Research Guides: Biology: Finding Articles

Finding Articles

Start with this general database when looking for articles in this subject area. Databases are a collection of million of articles in a specific field of study and may provide links to the full-text of an article.

Academic Search Complete covers many fields of study including the life sciences.

BIOSIS Previews
Covers life sciences and biomedical research: biology, micro & molecular biology, botany, zoology, ecology, environmental science, agriculture, biomedical, nutrition, biochemistry, and public health. Access ranges from 1990 - present
Science Direct
A major collection of science, technology and medicine research. Coverage is strong in the life and physical sciences. Access 1998 - present
Willamette Subscribes to the collections of Life Sciences, Health Sciences, and Physical Sciences and Engineering.

How do I know if a journal is peer-reviewed?

Most article databases, including the library catalog, have an option to limit results to peer review. If there is not an option to limit, try adding "peer review" as a search term. Many databases like Academic Search Complete (EBSCO) indicate whether an article is peer reviewed.
The easiest way of determine whether a journal is peer reviewed is by using the library's catalog. Search the library's catalog for the title of the journal, and the results will indicate whether it is peer reviewed. If there is no indication, then it is not peer reviewed.
Visit the journal or publisher's website. Publishers will highlight whether a journal is peer reviewed in the description of the journal.

NOTE: Even thought a journal is deemed peer reviewed does not mean every article in the journal is peer reviewed. Book reviews, editorials, etc., do not qualify as peer reviewed. For more information, visit our guide about Peer-Review.

For more in-depth research

The full list of WU databases is available by alphabetic list, subject, or type of resource.

Agriculture (Gale OneFile)
This collection provides a comprehensive view of agriculture and its related fields. Comprised of nearly 200 titles, researchers have access to current and authoritative content that covers everything from practical aspects of farming to scientific research in horticulture.
Gale Academic Onefile
Provides millions of peer-reviewed, full-text articles from leading journals and reference sources. Extensive coverage of the physical sciences, technology, medicine, social sciences, the arts, theology, literature and other subjects. 1980 - present
Nature
A weekly international journal that publishes high quality peer-reviewed research in all fields of science and technology. It provides rapid, authoritative, insightful news and interpretation of topical and coming trends affecting science, scientists and the wider public. 2008 - present
PubMed
Provides access to over 30 million citations and abstracts of biomedical literature. Pubmed provides links to some full-text articles and related resources.
Science
The world's leading journal of original scientific research, global news, reviews, short features, and commentary in all fields of science. 1997 - present
SpringerLink
Includes more than 600 peer-reviewed journals, comprising more than 600,000 individual documents. Most titles include complete back issues to 1996. 1996 - present.

Journals in the library collection

Search for a journal title or browse journals by category

Biology

Willamette University Libraries