Subject Guide for Biology
Contents:- Introduction
- Contact Information
- Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
- Finding books
- Finding articles
- Handbooks
- Other web resources
Introduction
Biology is the study of living organisms plus their interactions with each other and their environment. The discipline of biology can be organized in many ways. Two common ways are to divide the field based on the organisms (microbiology, botany, zoology), and to divide based on "functional" levels (genetics, physiology, ecology). As the field of biology grows in complexity and knowledge, most resources are now organized by these sub-disciplines. As result there are few resources which cover all the areas of biology. This guide deals with those general resources. More specialized guides are available for Botany, Microbiology, and Anatomy and Physiology.
Contact Information
C. Anne Turhollow is the SDSU Library & Information Access's subject specialist in biology. Her contact information is:
- Office: Library Addition 1101A
- Phone 619-594-4921
- E-mail: c.turhollow@sdsu.edu
At San Diego State University, this field is studied in the Biology Department.
Dictionaries and Encyclopedias
Here are a few of the major dictionaries and encyclopedias, with links to PAC holdings.
- A
Dictionary of Biology, 4th ed. New York: Oxford University
Press, 2000.
QH 302.5 D5 2000 Reference - A simple, basic dictionary.
- Concise
Encyclopedia Biology. Thomas A. Scott, translator and reviser.
New York: Walter de Gruyter, 1996.
QH 302.5 A2313 1996 Reference - A dictionary with lengthy definitions. Covers all fields of biology. Good
illustrations. A companion volume is the Concise Encyclopedia Biochemistry
and Molecular Biology (QD
415 A25 B713 1997 Reference)
- Encyclopedia
of Life Sciences. Basingstoke, UK: Macmillan Publishers,
2000- .
Online - An online encyclopedia covering all areas of the life sciences from biochemistry
to biodiversity. The search interface is a little clunky. All of the articles
end with a bibliography of suggested and additional readings.
- Encyclopedia
of Bioethics, Revised edition. Warren T. Reich, editor. New York:
Macmillan, 1995. 4 volumes.
QH 332 E52 1995 Reference - This is an invaluable resource for bioethical issues. Includes historical
and religious perspectives. Detailed bibliographies.
- Aristotle
to Zoos: A Philosophical Dictionary of Biology. P. B. Medawar,
and J. S. Medawar. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1984.
QH 302.5 M4 1984 5th Floor Books - A dictionary of philosophical concepts in biology. Entries range in length
from a single paragraph to several pages.
- Dictionary
of Theoretical Concepts in Biology. Keith E. Roe, and Richard
G. Frederick. Metchuen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1981.
QH 302.5 R63 Reference - This is not a dictionary but a bibliography which provides citations to
original sources and reviews which discuss the concept in question. Covers
all fields of biology.
- Biolexicon:
A Guide to the Language of Biology. Charles Blinderman. Springfield,
IL: C.C. Thomas, 1990.
QH 302.5 B59 1990 Reference - A discussion of the origin of and the word elements which comprise the
vocabulary of the life sciences.
- A
Source-book of Biological Names and Terms, 3rd edition. Edmund
C. Jaeger; Merle Gish, illustrator. Springfield, IL: C.C. Thomas, 1955.
QH 83 J3 1955 Reference - A good book for translating scientific names into English. Such as the striped skunk's scientific name Mephitis mephitis means bad odor.
Finding books
General tips and LC headings
The PAC is the online tool used for finding books and reports in the SDSU Library. Books can be searched by author, title, or subject. The subject heading BIOLOGY is used for books with broad scope. More specific headings are available, such as
Theses and dissertations from SDSU may be found by using the subject headings
The PAC is interlinked with two union catalogs. SD Circuit is a joint catalog of SDSU, UCSD, USD, and CSUSM. Link+ is a joint catalog for many of the CSU campuses plus a number of private universities throughout the state of California. Books may be borrowed from any of these libraries via the catalogs.
Call number areas
Books and journals in biology are mainly in the call range of QH to QR. The breakdown is as follows:
- QH - General biology, natural history, ecology, evolution, physiology (except human), and genetics
- QK - Botany
- QL - Zoology
- QM - Human anatomy and embryology
- QP - Human physiology
- QR - Microbiology and immunology
Finding articles
- Academic
Search Premier (EBSCO). 1990 to
present.
Off campus access requires valid SDSU ID number. - Access to articles across a wide range of academic disciplines. Features
the full-text of articles from over 1200 periodicals and indexing for over
3000. Good for when you need just a few articles on a topic. Otherwise, use
one of the more comprehensive indexes listed below. Another similar index
is ProQuest
Research Library.
- Biosis
Previews 1970 to present.
Off campus access requires valid SDSU ID number. - Most comprehensive database for the biological sciences indexing over 8,000 journals as well as conference proceedings and books. Covers all areas of the biological sciences, both pure and applied. Pre-1970 is found in the print Biological Abstracts (QH 301 B37,1926-1969 in 5th Floor Periodicals). Citations with abstracts indexed by author, taxonomic classification, scientific name, and keywords.
A complete list of the databases for the field of biology is found on the Biological Sciences Periodical Indexes and Databases page.
Handbooks
- Biology
Data Book, 2nd edition. Philip L. Altman, and Dorothy S. Dittmer,
compilers and editors. Bethesda, MD: Federation of American Societies
for Experimental Biology, 1972-1974. (Biological Handbook Series, 3 volumes)
QH 310 A392 Reference - Collection of basic reference data that has been evaluated for accuracy.
Includes data related to blood and other body fluids, metabolism, respiration,
and circulation.
- Biology
Data and Resource Book. J. Hawes; Katrina Sandiford, illustrator.
Amersham: Hulton Educational, 1985.
QH 308.7 B5 1985 Reference - Simple, two-color charts of basic processes and structures.
- Biochemical
Pathways: An Atlas of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Gerhard
Michal, editor. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1999.
QP 171 B685 1999 Reference - Start here when you are looking for a biochemical pathway and need to know
the steps, enzymes, and substrates involved. References included. A similar,
but more complex online resource is KEGG (Kyoto
Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes).
- Life
Sciences on File. The Diagram Group. New York: Facts on File
Publications, 1986.
QH 318 L45 1986 Reference - Provides simple charts and diagrams for photocopying.
Other web resources
- The Biology Project
- Developed by the University of Arizona, this interactive online resource
provides an introduction / review to basic concepts in biology. Emphasis
is on molecular and cellular aspects.
- Intute: Health and Life Sciences
- Based in the United Kingdom and created by a consortium of universities
and museums, this directory allows searching across all areas of biology
as well as breaking the resources into sub-areas: Medicine, Veterinary for
animal health; BioResearch for
molecular and cellular biology; Natural
History ,
and Agriculture,
Food, and Forestry.
- Infomine: Biological, Agricultural, and Medical Sciences
- Based at the University of California, Riverside, Infomine is a collection
of scholarly websites selected by librarians and others. The entire database
contains over 100,000 Internet resources with many of those dealing with
the subject area of biology.
