GCSU Library Subject Guide
Biology & the Biological Sciences

Databases

Most databases index articles from journals, newspapers, and magazines. Some databases offer full text articles, while others contain only citations. Some databases are subject specific, while others are more general in coverage.  Some databases relevant to the biological sciences are:

Full-text resources for online articles BAID: BioOne Abstracts and Index Environment Complete JSTOR Science and Technology Collection BioText Search Engine Academic Search Complete Research Library Google Scholar	Indexes to articles Biology Digest Biology Sciences Set CSA Natural Sciences Collection Current Contents Connect
All Biology Databases from Galileo

Journal Locator

Use the Journal Locator to search for specific journals or magazines or to see a list of available journals for a subject area. The Journal Locator will give you the location of a journal (whether online or in the library) and the dates available. Use the following links to get a list of magazines and journals related to the biological sciences. Health Sciences, including Biology and Zoology Earth and Environmental Sciences, including Botany and Ecology

Journal Locator Example

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Reference Sources

The Reference Collection, located on the second floor of the GCSU Library, is often the best place to start your research.  Books in the Reference Collection can help you become more familiar with your topic and assist you with identifying keywords and important people.  Bibliographies can help you identify specific articles and books.

Online Encyclopedias and Dictionaries

Blackwell's concise encyclopedia of ecology. (netLibrary)

Encyclopedia of ecology & environmental management. (netLibrary)

Encyclopedia of Evolution.

Encyclopedia of Global Change.

GEMET Thesaurus. (GEneral Multilingual Environmental Thesaurus. From the European Environment Information and Observation Network).

Biocomplexity Thesaurus. (National Biological Information Infrastructure)

Selected Reference Materials on the 2nd floor of the Library and Instructional Technology Center

The Cambridge Dictionary of human biology and evolution. (QP34.5 .M24 2005)

Concise dictionary of biology. (QH302.5 .D5 1996)

Dictionary of microbiology and molecular biology. (QR9 .S56 2001)

Encyclopedia of Bioethics. (5 volumes) (QH332 .E52 2004)

Encyclopedia of Evolution. (2 volumes) (QH360.2 .E54 2002)

Encyclopedia of Genetics. (2 volumes) (QH427 .E53 2004)

Encyclopedia of Human Biology. (8 volumes) (QP 11 .E53 1991).

McGraw-Hill dictionary of bioscience. (QH302.5 .M382 1997)

Synopsis and Classification of Living Organisms. (QH83 .S89)

Writing Papers in the Biological Sciences. (QH304 .M36 1988)

	Finding Books and other Monographs

Searching

GIL Library Catalog.	Start here for resources in our library.
GIL Universal Catalog.	Next go here to find resources in other libraries in the University System. Use GIL Express to request the items from another library in the University System of Georgia.
WorldCat.	Use WorldCat to search libraries outside of Georgia. If you find something you need, use Interlibrary Loan to request items from out-of-state libraries. (Note: there is another version of WorldCat available here.)
NetLibrary.	Use NetLibrary to search for online/electronic books.
WorldCat Dissertations and Theses.	Use this database to search for dissertations and theses. If you find a dissertation you would like to read you should check the GIL Library Catalog and the GIL Universal Catalog. If you don't find it there, use Interlibrary Loan to request it from another library
Google Books.	A free book catalog available from Google. If you click on the Find this book in a Library link in the right-hand column you can see a list of libraries in Georgia with the book. Use Interlibrary Loan to request a book.

Browsing by Subject Heading

Using the correct subject headings for your topic will help you get more relevant results when searching the Library Catalog. Below is a concise list of subject headings for the biological sciences. Click on any of these subject headings to get a complete list of library resources for that topic.

Biology Natural History Life (Biology) Anatomy Biochemistry

Bioengineering Bioethics Botany Developmental Biology Ecology

Genetics Heredity Human Biology Zoology

Browsing by Call Number

You may also want to browse the shelves to find books. Here is a breakdown of the call number ranges for this topic.

Most of the books dealing with the biological sciences are located in the Q's, next to the books on astronomy, physics, etc. Here is the breakdown for this area:

QH = General Biology and Natural History.
QK = Botany.
QL = Zoology.
QR = Microbiology.
QM = Human anatomy.
QP = Physiology.
QR = Microbiology.

You may find related material in the Agricultural area under S. Specifically, the following areas might be useful

SB = Plant culture.
SD = Forestry.
SF = Animal culture.
SH = Aquaculture. Fisheries. Angling.

For a more comprehensive breakdown of the sciences, go to this site from the Library of Congress

Special Collections

Clyde E. Keeler Collection: Finding Aid

Milledgeville Audubon Society: Finding Aid

Web Sites

Subject Lists of Resources in Biology

National Biological Information Infrastructure from the U.S. Geological Survey.

Biology Links from the Librarian's Index to the Internet.

Natural Science Links from BUBL Link.

Life Science Links from the Internet Public Library.

Contact A Librarian

For further assistance, contact the Reference Desk in the GCSU Library or contact the GCSU Library liaison to the Biological & Environmental Sciences Department:

Gary Austin
gary.austin@gcsu.edu
445-0987