Biology: Research Help

Welcome to the Biology Research Guide!

This guide is to help you get a jumpstart on Biology Research by giving an overview of what Biology Resources are available in the library, along with some quick tips on how to find and use them. When in doubt, contact the Biology liaison librarian.

Databases

SUU's Sherratt Library provides access to a number of databases on a wide range of subjects. A library database is a search engine to find abstracts, journal articles, e-books, or multimedia. If you find an article in a database but we do not have access to the full-text version, you can use our Interlibrary Loan (ILL) services and we will get it for you from another library. This service is free. For help on how to search a database, please check our research guide on using databases, or contact the liaison librarian for Biology. Below is a list of the most commonly used databases with content related to Biology, to get you started. Go to the Library website for the complete list of SUU’s Biology databases.

Other Online Resources

Journals and Periodicals

Although many of the journals we have in Sherratt Library are available in electronic form and searchable through our databases, some are only available in hard copy or print. Below is a list of commonly used biology journals. You can search inside these electronic journals directly by clicking on the title [not operational yet]. Print copies of journals are housed on the first floor of Sherratt Library, organized alphabetically by title.

• American Journal of Botany
• American Journal of Human Biology
• American Naturalist (Print + Online)
• Human Development (Print) 
• Journal of Zoology
• Natural History
• Nature    
• PLoS Biology

Books and Ebooks

Here at Sherratt Library, you can find our books and ebooks using the Library Catalog. We use the Library of Congress classification system to organize most of our items, including print books and e-books. Based on this classification, each book as an address or call number that you can find on the label on the spine of a book. The cool thing about this is that if you find a book you like, the books immediately surrounding it will have similar topics so you can browse around to find more information. Below is a general list of call numbers that relate to Biology to help you find what you need. For example, books with call numbers starting with QL are about Zoology. Within the QL subclass, call numbers in the range QL750-795 are specifically about animal behavior. For a more detailed breakdown for each classification subclass, see the box on the right called Library of Congress (LOC) Biology. For information on how to search for books, check out our research guide on the Library catalog, or contact your friendly librarian.

CLASS Q - SCIENCE

Subclass QH Natural history and Biology

Subclass QK Botany

Subclass QL Zoology

Subclass QM Human Anatomy

Subclass QP Physiology

Subclass QR Microbiology