What do you need?
Check your assignment for the specific questions you are being asked. Most require basic information, such as date of birth, date of death and educational background. Use the sources listed below to streamline your searching. Once you select your sources, make sure you also prepare the citation for where you found the information!
Articles
Articles can be found through a number of different sources. Check with your professor to see if you have specific requirements, like using a scholarly journal vs. a webpage.
| Recommended | Why use it? |
| Biography in Context |
Multiple source articles (magazines, newspapers and journals) as well as images can be found through this library database. Citations can be generated by the database. |
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Biography (life story information) as well as topic articles. Includes diagrams and some images. Citations can be generated by the database. |
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| Science Online |
Biography (life story information) as well as topic articles. Citations can be generated by the database. |
| Science Direct |
Scholarly journal articles. You may be able to locate research articles written by your scientist, or articles that refer to your scientist's work. |
| Biology & Agriculture from ProQuest |
Get scholarly journals or popular magazines, in one place. Citations can be generated by the database. |
| Academic Search Premier |
Article database covering all topics. Can find magazine, newspaper and journal articles. Citations can be generated by the database.
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Web searching can also provide articles. Be thoughtful about your selections--your professor may have restricted your options (i.e. use .EDU, .GOV, or .ORG sites; no Wikipedia; etc.).
Books
To be successful in locating books at the library, you will need to focus on the Library of Congress "call number" for the books. Books on the same topic are often found together, but to know where to look you will need to search the online catalog or walk to the section and browse. Some areas are large, so if you are looking for a specific book, start your search on the computer.
| QH | Biology | SB | Plant Culture (horticulture) | |
| QK | Botany | TX | includes Nutrition |
You will find a sample of titles for some popular areas of interest listed below.
Sample Books to Consider
