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BIO - Biology (WO)

Articles

Looking for something more specialized?  The library has dozens of biology and health sciences databases.

Evaluating Results

How do you decide which articles from the results list are worth clicking?

Academic Search Complete Results PageThe title (Box 1) gives you an idea of what the article is about. The icon shown in Box 2 indicates the type of source - academic journal, newspaper, etc. Publication information (Box 3) tells you when, where and by whom the article was published. The abstract (or summary) comes immediately after and gives more detail on what the article is about. Finally, subject terms (Box 4) tell you what major topics are discussed in the article.

Suggested Keywords

  • diet OR nutrition and fat OR lipids OR carbohydrates OR protein
  • diet and gluten OR gluten-free diet and celiac disease
  • cancer and electrons OR oxidants OR antioxidants
  • cancer and enzymes OR Gleevec and cancer treatment OR genetic aspects
  • cancer and mitosis and "cell cycle control" 
  • cancer treatment and side effects 
  • cancer and DNA or genetics
  • genetically modified foods OR genetically modified organisms OR GMO and DNA technology OR regulation
  • genetic genealogy OR DNA testing and ancestry OR "23 and me"
  • water conservation OR water-supply
  • coral reef bleaching and climate change OR global warming and prevention

Full Text

Full Text Box

 

 

Check the FULL TEXT box if you see it.

Research Tips

Keep your search simple.  Use only 2 or 3 keywords.

Look at your number of results. 
Too Many: Add keywords or be more specific.
Too Few: Change keywords or make them more broad.

Ask for help!  Librarians are happy to help!

What If You Get Bad Results?

1. If you get very few articles, your keywords might be too specific.   

    Instead of:  elementary school children who eat Doritos
    Try:           
children AND junk food

2. If you get too many articles covering different aspects of the topic, your keywords might be too general.

    Instead of:     plants 
    Try:               
invasive plants

3. Article authors may have used slightly different words. 

    For example, instead of electric cars, they may have used electric vehicles.