produced in the U.S. since 1861. Dissertations from other countries date back to 1637. Abstracts available from 1980. Full-text for dissertations are being added continually. Most since 1997 are full-text, though some authors choose not to make their work available. Print and microfilm copies are offered for a fee, but request the item via Interlibrary Loan before paying for a copy.
New search functionality includes metadata from Clarivate's Citation Connection. To ensure your search results take advantage of this new functionality, please add “AND ref(1)“ to your search terms.
