A.C. Buehler Library: BIO 315 Genetics: Getting Started

What are primary biology sources?

Primary sources are those where a researcher can find original data.
The major source of primary information are peer-reviewed journals.
These include:

Original articles (aka, scientific papers, research articles) - longer, full accounts of orignal results of scientific investigations.

Publication Process

Popular Press: Material written for the general public.

Scholarly Journal: Articles written by experts in academic or professional fields.

Peer-Reviewed: Articles are submitted to rigorous scrutiny by other subject experts prior to publication.

Reference e-Book Collections

Reference Books are a great way to acquaint yourself with a new topic, find researcher or sources in a given field, and learn terminology.

General encyclopedias are not appropriate to cite in your paper.

Credo Reference This link opens in a new window
An online collection of over 1000 reference books, covering a wide range of subjects, from art to technology. Credo Reference also includes a selection of specialized reference books from Sage Publishing.
Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window
Contains the full-text of hundreds of print reference titles and series, allowing you access to key reference sources without having to be in the library. Includes a variety of topics, and all titles in the Scribner's and Twayne's author series. Most Gale eBook titles can also be accessed through I-Share.

Popular Press Materials

The Scientist
We have electronically back until 2002.
American Scientist
We have this magazine, full-text, in a couple of different date ranges and in a few different databases.

Science This link opens in a new window
This journal is peer-reviewed and scholarly. However, it does have some articles intended for a general audience.
Bluejay Search This link opens in a new window
Chicago Tribune This link opens in a new window
Gets you to the full text (excluding advertisements) from 1985-date. To see the full text of the Tribune from 1849-1990, go to ProQuest Historical Newspapers: Chicago Tribune.
New York Times This link opens in a new window
Allows you to access the full text from 1980-present. For information on setting up a free account to NYTimes.com, see this page: https://library.elmhurst.edu/newssources
Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
Provides abstracts from over 12,500 periodicals in the social sciences, humanities, general science, multicultural studies, and others, with full text articles from 8,500 titles, including more than 7,300 that are peer-reviewed. Almost every topic of study is covered. The database is updated daily, and includes searchable cited references from more than 1,400 journals.

Subject Guide

Jennifer Paliatka

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Subjects: Biology, Chemistry & Biochemistry, Computer Science & Information Systems, Data Science, Mathematics, Physics, Psychology

Library Contact Information

Reference Desk
(630) 617-3173

Circulation/ILL
(630) 617-3160