Key Resources: Databases for Biology
- PubMed (NU customized)Use this link for direct full-text access to Northeastern's resources through PubMed.
PubMed comprises more than 32 million 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 web sites. Please see our tips on searching efficiently and effectively in PubMed. - Biosis Citation Index This link opens in a new windowCitations and abstracts to articles in life sciences and biomedical research covering pre-clinical and experimental research, methods and instrumentation, animal studies, and more. Links to full text. This database is more expansive than BIOSIS Previews, as all BIOSIS Previews journals can also be found in BIOSIS Citation Index.
- Biosis Previews This link opens in a new windowAn index to life sciences and biomedical research covering pre-clinical and experimental research, methods and instrumentation, animal studies, and more. A more targeted resource than BIOSIS Citation Index, which includes additional journals and resources.
- Embase (Elsevier) This link opens in a new windowEmbase is a versatile and up-to-date biomedical research database covering the most important international biomedical literature from 1947 to the present day with more than 32+ million records from 8,200 journals and ‘grey literature’ from over 2.4 million conference abstracts. Embase includes unique non-English content and coverage of the most important types of evidence, such as randomized controlled trials, controlled clinical trials, Cochrane reviews and meta-analyses.
- Web of Science, Core Collection 1975-present This link opens in a new windowUse for citation tracking, finding seminal literature, data visualizations, author alerts, institutional affiliations, and impact factors. LInks to full text for Northeastern-subscribed journals.
- bioRxivbioRxiv is a free online archive and distribution service for unpublished preprints in the life sciences. It is operated by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, a not-for-profit research and educational institution. Learn more about bioRxiv and its policies.
- Henry Stewart Talks, Biomedical and Life Sciences This link opens in a new windowOnline seminars on biomedical topics, including audio lectures and supplemental materials such as slide and notes, by faculty members and researchers from around the world.
- BioMed Central This link opens in a new windowAn independent online publishing house; provides immediate free access to the peer-reviewed biological and medical research. Northeastern's membership reduces article-processing charges for Northeastern-affiliated authors who publish with BMC journals.
- PLoS BiologyPublished by the Public Library of Science, an open access, peer-reviewed journal; features works in all areas of biological science, including works that interface with other disciplines such as chemistry, medicine and mathematics.
- BioOne Complete This link opens in a new windowCritical, peer-reviewed research in the biological, ecological, and environmental sciences.
- Annual Reviews This link opens in a new windowScholarly overviews in 37 academic subjects, mostly biomedical sciences, physical sciences, and social sciences. Excellent for finding authoritative overviews of new topics.
- Engineering Village This link opens in a new windowCombines the citations and full text links of Compendex and Inspec with full text books from Knovel, for a more comprehensive search on computer science and engineering topics.
- BCC Research This link opens in a new windowMarket research reports and forecasts covering a wide scope of industries and technologies including the sciences.
Still not having any luck? Make an appointment with your librarian! I am available for either in person or web consults.
Other Resources
- BioCycOver 20,000 pathway/genome databases (PGDBs). BioCyc encyclopedias integrate a diverse range of data and provide a high level of curation for important microbes. Data can be downloaded and queried, and Pathway Tools can be installed to create your own local database. View more information about this resource.
- NCBI DatasetsNCBI Datasets is an experimental resource for finding and building datasets. Their web interface allows you to download genome sequence and annotation for eukaryotic organisms. For access to data for all organisms, including bacteria and viruses, use their command line tool and RESTful APIs.
- UpToDate (Wolters Kluwer) This link opens in a new windowEvidence-based, physician-authored clinical decision support resource. It offers expert reviews of topics in health care to assist practitioners.
Access to UpToDate requires registration with a Northeastern email address. - Springer Experiments This link opens in a new windowA database of over 75,000 protocols from Springer Protocols, Nature Methods, Nature Protocols, and Nature Reviews Primer.
If we don't have access to what you need...
Try using Northeastern's Interlibrary Loan system to request books, book chapters, or articles not available at NU. Articles can be delivered electronically.
What is a preprint?
A preprint is an article that is published prior to peer review, allowing scientists to see and discuss works immediately. As these articles are published before peer review, they may not be finalized by authors and some errors may appear. Advantages include the dissemination of scientific information in a timely manner, as the length of the peer review and publication process can be time consuming, and gives the authors the opportunity to receive feedback on their manuscript prior to journal submission. As a reader of preprints, it is important to remember that these articles have not yet been peer reviewed or accepted by a journal. Preprints are typically stored in preprint databases such as arXiv or bioRxiv.
You can learn more about preprints, including answers to some commonly asked questions, at ASAPBio. ASAPBio is a scientist-driven non-profit promoting transparency and innovation in life science communication.
Featured resource: JoVE
JoVE (Journal of Visualized Experiments) is a science video resource that includes a variety of resources for use in the classroom and in the lab. It has two components:
- JoVE Science EducationJoVE (Journal of Visualized Experiments) Science Education is a video database dedicated to teaching laboratory fundamentals through simple, easy to understand video demonstrations. Each video is paired with additional video resources for you to view practical applications of the technique and other complementary skills.
- JoVE Video Journals (All)The Journal of Visualized Experiments is a set of scientific video journals dedicated to advancing science by increasing reproducibility and efficient knowledge transfer. Articles combine high-quality video demonstrations of experiments with detailed text protocols. All content is peer-reviewed and indexed in Medline, PubMed, Web of Science, and more.
Below are a few links to components of JoVE relevant for Biology:
- Encyclopedia of Experiments: C. Elegans (Opens in new window) This collection features research techniques for the metazoan Caenorhabditis elegans. This nematode worm is a powerful model system due to its transparent body, defined developmental plan, robust genetic tools, and neuro-behavioral paradigms.
- Basic Biology: Science Education (Opens in new window) Includes modules on General Laboratory Techniques, Basic Methods in Cellular and Molecular Biology, Biology I (featuring yeast, Drosophila, and C. elegans), Biology II (featuring Mouse, Zebrafish, and Chick), Lab Animal Research, and Lab Safety.
- Advanced Biology: Science Education (Opens in new window) Includes modules on Neuroscience, Developmental Biology, Genetics, Cell Biology, Immunology, and Microbiology
- JoVE CORE: Biology (Opens in new window) JoVE Core series contains 300 concise and easy-to-understand animated video lessons that explain key concepts in biology, plus more than 150 scientist-in-action videos that show actual research experiments conducted in today’s laboratories. Available in 5 languages: English, Chinese, German, Spanish, and Italian.
- JoVE Lab Manual: Biology (Opens in new window) Common biology labs with concept videos, student protocols, and instructor prep sections.