BI101 Anderson: Library databases
Library databases for biology research
This page provides a list of library databases recommended for biology students, and some database search tip strategies.
Databases provide access to high quality published articles, but they are tricky to research. Learn some strategies for successful database research from these short videos:
- Brainstorming keywords (3 minutes)
- Finding articles through the PCC Library (4 minutes)
Ask a librarian which database and search terms will work best for your topic.
Find print and ebooks from the library catalog at pcc.edu/library
Recommended databases for biology research
- Academic Search Premier This link opens in a new windowFull text for more than 4,500 scholarly social sciences, humanities, general science, education and multi-cultural journals. 3,700 are peer-reviewed.
- Biological Science Database This link opens in a new windowFull text articles from 280 biology journals, many of them peer-reviewed.
- Environmental Studies (Gale In Context) This link opens in a new windowVideos, interactive maps, news sources, refereed case studies, and primary source articles are included. Browseable by issue or topic as well as by location.
- GreenFILE This link opens in a new windowScholarly, government and general-interest content on global warming, green building, pollution, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, recycling, and more.
- ScienceDirect This link opens in a new windowFull text for more than 1,000 peer-reviewed life sciences, Health Science, physical sciences, and engineering journals with citation information for thousands more. Look for the "Full-text available" indicators to view articles online. View the Science Direct handout.
Peer reviewed articles -- the basics
First, watch this three minute video to understand the basics of peer review. Then follow the link under the video to learn some essential tips for reading and understanding a peer reviewed article.
Peer reviewed articles are very credible, and also VERY HARD to read and understand. Review these tips from Utah State University to make the process easier: How to Read a Scientific Article.
Encyclopedias & Reference
While these are not specific to just Oregon, these encyclopedias and reference books can provide you with general information for your report.
- Gale Ebooks (formerly GVRL) This link opens in a new windowGale eBooks has over 200 encyclopedias and specialized reference sources for multidisciplinary research. Look here for biology, chemistry, nursing and medicine, sociology, history, education, law, and more.
- Access Science This link opens in a new windowAn online version of McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology and McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms. It contains nearly 9,000 online encyclopedia articles, terms, images and videos related to sciences and technology. The Study Center provides essay topics, study guides and bibliographies.
Search Strategy Overview
1. Use quotation marks around two or more words in a search term to locate them as an exact phrase.
2. Break up your question into separate keywords and use different boxes for each idea.
3. Brainstorm synonyms and related concepts and include them in your search using OR.
4. Use an asterisk (*) to locate root words that have different endings.
- will bring back child, childs, children, childrens, childhood
- will bring back meditate, meditation, meditators, meditative