Research and Course Guides: Comparative Anatomy & Physiology: Getting Started

Getting Started

Good things to do before getting started:

Play the Name Game: know all of the names your species is known by (e.g. a barrel-eye fish is also known as "Macropinna microstoma," "spook fish," and sometimes is referred to just by its family name of "opisthoproctidae.")
Find a Family Tree: be clear on the classification of your species (where it is on its family tree) - this can eliminate a lot of confusion later down the road, and help you with determining how to search
Housekeeping: get set up on RefWorks so you can be sure to save what you are finding for future referrals

Linnaeus' Classification of Species

LibrarySearch

Reference Resources

Don't forget about reference materials! Items such as encyclopedias and dictionaries can be an excellent starting point for your research. In addition to offering reliable background information on issues and topics in your area of interest, they can also help you find a research topic.

Encyclopedia of Life Sciences
Spanning the entire spectrum of life sciences, it is a primary resource for researchers, students and teachers. Search for your species using the specific "Genus/Species" search.

Gale eBooks This link opens in a new window
Full-text encyclopedias and dictionaries.
Oxford Reference This link opens in a new window
Oxford Reference contains full text dictionaries and encyclopedias from the Oxford University Press. It is easy to search and contains entries on a wide array of topics from business, computing and environmental science to art, biology, literature, religion, and political science.
Science Reference Source This link opens in a new window
Easy access to full-text science content including encyclopedias, reference books, periodicals, web sites, pictures, illustrations, audio clips and video clips. Includes ability to limit by lexile reading levels.

Bioethics
Offers hundreds of revisions or addenda to entries from previous editions as well as new or revised entries on topics such as key cases in bioethics, the human biome, genetically modified foods, emergency preparedness and response, social justice, sustainability, chemical warfare and torture, among many others.
The Oxford Dictionary of Biology
With more than 5,500 clear and concise entries, it provides comprehensive coverage of biology, biophysics, and biochemistry.