Research Guides: Biology: Background Info

Gather Background Information

Getting a general overview and building context for your topic are some of the first steps to doing research. Try looking at encyclopedias, dictionaries, and other reference materials to get a general overview and clear definitions on your topic. "Tertiary" resources like these:

Explain topics in simpler language than scholarly articles
Contain entries which are shorter in length
Highlight important issues and problems that you may want to focus on in your paper.
Suggest additional resources for further research in bibliographies or works cited.

Example Reference Books

Encyclopedia of evolution by Mark Pagel
Call Number: QH360.2 .E54 2002
ISBN: 0195122003
All aspects of evolution, including theories, researchers, history, philosophy, processes, plants, and animals, are covered in this reference work.
Practical Handbook of Marine Science by Michael J. Kennish
Call Number: GC11.2 .P73 2001
ISBN: 0849323916
Publication Date: 2000-12-27
Provides a comprehensive reference containing the critical information necessary to meet the multidisciplinary research needs of all marine scientists, researchers, and anyone involved in managing marine resources.

Collins Dictionary of Biology by W G Hale
Call Number: Credo Reference
ISBN: 0007207344
The bestselling dictionary of biology, designed for advanced school students, undergraduates, and all who have an interest in the life sciences.
The Evolution Wars: A Guide to the Debates by Michael Ruse
Call Number: Credo Reference
ISBN: 1592372880
...draws on history, science, and philosophy to examine the development of evolutionary thought through the past two and a half centuries. It focuses on the debates that have engaged, divided, and ultimately provoked scientists to ponder the origins of organisms - including humankind - paying regard to the nineteenth-century clash over the nature of classification and debates about the fossil record, genetics, and human nature.
Penguin Dictionary of Biology by Michael Thain
Call Number: Credo Reference
ISBN: 0141013966
This dictionary offers clear explanations of biological concepts and processes, and the broadest coverage of the subject, from ecology to immunology and cytology. This will be an indispensable reference aid for would-be biologists and professionals alike.