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BIO 205: Plant Biology - Sources for Finding Information
Objective: Despite perceived ubiquitous access to information via Google and other popular search engines, access to trustworthy and/or peer-reviewed scholarly/scientific literature remains problematic. And with multiple systems for accessing information, knowing where to begin can be a difficult and overwhelming task; particularly if one is not an expert or familiar with a specific area of study. Specifically, this guide will address methods for beginning your research, finding journal articles, and other sources of information.
I. Encyclopedias and Overview Literature (back to top)
If you are not familiar with a topic when beginning your research a great place to begin is with a specialized encyclopedia. These types of materials are excellent resources for summarizing what is known by scientists, what questions or issues remain, and often include suggestions regarding directions for future research. Often, these materials are authored by highly regarded scientists who have made lasting contributions to the particular field of research. The following list provides a topical overviews, bibliographies, and other related information in the study of plant biology. The library maintains many more sources than those listed here, so it is important to search the library's catalog and/or browse the the shelves around these titles to locate other relavant materials.
Selected Books – available on Reserve at the Library.
The following books are excellent resources to begin researching information on plant families.
- Heywood, V.H., ed. Flowering Plants of the World. Updated ed.
Call Number: QK495.A1 F58 2007
- Hutchinson, J. The Families of Flowering Plants.
Call Number: QK97 .H82 (2 volumes)
- Watts, D. Dictionary of Plant Lore - Contains over 30,000 vernacular and English names of plants and describes derivations from superstition, folk lore, and/or primal beliefs. Also included are discussions on plants’ uses in literature, medicine, and different cultural/geographic settings.
Call Number: GR780 .W38 2007
Selected Books – available in library's Reference Collection; located to the right of the library's entrance. (back to top)
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Cox, D.D. Naturalist's Guide to Seashore Plants: an Ecology for Eastern North America.
Call Number: QK110 .C68 2003
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Harris, J.G. Plant Identification Terminology: an Illustrated Glossary. 2nd. ed.
Call Number: QK9 .H37 1994 -
Hutchinson, J. Genera of Flowering Plants, Angiospermae.
Call Number: QK495.A56 H8 (2 volumes) -
Mabey, Richard. Flora Brittanica.
Call Number: QK306 .M16 1997 -
Willis, J.C. Dictionary of the Flowering Plants and Ferns.
Call Number: QK11 .W53 1973
Selected Books – available in the library's General Collection. (back to top)
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Corner, E.J.H. The Seeds of Dicotyledons.
Call Number: QK495.A12 C67 (2 volumes)
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Cox, D.D. Naturalist's Guide to Wetland Plants: An Ecology for Eastern North America.
Call Number: QK115 .C72 2002 -
Cronquist, A. The Evolution and Classification of Flowering Plants. 2nd. ed.
Call Number: QK495.A1 C75 1988 -
Flora of North America Editorial Committee. Flora of North America: North of Mexico. (7 volumes)
Call Number: QK110 .F55.
Online Version: More than 800 scientists at 30 institutions provide information on 21,000 species of plants that "grow outside of cultivation" north of Mexico (21,000 species); signed entries include physical descriptions, numbers of genera and species, distribution, and literature references; searchable; related to print volumes of same title published by Oxford University Press. -
Godfrey, R.K., and J.W. Wooten. Aquatic & Wetland Plants of the Southeastern United States: Dicotyledons.
Call Number: QK125 .G59 -
Godfrey, R.K., and J.W. Wooten. Aquatic & Wetland Plants of the Southeastern United States: Monocotyledons.
Call Number: QK125 .G62 1979 -
Goldberg, A. Classification, Evolution, and Phylogeny of the Families of the Monocotyledons.
Call Number: SI 1.29:71 (available in U.S. Documents Microfiche) -
Hickey, M., and C. King. 100 Families of Flowering Plants.
Call Number: QK495.A1 H53 - Hickey, M., and C. King. Common Families of Flowering Plants.
Call Number: QK495.A1 H54 1997
- Hill, A.F. Economic Botany: a Textbook of Useful Plants and Plant Products.
Call Number: SB107 .H65
- Hutchinson, J. The Families of Flowering Plants.
Call Number: QK97 .H82 (2 volumes)
- Hutchinson, J. Evolution & Phylogeny of Flowering Plant: Dicotyledons.
Call Number: QH406 .H87
- Lewis, WH. Medical Botany: Plants Affecting Human Health.
Call Number: RS164 .L475 2003
- Metcalfe, C.R. Anatomy of the Monocotyledons.
Call Number: QK643.M7 M4 (6 volumes)
- Metcalfe, C.R., and L. Chalk. Anatomy of the Dicotyledons.
Call Number: QK495.A12 M4 1972 (2 volumes)
- Mohlenbrock, R.H. Flowering Plants, Magnolias to Pitcher Plants.
Call Number: QK157 .M622 1981
- Porter, C.L. Taxonomy of Flowering Plants. 2nd. ed.
Call Number: QK95 .P6 1967
- Radford, A.E. Vascular Plant Systematics.
Call Number: QK95 .V37
- Radford, A.E. Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas.
Call Number: QK178 .R32 1968
- Rendle, A.B. Classification of Flowering Plants.
Call Number: QK93 .R3 1967 (2 volumes)
- Simpson, B.B., and M.C. Ogorzaly. Economic Botany: Plants in Our World.
Call Number: SB108.U5 S54 2001
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Small, J.K. Manual of the Southeastern Flora; being descriptions of the seed plants growing naturally in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, eastern Louisiana, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.
Call Number: QK125.S64 1933a -
Stuckey, I.H. Coastal Plants from Cape Cod to Cape Canaveral.
Call Number: QK122 .S78 2000 -
Takhtajan, A. Flowering Plants: Origin and Dispersal.
Call Number: QK495.A56 T323 1969b -
Van Wyk, B, and M. Wink. Medicinal Plants of the World: an Illustrated Scientific Guide to Important Medicinal Plants and Their Uses. Call Number: RS164 .V295 2004
II. Reviews and Important Journals (back to top)
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III. Finding Scientific Articles (back to top)
As you begin researching a topic, you may not be aware of any published material on your subject. And with multiple systems for accessing information, knowing where to begin can be a difficult and overwhelming task; particularly if one is not familiar with that specific area of study. However, knowing what sources are available for finding this information, and how to search through these sources is a critical function of a well-trained scientist/researcher.
To help you begin learning about core bibliographic databases in the study of plant biology and systematics a list of these resources is provided below. These should also help you find scientific/scholarly journal articles related to your presentations for this class. Please note that each database has a limited scope, so depending on your topic it may be necessary to search one or more of these databases.
Key Databases (i.e. indexes) for Finding Articles (back to top)
Note: These databases are stand alone resources and primarily citation-based; i.e. they will not generally contain the full-text of the articles listed. You will need to search the library's catalog to determine if the library subscribes to the journal referencing your article. By searching the library's catalog you will be able to determine if the library has access to your article.
If you find that the library does not subscribe to the journal referencing your article or is missing the journal issue that contains your article, use the library's Interlibrary Loan service and the library will obtain it for you from another university. This is a FREE service! All you need to do is give us the citation and we'll do the rest. All you need to do is create an account so that you can submit the information to us and so we know who to send the article to when it arrives. This service also applies to books.
Don't wait until the last minute to do your research. Interlibrary Loan requests can take anywhere from 3 days to 3 weeks to fill so make sure you give yourself enough time to obtain the best information possible for your paper!
- compiled (1979-present) by the National Agricultural Library of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Agricola is the most comprehensive database to citations of journal articles, theses, patents, software and technical reports on all aspects of agriculture and allied disciplines, including plant and animal sciences, forestry, entomology, soil and water resources, and food and nutrition.
- BIOSIS Previews -covering the years 1926-present, BIOSIS is one of the most comprehensive index for worldwide journal literature in the life sciences and is one of the most important index to biologists.
- JSTOR - database with full-text access to the American Journal of Botany (1914-1998); Annals of the Missouri Botanical Garden (1914-1998); Brittonia (1931-1998); International Journal of Plant Sciences (1992-1998); Botanical Gazette (1876-1991); Botanical Bulletin (1875-1876); Journal of the Torrey Botanical Society (1997-2000); Bulletin of the Torrey Botanical Club (1870-1996); Missouri Botanical Garden Annual Report (1890-1912); New Phytologist (1902-2000); and Systematic Botany (1976-1998). When searching this database, please select the disciplines: Botany and Plant Sciences; Biological Sciences; and Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.
- WorldCat - a combined catalog of thousands of libraries, including Randall Library. Search WorldCat if you want to search the largest universe of book and other cataloged items.
IV. Selected Internet Resources (back to top)
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American Society of Plant Biologists - founded in 1924, the ASPB is a professional society devoted to the advancement of the plant sciences, and is responsible for publishing two highly regarded plant journals, Plant Cell and Plant Physiology.
- Botanical Society of America - founded in 1906, the BSA is a professional society devoted to the advancement of the plant sciences, is responsible for publishing the American Journal of Botany, and Plant Science Bulletin.
- Botany - available from the National Biological Information Infrastructure website with links to USGS and non-USGS websites on botanical science, paleobotany, plant functions, species, applied plant science, gardening, collections and organizations, botany for kids and teachers, and references.
- International Plant Names Index (IPNI) - A database of the names and associated basic bibliographical details of all seed plants. Its goal is to eliminate the need for repeated reference to primary sources for basic bibliographic information about plant names. The data in the IPNI comes from three sources: the Index Kewensis (IK), the Gray Card Index (GCI) and the Australian Plant Names Index (APNI).The data are freely available. Search by plant name, author, publication, or collector. A collaborative project of the: The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew; Harvard University Herbaria; and Australian National Herbarium.
- Museum of Paleontology - from U.C. Berkeley, the Museum provides an online Introduction to the Plant Kingdom that includes a information on the fossil record of plants; life history and ecology; systematics; and morphology.
- PLANTS Database - single source of standardized information about plants. This database focuses on vascular plants, mosses, liverworts, hornworts, and lichens of the U.S. and its territories. The PLANTS Database includes names, checklists, automated tools, identification information, species abstracts, distributional data, crop information, plant symbols, plant growth data, plant materials information, plant links, invasive species references, and other plant information. Also includes States PLANTS list.
V. Communicating Scientific Research (back to top)
The following titles (available in the library's General Collection) may be helpful to you as you develop technical writing and speaking skills:
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Chicago Guide to Communicating Science.
Call Number: T10.5 .M65 2003 -
Communicating in Science: Writing a Scientific Paper & Speaking at Scientific Meetings.
Call Number: Q223 .B664 1993 -
Craft of Scientific Presentations: Critical Steps to Succeed & Critical Errors to Avoid.
Call Number: Q223.A44 2003 -
Dazzle 'Em with Style : the Art of Oral Scientific Presentation.
Call Number: Q223 .A63 1994 -
Doing Science: Design, Analysis, and Communication of Scientific Research.
Call Number: Q180.A1 V35 2001 -
Scientific Style and Format: The CBE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers.
Ready Reference Collection Call Number: T11 .S386 1994
For a more extensive guide on communicating scientific research, please see the following guide: Resources for Evaluating, Developing, and Presenting Scientific Proposals and Papers