Introduction to Academic Resources
The sources found here are scholarly publications on and related to the topic of Biology. The following resources will allow you to locate sources have been written and published by researchers in the field.
Databases - Check out the databases here if you need to research topics in Biology.
Journals - The selection of journals provided here are a collection of some impactful journals in the field of biology
- For how to use academic sources see Researching a Topic for tips on filtering and searching for information.
Databases
Databases are a more subject focused collection of academically published materials. Here are some of the databases that cover the topics of Biology.
Broad Subject Databases
Start with these databases if you are just looking for research in biology. These will give you research that also covers a broad range of disciplines
- ScienceDirect Journals & Books This link opens in a new window
A Web database for scientific research that contains the full text of more than 2,500 scholarly journals including over 250 fully Open Access publications. Covers Physical Sciences and Engineering, Life Sciences, Health Sciences, Social Sciences and Humanities. - Web of Science This link opens in a new window
Web of Science is a multidisciplinary abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature, and provides both author and journal metrics (performance analytics) of the literature indexed in the database.
Citation Metrics are a measure of how many times a resource has been used or 'cited' in other works, and where they have been cited. If you are looking for impactful research or highly ranked Journals use these services to compare and locate highly cited articles surrounding your topic.
Abstract and citation databases are services that present the citation connections of published articles in a field and compare their citation indexes with other published works.
You can use the following databases to look for well cited research, literature or authors.
- Scopus This link opens in a new window
A multidisciplinary abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature, and provides both author and journal metrics (performance analytics) of the literature indexed in the database. - Web of Science This link opens in a new windowWeb of Science is a multidisciplinary abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature, and provides both author and journal metrics (performance analytics) of the literature indexed in the database.
Databases are a more subject focused collection of academically published materials. Here are some of the databases that cover the topics of Biology.
- CSIRO Publishing eBooks This link opens in a new windowCovers a wide range of scientific disciplines, including agriculture, plant and animal sciences, chemistry, health and the environment.
- Nature Journals Online This link opens in a new windowA weekly international journal publishing the finest peer-reviewed research in all fields of science and technology
- Company of Biologists This link opens in a new windowIncludes journal titles: Development, Journal of Cell Science, Journal of Experimental Biology, Disease Models & Mechanisms, and Biology Open.
Journals
Journals and Journal Articles
Journals, similar to magazines, have a consistent cover title, and are published at regular intervals. Individual articles may be written by different authors, and generally cover different topics. Journal articles generally contain specific and more up-to- date information than is found in books.
Here are a selection of journals publishing articles in ecological and biological evolution.
- Trends in Ecology and EvolutionPublications, reviews and opinions published in the area of ecology and evolutionary science.
[Peer Reviewed] - Nature Ecology and EvolutionPublications covering the field of ecology and evolution in biological ecosystems.
[Peer Reviewed] - Evolution: International Journal of Organic EvolutionPublication on the study of organic evolution.
[Peer Reviewed]
Journals and Journal Articles
Journals, similar to magazines, have a consistent cover title, and are published at regular intervals. Individual articles may be written by different authors, and generally cover different topics. Journal articles generally contain specific and more up-to- date information than is found in books.
Here are a selection of journals publishing articles in genetics.
- Genome BiologyGenome Biology publishes articles covering biology and biomedical studies from a genome perspective.
[Peer Reviewed]
Journals and Journal Articles
Journals, similar to magazines, have a consistent cover title, and are published at regular intervals. Individual articles may be written by different authors, and generally cover different topics. Journal articles generally contain specific and more up-to- date information than is found in books.
Here are a selection of journals publishing articles in plant science.
- The Plant CellThis publication focuses on plant biology covering cellular biology, biochemistry, genetics and evolution.
[Peer Reviewed] - Trends in Plant SciencePresents a broad coverage of plant sciences including molecular biology and ecology
[Peer Reviewed]
Journals and Journal Articles
Journals, similar to magazines, have a consistent cover title, and are published at regular intervals. Individual articles may be written by different authors, and generally cover different topics. Journal articles generally contain specific and more up-to- date information than is found in books.
Here are a selection of journals publishing articles in animal science.
- Wildlife ResearchPublished by the CSIRO, Wildlife Research covers all major aspects of the ecology, management and conservation of wild animals in natural and modified habitats.