Biology

This guide provides databases and books, information on writing and citing, and links to professional organizations in the field of biology

Finding Science Information

To get started finding information in the sciences, it's useful to know a little about the Science Information Life Cycle. The life cycle of information is different whether you're in the Sciences, Social Sciences, or Humanities. This tutorial from the UC Irvine Libraries is designed to help you understand the unique characteristics of information production in the Sciences so that you can use library resources effectively and efficiently:

Science Information Life Cycle

Biology Databases

Databases are the best way to find scholarly, peer-reviewed journal articles, and e-prints.

Biology Databases
Several of the key databases are listed below but if you're having trouble finding something, try one of the many databases listed here.

Agricola (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
(AGRICultural OnLine Access) Consists of two freely accessible, web-based resources published by the U.S. National Agricultural Library and cooperating institutions. The Online Public Access Catalog describes books, serials, audiovisuals, and other resources held by the National Agricultural Library. The Journal Article Citation Index describes journal articles, book chapters, reports, reprints, and other research literature on agriculture and related fields such as chemistry, energy, food science, geography, life science, natural resources, and veterinary medicine.
American Society for Microbiology (ASM) Journals This link opens in a new window
Provides full-text access to the eleven scholarly journals published by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM): Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, Applied and Environmental Microbiology, Clinical and Vaccine Immunology, Clinical Microbiology Reviews, Eukaryotic Cell, Infection and Immunity, Journal of Bacteriology, Journal of Clinical Microbiology, Journal of Virology, Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews, and Molecular and Cellular Biology.
Anatomy.tv This link opens in a new window
Anatomy.tv provides an interactive multimedia overview of the human body. The resource features 3D models with anatomical features that can be rotated, dissected, and peeled away. Animations are used to explain functions, biomechanics, and surgical procedures including anatomy of exercise, acupuncture, sports injuries, and resistance training. Also features common pathologies, radiological content, and customizable and interactive quizzes.
Biological Abstracts (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
Provides bibliographic references and abstracts of international life science journal literature. Includes citations to articles about agriculture, biochemistry, biomedicine, biotechnology, genetics, botany, ecology, microbiology, pharmacology, and zoology. Only a few people can use this database at one time.
Biological Science Collection (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
This collection includes more than 25 databases covering all aspects of biological and related fields, such as bacteriology, bioengineering, ecology, immunology, micro and molecular biology, neurosciences, protozoology, toxicology, virology and zoology. Provides access to literature from scholarly and trade journals, conference proceedings, technical reports, selected books and other materials.
BioMed Central This link opens in a new window
Provides full-text access to over 200 open access, online, peer-reviewed journals, spanning all areas of biology and medicine, from broad interest titles like BMC Biology and BMC Medicine to more specialized titles like BMC Genomics, BMC Microbiology, and BMC Bioinformatics. Our BioMed Central Supporters Membership also gives all UTSA researchers a 15% discount on article processing charges.
Ecology Abstracts (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
Indexes and abstracts over 300 research publications in evolutionary biology, economics, and systems analysis as they relate to the environment.
Genetics Abstracts (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
Indexes and abstracts over 500 journals on genetics research. Provides information on DNA, differentiation and development, RNA, protein synthesis, ribosomes, nuclear proteins and chromatin, enzymes, and gene regulation, with an emphasis on molecular genetics. Genetics Abstracts is a subfile of the Biological Science Database.
Knovel This link opens in a new window
Knovel is an interactive, full-text database of technical information and science and engineering books.
MEDLINE (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
Provides article citations from over 4,800 journals published in the United States and seventy other countries. Encompasses information from Index Medicus, Index to Dental Literature, and International Nursing, as well as other sources in allied health, biological and physical sciences, humanities, and information science as they relate to medicine and health care, communication disorders, population biology, and reproductive biology. Produced by the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
PubMed This link opens in a new window
Produced by the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) at the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), PubMed provides free access to MEDLINE, NLM's database of bibliographic citations and abstracts in the fields of medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, health care systems, and preclinical sciences. Citations may include links to full text content from PubMed Central and publisher web sites. See also MEDLINE.
ScienceDirect This link opens in a new window
Provides full-text access to thousands of scholarly journals and e-books published by Elsevier. Indexes and abstracts articles from journals in the life, physical, medical, technical, and social sciences.
Springer Nature Link This link opens in a new window
Provides electronic access to the full-text of thousands of journals and e-books published by Springer Nature in chemical sciences, economics, environmental sciences, life sciences, law, medicine, computer science, engineering, geosciences, mathematics, statistics, and physics.
Web of Science This link opens in a new window
Search current and retrospective information from 12,000+ high-impact research journals worldwide. Provides seamless access to Science Citation Expanded (1900- ), Social Sciences Citation Index (1900- ), Arts & Humanities Citation Index (1975- ), Conference Proceedings Index (1990- ), and Emerging Sources Citation Index (2005-2017). Cited reference searching enables tracking prior research, gauging the impact of research, and to locate articles that share common references.
Wiley Online Library This link opens in a new window
Provides access to journal articles, e-books, book chapters and major reference works published by Wiley in science, technology, medicine, business, humanities and social sciences. Significant full text.