This section of the Biology subject guide was created for Prof. Hughey's Microbial Ecology course (BIOL 374) in Fall 2024. The resources and strategies below are recommended for the bibliography assignment/review paper.
Need help with your research, including tracking down the articles that you're finding? Ask a Librarian!
If you've found a great article: check the bibliography and lit review to identify additional relevant research.
If you've found a great journal: set up a table of contents alert so that you know when knew articles/issues are available.
When using databases like Web of Science and Scopus: create an account so that you can save your search results, as well as your search strings (the keywords you used, etc.).
If Vassar doesn't have an article you need: make an Interlibrary Loan request.
To stay organized throughout the research process: use Zotero to manage citations.
Prof. Hughey provided the following list of some of the top journals in the field--start your research here!
Please note that some journals have embargo periods (delayed online access to an issue/article). We may be able to get the article you need through Interlibrary Loan; you can also check to determine if the article has been shared by the author(s) either on a preprint server like BioRxiv or their own website.
Use the journals tab in Library Search to search for other journals by title.
Do you have questions about the reputation and reliability of a journal you've found? Check out this guide to evaluating sources in STEM for some pointers.
It can be helpful to keep notes about where you're searching and the strategies that you're using to find relevant research, especially when you're working on an extensive literature review. In many cases, the databases can do some of this "note-taking" for you, if you create a user account to save your searches.
Most databases allow users to craft very tailored, specific searches--it's just a matter of figuring out the lingo and structure. Some basics to try:
Visit our guide with tips for getting started with Zotero.
