Research guides: Biology: Searching the biological literature, BIOL130

Live virtual sessions

The Library will be hosting two live virtual sessions (via Microsoft Teams), where the librarian will demonstrate how to find examples of biological literature using databases like Web of Science and Pubmed. In addition, the librarian will be showing how to use a reference manager (Zotero) to cite and work with references.

Session 1: October 3, 2025 | 3:30 -- 4:20 link

Session 2: October 10, 2025 | 3:30 -- 4:20 link

Sessions are open to University of Waterloo, BIOL 130 students, and interested undergraduate students. The content for each session is the same, however students are welcome to attend both sessions if they would like.

How to register, download and start using reference manager, Zotero

Setting Up a Zotero Institutional Storage Account
This infographic provides guidance on how to create and set up an Institutional Zotero account for the University of Waterloo.

Zotero is a free, easy-to-use reference manager to help you collect, organize, annotate, cite, and share research. Remember to register for Zotero using your UWATERLOO email address; this will ensure that you can access the University's institutional license. Working in a group? Zotero is great for sharing with your team.

About peer-review

Peer-reviewed journal articles undergo an evaluation conducted by experts in a particular field of study. These experts determine whether an article meets the criteria for inclusion in a journal.

Peer-reviewed journal articles
Library guide
Scholarly journals vs trade journals vs popular magazines
A comparative overview from the Library

Message from the librarian

Hi everyone and welcome to the University of Waterloo for the Fall 2025 term! My name is Brie and I'm a research librarian here at Davis Centre Library, which houses the collections for biology, engineering, math and physics, and public health. Here at the library we have so many amazing and powerful research databases that will connect you to the expert and scholarly literature that you need!

This library page has been designed to assist BIOL 130 students with their assignments on searching the biological literature. This page is provided by the University of Waterloo Library, and all the resources are connected to the library proxy.

Have a few questions or need some help? Be sure to check out the live virtual sessions in October 2025!

Book some office hours with me and we can talk about any issues or questions that you may have! The meeting is free, you can book online, and the meeting can be virtual, or in-person and on campus! You are welcome to book office hours for yourself or for a group if you are working with a team.

Study zones in Davis Centre Library
Find out about all the study zones available for use in Davis Centre Library and come in for a visit!

A great place to start: OMNI, the library catalogue

Are you looking for peer-reviewed articles? You could jump straight to our databases like Pubmed or Web of Science, or you could start out your search in OMNI, the library catalogue.

Using some simple boolean search methods (AND and OR), you can find peer-reviewed and accessible articles like this one:

Jones, J., & Leon, J. A. (2004). Lugol’s test reexamined again: buccal cells. Journal of Forensic Sciences, 49(1), 64–67. In addition, the OMNI library record provides quick access to formatting the citation:

screenshot of OMNI advanced search for Lugol's iodine

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screenshot of OMNI advanced search window for Benedict's reagent

Lab	Narrow Search Terms to Try	Broad Search Terms to Try	Example Searches
Isolation of macromolecules	protein, nucleic acid isolation, fractionation, hydrolysis	macromolecules isolation	Broad Search: macromolecules AND isolation Narrow Search: (protein OR "nucleic acid" OR isolation) AND (fractionation OR hydrolysis)
Characterization of macromolecules	protein, nucleic acid, adenine, cytosine, uracil, alanine, histidine, aspartic acid, lysine, methionine paper chromatography	macromolecules chromatography	Broad Search: macromolecules AND chromatography Narrow Search: (protein OR "nucleic acid" OR adenine OR cytosine OR uracil OR alanine OR histidine OR "aspartic acid" OR lysine OR methionine) AND "paper chromatography"
Spectroscopy	spectroscopy, spectrophotometer absorbance spectum concentration curve Lambert-Beer Law chlorophyll	Biochemistry, cell biology Spectroscopy	Broad Search: (biochemistry OR "cell biology" AND spectroscopy Narrow Search: (spectroscopy OR spectrophotometer) AND (absorbance OR concentration OR "lambert-beer law") AND chlorophyll
Enzymes	enzyme, salivary amylase, enzyme concentration hydrolysis, reaction time starch, substrate concentration phosphorylase	biochemistry, cell biology enzyme kinetics	Broad Search: (biochemistry OR "cell biology") AND enzyme AND kinetics Narrow Search: (enzyme OR salivary amylase OR "enzyme concentration") AND hydrolysis AND "reaction time"
Mitosis and Meiosis	mitosis, nuclear division meiosis, gamete formation	biochemistry, cell biology cell cycle	Broad Search: (biochemistry OR "cell biology") AND "cell cycle" Narrow Search: mitosis OR nuclear division also: meiosis OR gamete formation
Osmosis	osmosis		Broad Search: (biochemistry OR "cell biology" AND osmosis
Agarose Gel Electrophoresis	electrophoresis nucleic acid, DNA, RNA sequencing		Broad Search: electrophoresis AND ("nucleic acid" OR DNA OR RNA) AND sequencing

Google Scholar, access and searching

Google Scholar
A search engine covering many disciplines and sources of scholarly literature.
Coverage: varies

Google Scholar is a search engine that emphasizes scholarly information, particularly in the sciences and technology. It draws from academic publishers, professional societies, preprint repositories and universities.

Note: Access To access materials paid for by your library, go to Google Scholar, then choose Settings and click "Library Links." The off-campus user will first need to login via "Get access from anywhere."
Appropriate use guidelines for electronic resources

Google scholar is a web search engine -- it is not the same as a research database that has been indexed for a specific purpose, such as Pubmed, or Scopus.

Google Scholar is a great option to use when you are doing a very large scan of online content so that you can

perform a very large scan of academic content online.
locate research on rare and emerging topics

However, because Google Scholar is an engine being faced with thousands upon thousands of results can be overwhelming! You can focus your search in a research database like Pubmed or Scopus. You can also utilize boolean or search strategies to improve your results.

Boolean Searching
A set of interactive modules that introduce Boolean logic and searching.
Google Scholar, search help
Get the most out of Google Scholar with some helpful tips on searches, email alerts, citation export, and more.
How to get full-text access through Google Scholar
Step-by-step instructions on how to link your University of Waterloo Library privileges to Google Scholar.
Connect with a librarian to work on a search strategy
A list of contact information, online booking options, and subject specializations for Uwaterloo librarians.

Web of Science

Web of Science

Articles and citations in the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities.
Coverage: Varies

Web of Science is comprised of several databases. The Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI) covers journals in the medical, physical and natural sciences, and engineering fields. The entire database extends back to 1899. The Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) covers journals in the social sciences. The entire database extends back to 1898. The Arts & Humanities Citation Index (AHCI) covers journals in the arts and humanities. It also selectively covers relevant items from science and technical journals. The entire database extends back to 1975.
Appropriate use guidelines for electronic resources

Database search help: web of science
Search tricks with boolean operators, proximity operators and wildcards.
Exporting to Zotero from Web of Science (WOS)
Learn about how to export results from Web of science, into Zotero; Weller Library (video)

Scopus

Scopus

Peer-reviewed literature from scientific journals, books and conference proceedings, covering the fields of science, technology, medicine, social sciences, and arts and humanities.
Coverage: 1966 - present

Appropriate use guidelines for electronic resources

Database search help: scopus
Examples of boolean operators, proximity operators and wildcards.
Scopus searching
An infographic presenting the coverage and use of the Scopus database.
Exporting to Zotero from Scopus
Learn about how to export results from Scopus, into Zotero; University of Alabama Libraries

Pubmed, access and searching

PubMed
Articles in medicine, life sciences, animal sciences, plant sciences, biomedical research, medical devices, nursing, biotechnology, the healthcare system, and the preclinical sciences.
Coverage: 1950 - present

PubMed is comprised of citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include links to full-text content from PubMed Central and publisher websites.
Appropriate use guidelines for electronic resources

Pubmed, quick and extended tutorials
Quick tours for everyone on how to use the features of Pubmed
Exporting to Zotero from Pubmed
Learn about how to export results from Pubmed, into Zotero; University of Alabama Libraries