Skip to Main Content

Biology

Resources for Penn State students and faculty in the department of biology and related disciplines

Librarian

Profile Photo
Janet Hughes
she.her.hers
jah19@psu.edu
Double Helix (DNA) from openclipart.org
Contact:
Life Sciences Library
408 Paterno
University Park, PA 16802
814-865-3705

Top Picks

These databases are the best bets for finding articles on biological science topics.

Also Important

Do we have that eJournal?

Search for Penn State eJournals

Article Search Tips

Finding the best articles on your topic requires these steps.

  • Select an appropriate database.
  • Enter and combine terms appropriate to your topic
  • Scan the best items on the results list and look for new subject terms or keywords. Then revise your search using these new terms.
  • Save the journal title, volume, date, and page numbers.  This is all part of the "citation". 
  • Explore other databases and subject terms (which vary between databases) for more information.

Get the Full Text

Once you find the citation, try the Get It!   button to see if Penn State has the electronic or print version of the article you need. If the electronic version is available, it will appear as the first link on the Get it! menu. If the article is not available electronically, click on The CAT link to automatically search our catalog and see if Penn State has a print copy. If no other copy is available, you use the InterLibrary Loan (ILL) link to request it from another library.  ILL will get a copy of the article for you, typically at no cost; articles usually arrive within a week, often in as few as 2-3 days. Watch your PSU email for notification and further instructions.