Encyclopedias

Encyclopedia articles, written by subject authorities, provide information useful for gaining a basic understanding of a topic and getting started with a research project. Typically, a bibliography, or list, of "classic" books and articles for further research follows each article. Students will find also these encyclopedias useful for brushing up on topics related to their central area of investigation. [Note: See the Research Guides for sources that deal with narrower sub-fields within the discipline.]

Encyclopedia of Life Sciences. New York: Nature Publishing Group, 2002.

Half the 3000 articles "describe and elucidate understanding of systems, processes and structures in the life sciences," while remaining entries cover biology and medicine and cross-disciplinary studies. Brief bibliographies.

CALL NUMBER: Ref Q 302.5 .E540 2002 -- v.1-19

McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology. 9th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2002.

The 7100 articles on the subject matter and applications of the life, physical, and earth sciences offer comprehensive treatments of a wide array of subjects. Brief bibliographies.

CALL NUMBER: Ref Q 121 .M3 2002 -- v.1-20

Subject Dictionaries

These specialized subject dictionaries define the terminology in the discipline. See the Research Guides for sources that deal with narrower sub-fields within the discipline.

Biology Dictionary. [ Online ] Biology-Online.org. Available: http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary.asp (Accessed 8 September 2003).

An online searchable dictionary of over 1600 terms commonly used in the biological sciences.

Indge, Bill.

Dictionary of Biology. Edited by Bill Indge. London; Chicago: Fitzroy Dearborn Pub., 1999, 1997.

This dictionary aims to provide "an explanation of the main ideas and concepts central to biology," striking a balance between simplicity and clarity for the novice and sufficient detail for more advanced students. It also contains an extensive network of cross-references. Illustrated.

CALL NUMBER: Ref QH302.5 .I5340 1999

The Facts on File Dictionary of Biology. Edited by Robert Hine. New York: Facts On File, 1999.

Contains some 3000 brief entries—some illustrated—that define the most frequently used terms in biology.

CALL NUMBER: Ref QH302.5 .F38 1999

Oxford Reference Online: Biological Sciences. [ Online ] Oxford University Press, 2003. Available: http://www.oxfordreference.com/views/SUBJECT_SEARCH.html?subject=s2 (Accessed 8 September 2003).

As part of the Oxford Reference Online Collection, this subset includes five reference sources: A Dictionary of Biology, A Dictionary of Ecology, A Dictionary of Plant Sciences, A Dictionary of Scientists, and A Dictionary of Zoology.

Handbooks

Handbooks collect basic, practical information—formulas, tables of data, classification systems, definitions—for professionals operating within a discipline.

Altman, Philip L.

Biology Data Book. Compiled and edited by Philip L. Altman and Dorothy S. Dittmer.
Bethesda, Md.: Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology [1972-1974].

A "storehouse of basic biological information," Volume I covers genetics, cytology, reproduction, development, and growth. Volume II deals with biological regulators and toxins, the environment, and parasitism. Volume III provides information on nutrition, digestion, and elimination; metabolism; respiration and circulation; and blood and bodily fluids.

CALL NUMBER: Ref QH310 .A392  v1-3

Sources of Statistics

The library subscribes to the ASI Microfiche Library. Every document indexed in ASI since 1979 is available in this library. In addition to the ASI Microfiche Library for federal government publications containing statistical data, the library also subscribes to the SRI Microfiche Library, containing most but not every non-federal statistical item indexed in SRI. A third collection, Index to International Statistics, deals with statistical material from international, intergovernmental bodies, completes the package. Online access to the database—and to some of the documents themselves—is available through the Statistical Universe component of LexisNexis Academic Universe.

Directories

Directories identify the professionals, institutions, organizations, and associations within a discipline.

American Men & Women of Science. New York : R.R. Bowker, c1989-

CALL NUMBER: Ref Q 141 .A47 2003 -- v.1-8

Directory of Research in Biological Sciences at Primarily Undergraduate Institutions. Asheville, N.C.: Council on Undergraduate Research.

CALL NUMBER: Ref QH 319 .A1 D57 -- 1994

Citation Guides and Style Manuals

Style manuals and citations guides illustrate how to cite book, journal, and other research sources, including materials found in online databases and on the Web according to the conventional format of a particular discipline. Subject specific citation guides are listed below, and a complete listing appears at Reference Sites: Citation Guides and Style Manuals.

Online! A Reference Guide to Using Internet Sources. [ Online ] Andrew Harnack and Eugene Kleppinger. Available: http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/ (Accessed 8 September 2003).

Chapter 8: Using CBE Style to Cite and Document Sources illustrates how to cite Internet resources in a biology research paper.

Scientific Style and Format: The CBE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers. Style Manual Committee, Council of Biology Editors. Publisher : Cambridge; New York: Cambridge University Press, 1994.

The CBE website indicates that its style guidelines were based largely on the National Library of Medicine's Recommended Formats for Bibliographic Citation.

CALL NUMBER: Ref QH304 .C330 1994

Union College honors and masters theses and PhD dissertations are accessible in the Schaffer Library Catalog. Two copies of the thesis are available in microfiche format. One copy is held at the Reference Desk and another in Special Collections. Some older theses are located offsite and will be retrieved on request. Information about thesis advisors is not listed in the catalog. The link below will offer assistance in selecting the department and limiting to a particular year or thesis.

Research Guides supplement the broader Research by Subject pages by focusing on the print and electronic resources that are most useful for a course-specific research assignment. For faculty, the Research Guides provide structured access to the Library and Internet resources relevant to their own work or in advising students on their research projects. For students working independently, it serves as a reminder of services and materials offered within the library while at the same time providing a gateway for information available from remote sites.

Currently, the Research Guides in Biology include:

Faculty using Blackboard are encouraged to incorporate links to Library resources—and specifically the Research by Subject pages and the appropriate course-related Research Guides—into the Blackboard course pages. Your Departmental Liaison or Bibliographic Instruction Contacts can assist you.

Schaffer Library provides to range of general and subject-specific electronic databases—some offering full-text access to articles or library holdings information.

Biological Control: A Guide to Natural Enemies in North America
http://www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ent/biocontrol/
Courtesy of Cornell University, "This guide provides photographs and descriptions of major biological control (or biocontrol) agents of major insect, disease and weed pests in North America. It is also a tutorial on the concept and practice of biological control and integrated pest management (IPM)." Searchable index. 

The Biology Project
http://www.biology.arizona.edu/
An interactive online resource for learning biology developed at The University of Arizona. The site is divided into seven subject areas: biochemistry, cell biology, developmental biology, human biology, Mendelian genetics, immunology, and molecular biology. 

The Genome Database
http://www.gdb.org/
Hosted by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the Genome Database (GDB) stores and curates genomic mapping data submitted by researchers worldwide and provides this information electronically to the scientific community. Version 6.0 of the GDB became the first database of its kind to allow online public curation and third party annotation. 

Harvard Biological Laboratories
http://mcb.harvard.edu/BioLinks.html
Links to Selected WWW Biology Resources, a division of the WWW Virtual Library - Biosciences, GCG Software Documentation, Selected Model Organism Databases, Selected Biomolecular & Biochemical Databases (Sequences, Structures, etc), Selected Other Biological Databases, & Biological Software Directories.

Integrated Taxonomic Information System
http://www.itis.usda.gov/plantproj/itis/index.html
"The Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) is a partnership of U.S., Canadian, and Mexican agencies, other organizations, and taxonomic specialists cooperating on the development of an on-line, scientifically credible, list of biological names focusing on the biota of North America."

The Johns Hopkins University BioInformatics Web Server
http://www.bis.med.jhmi.edu/Links to Prot-Web, a Collection of Protein Databases which contain links to one another as well as links to other databases around the world, Electronic Publications for Biology, Other Biological Databases at Hopkins, Software and Data, & Links to other Bio-Web Servers.

Stanford Genomic Resources
http://genome-www.stanford.edu/
The Stanford Human Genome Center is one of the NIH centers for Human Genome Research. Search the Saccharomyces Genome Database or Arabidopsis thaliana Database. Mapping, Sequencing, Education links, RH Server, Searchable index.

University of Cambridge
http://www.bio.cam.ac.uk/
School of the Biological Sciences with Links to database services, including DNA and protein sequences, protein structures, & cell databases.  Links to information about how to obtain and use various molecular biology packages. Links to specific databases for certain model organisms, such as E. coli and C. elegans.

Yahoo!-Science:Biology
http://www.yahoo.com/Science/Biology/

The New York Times: Life Science. [ Online ] The New York Times. Available: http://www.nytimes.com/pages/science/life/index.html (Accessed 3 March 2002)
Provides full text access to life sciences articles from The New York Times "Science Times" section.

Departmental Liaison
For information on resources, services, collections, and book ordering for your department

Bibliographic Instruction Contact
For information on scheduling course-related instruction session or faculty training session