Research Guide to Biology

» Student Resources » Library » Online Resources » Web Study Guides by Subject

This research guide provides information particularly relevant to biology concepts (BIO100IN), environmental biology (BIO105IN) and human anatomy and physiology (BIO201IN), although many of the resources listed will also be useful to students in more specialized biology classes.

Introduction/How to Search
Reference Resources (Dictionaries, Encyclopedias, eBooks, Etc.)
Online Databases
Web Sites

Indicates title is an ebook

Introduction/How to Search

Librarians do not simply buy materials and randomly put them onto the shelves. Each new item is classified-meaning it is examined carefully and assigned a number to make sure that materials on the same subject are shelved together. Pima College's Library uses the Library of Congress classification system, as does the University of Arizona. This system assigns each subject a combination of letters and numbers, then uses these letters and numbers to arrange materials on the shelves. (For more information see How to Read a Call Number.)

The following table shows how some basic subject headings in biology are classified. Clicking on any of these subject headings will start a search for the subject in the Library catalog.

*Call Numbers*	*Topics Covered*	*Some Subject Headings*
QH301-549	Biology, Genetics, Ecology	Bioethics Biological illustration Biology--Classification Biology--Dictionaries Biology--Encyclopedias Biology--Handbooks, manuals, etc. Ecology Environmental sciences Evolution (Biology) Genetics Life sciences
QM	Human anatomy	Histology--Atlases Human anatomy Human anatomy--Problems, exercises, etc.
QP	Physiology	Human physiology Human physiology--Outlines, syllabi, etc.
QR	Microbiology	Immunology Microbiology

Reference Resources

This section lists a few biology reference tools. Not all the print resources listed are available at all campus libraries. Check the Library catalog to verify the availability of titles.

Allaby, Michael, ed. A Dictionary of Ecology. New York: Oxford University Press, 2004. Call no.: QH540.4 .C66 2004eb. This dictionary provides definitions of terms pertaining to environmental pollution and conservation as well as such fields as biogeography, animal behavior, evolutionary theory, taxonomy, plant and animal physiology, climatology and meteorology, oceanography, hydrology, glaciology, and geomorphology.
Diagram Group. Life Sciences on File. New York: Facts on File Publications, 1986. Call no.: QH318 .L45 1986. This reference tool provides diagrams and drawings (all reproducible) in biology, including reproduction, genetics, human physiology, and ecology.
Diagram Group, and Facts on File Inc. The Facts on File Biology Handbook. New York: Facts on File, 2001. Call no.: QH310 .F23 2001. This handbook provides a glossary of terms, biographies of more than 400 scientists, a chronology of developments and discoveries, tables, charts, and diagrams, as well as measurements, formulas, and calculations.
Encyclopedia of Life Sciences. 19 vols. London: Nature Publishing Group, 2002. Call no.: QH302.5.E57 2002. This 19-volume encyclopedia contains over 3,000 entries and 6,000 illustrations in biology and other life sciences such as biochemistry, genetics, evolution and physiology, plant science, and cell biology.
Falk, D. A., ed. The Encyclopedia of Ecology & Environmental Management. Osney Mead, Oxford: Blackwell Science, 1998. Call no.: GE300.E53 1998eb. This encyclopedia provides both brief and longer articles that will help students learn the jargon and principles of environmental management and ecology.
Fried, George. Schaum's Outline of Theory and Problems of Biology. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1999. Call no.: QH315.5 .F75 1999eb. This study outline includes chapters on the fundamentals of biology, biology of the cell, genetics, plant and animal biology, evolution and ecology, and biological diversity.
Gartner, Leslie P., and James L. Hiatt. Color Atlas of Histology. 4th ed. Baltimore: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, 2006. Call no.: QM557 .G38 2006. This reference tool serves to orient students to the structure and function of tissues and organs at the cellular level. It includes photomicrographs, some line drawings, and clinical information with references.
Knight, Jeffrey A., and Robert McClenaghan. Encyclopedia of Genetics. 2 vols. Pasadena, Calif.: Salem Press, 2004. Call no.: QH427 .E53 2004. This illustrated encyclopedia provides access to articles on topics within the field of genetics, as well as to biographical information on well known geneticists.
Lerner, K. Lee, and Brenda Wilmoth Lerner. World of Microbiology and Immunology. 2 vols. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Call no.: QR9 .W675 2003. This 2-volume encyclopedia contains 600 entries on topics of interest to the student of microbiology and immunology, including biographies of famous scientists in the field.
Magill, Frank Northen. Magill's Survey of Science: Life Science Series. 6 vols. Pasadena, Calif.: Salem Press, 2004. Call no.: QH307.2 .M34 2004. Each volume in this set is devoted to a different topic. The in-depth articles (some 370) are drawn from 28 areas of the life sciences, including molecular genetics, ecology, microbiology and animal behavior.
Oxford University Press. A Dictionary of Biology. 5th ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004. Call no.: QH302.5 .D5 2004. This dictionary contains over 4,000 entries and is designed as an aid for those studying biology, biophysics and biochemistry. Note that the 5th edition (2004) of this title is also available in Oxford Reference Online (see listing in the Online Databases section for further information).
Pagel, Mark D. Encyclopedia of Evolution. 2 vols. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002. Call no.: QH360.2 .E54 2002. This encyclopedia provides both overview essays (e.g., "The major transitions in evolution") as well as alphabetical entries on fundamental concepts and theories of evolution.
Parker, Sybil P. Synopsis and Classification of Living Organisms. 2 vols. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1982. Call no.: QH83 .S89. This reference tool provides the "systematic positions and afiinities of all living organisms...down to the family level." The work is organized into four kingdoms--virus, monera, plantae, and animalia.
Perry, James W., and David Morton. Photo Atlas for Biology. Belmont, Calif.: Wadsworth Pub. Co., 1996. Call no.: QH307.2 .P47 1996. This atlas contains over 600 color photographs, and is particularly helpful to lab students in biology, botany, and zoology.
Reich, Warren T. Encyclopedia of Bioethics. 3rd. ed. 5 vols. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2004. Call no.: QH332 .E52 2004. This reference source addresses the moral dimensions of the life sciences, and can be useful for students who are doing research on topics such as animal research, cryonics, cloning, and similar "hot topics."
Robinson, Richard, ed. Biology. New York: Macmillan Reference USA, 2002. Call no.: QH302.5.R62 2002eb. Four-volume collection of articles on all aspects of biological science, including its history and issues. Includes articles on biology-related careers and important individuals, topics from active transport to zoology research, illustrations, and a glossary of scientific terms.
Salem Press. Ecology Basics. 2 vols. Pasadena, Calif.: Salem Press, 2004. Call no.: QH540.4 .E39 2004. This alphabetically arranged encyclopedia "offers 132 essays, each of which covers a fundamental ecological concept taught in biology, environmental science, and introductory ecology courses."
Schlossberg, Leon, George D. Zuidema, and Johns Hopkins University. School of Medicine. The Johns Hopkins Atlas of Human Functional Anatomy. 4th ed. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1997. Call no.: QM23.2 .J63 1997. This atlas offers 226 color illustrations, "depicting all organs and systems of the human body." Also included are 29 chapters of descriptive text.
Van De Graaff, Kent M., and R. Ward Rhees. Schaum's Outline of Theory and Problems of Human Anatomy and Physiology. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1997. Call no.: QP41 .V36 1997eb. This outline provides information as well as practice problems and exercises in the area of human anatomy and physiology. It is organized to correspond to the arrangement of most textbooks.
Yokochi, Chihiro, and Johannes W. Rohen. Photographic Anatomy of the Human Body. 3rd ed. Baltimore: University Park Press, 1994. Call no.: QM25 .Y613 1994. This photographic atlas aids biology and allied health students in the identification of all systems and organs of human anatomy: skeletal, muscular, digestive, respiratory, urinary, reproductive, endocrine, circulatory, nervous, and sensory organs.

Online Databases

Unless otherwise indicated, the databases below are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week with a student ID or a faculty/staff Library card.

A very useful online database is Access Science, which contains the full text of all articles in the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. For the field of biological and biomedical sciences, Access Science provides a wealth of information, including biographies, related web sites, bibliographies, historical review, periodic table, data, tables and tools, and study guides. There are also major articles on such topics as biochemistry, evolution, comparative and general physiology, genetics, cell biology, and anatomy.
Oxford Reference Online provides access to six Oxford titles in the biological sciences:A Dictionary of Biology, The Oxford Companion to the Body, A Dictionary of Ecology, A Dictionary of Plant Sciences (noted above), A Dictionary of Scientists, and A Dictionary of Zoology.
Primary Pictures Interactive Anatomy is a database that allows you look at various parts of the human anatomy and at various layers of each of those parts. You can copy and paste individual drawings for class assignments without concern for violating copyright law.

Today's Science is a database that can be helpful to students looking for overview articles, "hot topics" in biology and the other life sciences, biographies of famous scientists, a glossary of terms, etc.
Providing articles from a variety of sources (mostly magazines and newspapers), SIRS Knowledge Source comprises several databases, including one entitled "SIRS Researcher." This database provides information on the sciences generally, and the life sciences in particular.
The principal online database for articles in the sciences is Wilson General Science Abstracts Plus Text, which provides access to 49 journals in the field of biology and related disciplines. Many of the titles in Wilson General Science Abstracts Plus Text contain the full text of articles. Coverage is from 1994 onwards.
ProQuest Science Journals provides a collection of 209 scientific journals in full text and image formats from 1992 onwards. Subjects covered include biology, genetics, ecology biochemistry, microbiology, and zoology. This database is particularly appropriate when seeking scientific information from more scholarly periodicals and journals than are covered in Wilson General Science Abstracts Plus Text, which indexes more popular scientific publications.
An excellent source for scholarly journal articles in the biological sciences in ProQuest Biology Journals. The database includes articles from over 250 full-text journals.
For biographical information on better known scientists in the life sciences, you can use Wilson Biographies Plus Illustrated, which contains biographies and obituaries on over 111,000 famous individuals.

Web Sites

There are thousands of web sites devoted to biology. We've listed a small number of high-quality sites that contain links to additional sites.

Christensen, Ann. Useful and Cool Bio Sites for My Students. 2004. Web site. Available at: http://wc.pima.edu/%7Eachristensen/cool.html. Accessed on: Aug. 24, 2007. This web directory by a West Campus biology instructor contains many links to local resources, including sites at the University of Arizona.
Crimando, J. Human Biodyssey: Exploring Anatomy and Physiology 2005. Web site. Available at: http://www.gwc.maricopa.edu/home_pages/crimando/jcHumanBiodyssey.htm. Accessed on: Aug. 24, 2007. This web site was developed by a community college instructor with tutorials on the skull, vertebrae, heart, muscles, brain, cranial nerves, histology, hand, and thyroid.
Fancher, Lynn. Biology Bookmarks. 2004. Web site. Available at: http://www.cod.edu/people/faculty/fancher/BioMarks1.htm. Accessed on: Aug. 24, 2007. This web directory was developed by a community college instructor. It provides links to sites in biology, anatomy and physiology, biotechnology, botany, ecology, entomology, evolution, genetics, medicine, microbiology, zoology, bioethics, people in biology, societies, journals and periodicals, and institutions.
Kimball, John W. Kimball's Biology Pages. 2004. Web site. Available at: http://users.rcn.com/jkimball.ma.ultranet/BiologyPages/. Accessed on: Aug. 24, 2007. Developed by a retired biology teacher and author, this site is meant to serve as an online textbook to introductory biology. It is based largely on the 1994 (6th) edition of the author's book entitled Biology.
Meeks, Denise. Mathematics and Sciences Web Reference Pages. 2004. Web site. Available at: http://nw.pima.edu/dmeeks/mathsci. Accessed on: Aug. 24, 2007. This website was developed by a PCC faculty member at the Northwest Campus. At the top of the page are links to a variety of websites in biology, chemistry, and other sciences. The biology pages include websites in anatomy and physiology, biochemistry, biotechnology, botany, ecology, genetics, and several other biology-related areas.
University of Arizona. Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics. The Biology Project. 2001. Web site. Available at: http://www.biology.arizona.edu/. Accessed on: Aug. 24, 2007. This site is designed as an "interactive online resource" for the entry level biology course (BIO 181) at the University of Arizona. It is designed for students at the college and high school level, as well as for students in the health sciences.