- Citing your sources (also called referencing) is an essential part of your academic work and is explained fully on our library referencing webpage.
- The Library also has a printed guide to citing your references using the Harvard (Author-Date) system (PDF and Word versions available).
- A Handbook of Writing and Presentation Skills for Science Students
- Referencing & understanding Plagiarism an easy to read guide book
- Cite Them Right Online shows you how to reference a wide range of sources (books, journal articles, web sites) using exactly the same Harvard style used at Brookes.
- Endnote is a tool for storing and organising your references, and it will also work with Word or Pages to create a fully formatted bibliography from your reference library.
- Endnote Import Filters: A list of Endnote Import Filters corresponding to each library database for the Life Sciences. Select the appropriate one, if required, when transferring references from library databases into Endnote.
Course resource help for Biology and Environment
Quick access
Resources
Databases
Subject databases provide the best way of finding journal articles, published worldwide, on different aspects of the sciences - and are highly recommended.
Web of Science
This host service provides a single route to many of the key scientific databases subscribed to by Brookes. These are: the Web of Science Core Collection (including the Science Citation Index); MEDLINE; Biosis Citation Index; Conference Proceedings Citation Index - Science; and Journal Citation Reports. Databases can be searched individually or together and bibliographic records will link to any full-text content available via Full Text Finder.
Academic Search Complete
A full-text database providing full articles, with their accompanying indexing and abstracts, across a wide range of subjects, including biology and the environmental sciences.
Science Direct
Contains around 2500 full text journals published by Elsevier, mainly in science, technology and medicine. Full text coverage for most journals in the collection is available from 2002 to present.
Emerald Insight
This database contains academic and theoretical articles on management and business, including business strategy and the environment and aspects of quality control. The database provides abstracts from 1969 onwards and the full text of many journal articles is available from 1989.
JSTOR
This database provides an archive of full-text articles from a wide range of academic journals. JSTOR does not give access to issues which are less than 3-5 years old but is very useful for older journal articles
Digimap
Digimap is an online map and data delivery service. Digimap offers a number of map collections, including global, Ordnance Survey, historical, geological, aerial and society
BIOSIS Citation Index
Life sciences and biomedical research - includes agriculture, animal studies, bio-engineering, bio-physics, botany, ecology, microbiology, pharmacology, zoology and experimental clinical medicine. Over 18 million records. 1969 to present.
BioMed Central Databases
A catalogue of more than 1100 sites covering a wide range of biomedical topics from Alzheimer disease to zebrafish anatomy. Some of the databases contain experimental data; others provide synopses of published information. Most of the databases are freely accessible and should be of interest to researchers, teachers and students.
Box of Broadcasts (BoB)
An online archive giving you access to thousands of recorded radio and TV programmes including films. It allows users to record programmes which will then be stored on the database. Log in when prompted with your Brookes username and password.
British Standards Online
This includes access to the full text of all current British Standards.
Finding journals
All our journals are listed on LibrarySearch on the Library home page so you can search for a specific journal there (choose the Journal titles tab and then enter your journal title.)
To look for journal articles on a topic, rather than from a specific journal, you should use a database: see the section above for more information about searching databases.
Books and ebooks
Find all our books and electronic books using LibrarySearch (the search box on the Library homepage). Search and then select Book from the Search tools menu on the left. You can further limit your search to eBook if you only want electronic books.
Here are some additional electronic reference works that may be of interest to you:
- Oxford Reference Online - About 200 dictionary, language reference, and subject reference works published by Oxford University Press.
- Encyclopedia of Life
- The complete work of Charles Darwin Online - contains Darwin's complete publications including many handwritten manuscripts and a searchable bibliography of the writings of Charles Darwin.
- Video guide to using LibrarySearch to find books
- Finding a book when you know the author/title - PDF
- Finding a book on a topic - PDF
- Online reading lists are a quick way to get hold of what you need to read for your modules.
Search for the module number or module name on the reading list page. You might also find the reading list for each of your modules on Moodle - just look down the right hand side of the screen in each module.
You won't always be expected to read everything on your reading list for each week's topic. Look to see if some items are marked as 'essential’ and focus on them. You can choose to follow up with things labelled as 'optional' or 'further reading'. If you're unclear what reading to prioritise, ask your module leader or seminar leader.
Websites
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Google Scholar : a way of focussing your Google search on more academic or scholarly literature
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Google : Advanced Search
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Carrot2 : a search engine that organises your results into topics. Includes visualisations and is useful for identifying alternative phrases. Also links with PubMed.
- Library guide on Evaluating web sources
Biology and Environmental sites
In addition to the websites listed above, the following links may prove useful:
Business and Environmental Management
Conservation
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First Global Integrated Marine Assessment (First World Ocean Assessment)
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MAGIC - interactive map and geographic information about the natural environment across Great Britain
Climate Change and Air Quality
Renewable Energy, Bioenergy: Food - Climate Change - Sustainability
Need help? Contact your librarian
Please get in touch if you have any queries about:
- finding information and resources for assignments
- finding online resources
- referencing your sources

Richard is currently working from home. If you would like to have an online appointment via Google Meet, please mention this in your email.