Recommended Databases
To search for scholarly, peer-reviewed articles, you will need to use an online database. These databases function as indexes for the contents of scholarly journals and many are subject-specific. Some databases for researching Biology are:
- BioOne This link opens in a new windowA full-text database of more than 200 leading journals in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences.
- GreenFILE This link opens in a new windowGreenFILE provides access to information on all aspects of human impact to the environment. Its collection of scholarly, government and general-interest titles includes content on global warming, green building, pollution, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, recycling, and more.
- PubMed This link opens in a new windowPubMed comprises more than 34 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include links to full-text content from PubMed Central and publisher web sites. | Watch video about full-text in PubMed
The more general databases that appear below are also useful for finding scientific articles. You may have to be more deliberate in your searches in these databases, using precise scientific terms and specifying that you are seeking scholarly, peer-reviewed articles.
- Academic Search Premier This link opens in a new windowA multi-disciplinary resource that includes full-text articles from several thousand journals, in virtually every area of academic study.
- Academic OneFile This link opens in a new windowOffers peer-reviewed, full-text articles from the world's leading journals and reference sources in the areas of the physical sciences, technology, medicine, social sciences, the arts, theology, literature and other subjects.
- Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) This link opens in a new windowDOAJ provides access to approximately 18,000 free, full text, quality controlled scientific and scholarly journals.
- Google Scholar This link opens in a new windowUse Google's search capability to locate scholarly materials. Click the instructions icon (blue book) to learn how to link Google Scholar to the library's resources. This will allow you to access more full-text articles and place interlibrary loan requests.
Finding articles
In this exercise, you and a partner will explore the databases listed on the linked worksheet, to see if articles by one of the UM Biology faculty can be found in these databases.
Think about the scope of the database, the research interests of "your" biologist, and your search strategy for locating articles by this biologist. Can you locate some of their research?
Discovery Search Box
