Plant Family Information | Subject and Course Guides

NOT PUBLISHED

Subject:

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.

Books & Library Materials

Naturalist's Guide to Seashore Plants: an Ecology for Eastern North America

Plant Identification Terminology: an Illustrated Glossary

Genera of Flowering Plants, Angiospermae

Flora Britannica

Dictionary of the Flowering Plants and Ferns

Websites

American Society of Plant Biologists

Society devoted to the advancement of the plant sciences and publishers of plant journals Plant Cell and Plant Physiology.

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Botanical Society of America

Membership society dedicated to supporting professionals and educators in the field of botany. Provides information on membership, publications, conferences, and employment.

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International Plant Names Index (IPNI)

A database of the names and associated basic bibliographical details of all seed plants. Search by plant name, author, publication, or collector.

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UC Museum of Paleontology

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; from UC Berkeley.

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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.

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Citation, Writing & Presentation Resources

Chicago guide to communicating science

Communicating in science : writing a scientific paper and speaking at scientific meetings

The craft of scientific presentations : critical steps to succeed and critical errors to avoid

Dazzle 'em with style : the art of oral scientific presentation

Doing science : design, analysis, and communication of scientific research

Scientific style and format : the CBE manual for authors, editors, and publishers

Starting Points

Encyclopedias and Overview Literature
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.