BIOL 186 Undergraduate Research in MCD Biology

Database Strategy

The databases on this page have peer reviewed articles, but not everything in the databases are peer reviewed. When in doubt, ask.
Find two or three databases that are best for your topic. More than one database is important.
- For example, with Web of Science (choose All Databases) and Google Scholar, you are searching several different databases, and one of them will speak the language of your discipline (Biosis).

PubMed This link opens in a new window
For medical articles - this is the place to go. For the most up-to-date access to peer-reviewed articles on an incredible variety of biomedical topics, including medical research, genetics, bioinformatics, physiology, oncology, nursing and more. If you don't see the Get it at UC button in the Abstract display, you are not in the customized UC version!
Web of Science This link opens in a new window
Multidisciplinary database of scholarly articles. Includes ability to sort articles by number of citations. Can also search Biosis at the same time by choosing "all databases".

BIOSIS Citation Index This link opens in a new window
Citations and abstracts to journal articles in the life sciences. Very interdisciplinary within biology. Can sort by citation count and search Web of Science at the same time by choosing "all databases".
Google Scholar This link opens in a new window
Database covering many disciplines and sources: articles, theses, books, abstracts and court opinions, from academic publishers, professional societies, and online repositories. Sign into your library account to see items to which we subscribe.

UC Library Search This link opens in a new window
This searches across all 10 UC Library collections for books, and UCSC for articles as well as books, ebooks, journals, films, maps and games. Sign-in using your Gold password. To find articles across all 10 UC libraries to request interlibrary loan, click the box in the upper left.

Other Resources

JoVE
JoVE (Journal of Visualized Experiments) contains video content illustrating the procedures and protocols that supplement each of the text-based articles. The journal has multiple sections including biochemistry, developmental biology, genetics, medicine, and more. Aside from the research journal which publishes new protocols, JoVE has an education arm with videos of basic procedures and techniques.

O'Reilly for Higher Education (OHE), replaces Safari Books Online This link opens in a new window
O’Reilly for Higher Education (OHE) is a collection of full-text books and other resources specializing in computer programming and information technology. The database includes more than 35,000 book titles, plus 30,000+ hours of video, learning paths, case studies, expert playlists, audio books, and more. Access with your Gold password after choosing University of California Santa Cruz from the list of institutions. Replaces our Safari subscription.
STATSnetBASE: Statistical Sciences Collection This link opens in a new window
Full text of reference books on statistics and probability. Organized into categories including biostatistics, statistics for psychology, social science and law, statistical theories and methods, and statistics for biological sciences. Part of CRC Press's CRCnetBASE suite.

Searching Tips

Database

How can you SORT your results? Look at the options!

Sort by TIMES CITED to find keystone / foundational papers for your topic.

How can you FILTER? Can you choose just the peer review articles? Or just review articles (easier to read)?

See what keywords are assigned to each search result. Use these to refine your search terms.

Papers

Use the references cited to find more relevant articles.

If you see the same author name over and over, search by that author name.

How do your search terms match the terms in the papers? Are there any changes you should make to your search terms?

Connect From Your Computer

For access to e-books, online journals, databases:

Use your Cruz ID when prompted
- You can login from the Access guide
Use the Nomad extension for quick links to subscription-based full text.

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Land Acknowledgement

The land on which we gather is the unceded territory of the Awaswas-speaking Uypi Tribe. The Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, comprised of the descendants of indigenous people taken to missions Santa Cruz and San Juan Bautista during Spanish colonization of the Central Coast, is today working hard to restore traditional stewardship practices on these lands and heal from historical trauma.

The land acknowledgement used at UC Santa Cruz was developed in partnership with the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band Chairman and the Amah Mutsun Relearning Program at the UCSC Arboretum.

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