How to Find Biological Sciences Resources

1. Where to Start
2. Locating references
3. Beyond the catalogue
4. Citing references

1. Where to start and how to locate Biological Sciences material

Most Biological Sciences material is in Badham Library. Material is arranged on shelves by location number.

If you're unsure of concepts, reference books contain concept definitions.

2. Locating references

To locate books and serials, visit the catalogue at
http://opac.library.usyd.edu.au

If you know a subject heading used on the catalogue, try a Subject search.

Biology subject headings include:

Anatomy
Bacteria
Biochemistry
Biometry
Bioinformatics
Biotechnology
Birds
Botany
Botanical chemistry
Conservation biology
Cytology / Cellular biology
Ecology
Evolution
Entomology
Fishes
Food microbiology
Genetics
Insects
Invertebrates
Mammals
Marine biology
Medical microbiology
Microbial ecology
Microbiology
Microscopy
Molecular biology
Mycology
Neurosciences
Plant physiology
Reptiles
Soil microbiology
Taxonomy
Vertebrates
Zoology

If you don't know a subject heading used in the catalogue, try a Keyword search. This will retrieve records that have your search term anywhere in the record.

3. Beyond the catalogue

Research databases - indexing peer-reviewed journal literature.

Journals publish articles that have been reviewed to ensure quality, accuracy and integrity. Search research databases for citations to journal articles. (Then search the catalogue to find the journal location).

Databases include Biosis Previews, Biological Sciences via CSA, and Web of Science. Each database has help screens outlining search features.
http://www.library.usyd.edu.au/databases/biologicalsciences.html

Searching the Internet

Search engines index web pages. Subject directories categorise pages. Discussion groups aid communication.
http://www.library.usyd.edu.au/skills/isearch.html

4. Citing references

General Guides

Citation and Style Guide
Created by Ladd Library, Bates College, USA, this site is a directory of sources for citation and style.
url: http://abacus.bates.edu/Library/resources/reference/citation.shtml

Citation and Style Guides
University of Sydney site containing information about items on the Library Catalogue, thesis and report writing, copyright and the citation software package - EndNote.
url: http://www.library.usyd.edu.au/subjects/readyref/citing.html

getCited
This academic citation service has references to over 3 250 000 publications. After registering with getCited, academics may add their own publications to the database. This service allows anyone to search for material which includes references to book chapters and conference proceedings.
url: http://www.getcited.org/

Sources: their Use and Acknowledgment
Created by Dartmouth College, USA, this is a guide to academic citation.
url: http://www.dartmouth.edu/~sources/

Specific Citation Styles Guides

Harvard Style: Quick Guide
Maintained by the University of Queensland Library, this is a quick guide to using the Harvard style of referencing.
url: http://www.library.uq.edu.au/training/citation/harvard.html

Harvard System
Compiled by Flinders University Library, South Australia, this is an author-date (Harvard) referencing guide. It is also available in .pdf format.
url: http://www.lib.flinders.edu.au/resources/sub/healthsci/referencing/intro.html

Vancouver Style: Quick Guide
Maintained by the University of Queensland Library, this is a quick guide to using the Vancouver style of referencing.
url: http://www.library.uq.edu.au/training/citation/vancouv.pdf

Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals
Published by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors, this guide includes detailed information on citing.
url: http://www.icmje.org/

Citing Electronic Resources

ISO Standards
Excerpts from International Standard IS 690-2: Bibliographic References to Electronic Documents.
url: http://www.nlc-bnc.ca/iso/tc46sc9/standard/690-2e.htm

Online! a Reference Guide to Using Internet Sources
Compiled by Bedford St. Martins, this guide shows citations for World Wide Web sites and other electronic sources in a number of citation styles.
url: http://www.bedfordstmartins.com/online/citex.html