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BIOL U599 - Biology Senior Seminar - Webb: Home

This library guide will help support students in BIOL U599.

Molecular Biology Research

Finding Resources for your Assignment

  • Topics must be in the field of molecular biology. Microbiology & Immunology topics are encouraged but not required. 
  • The review paper must include a minimum of 5 primary research articles. 
    Primary Source Material: "Either created at the time of an event or period, or was later created by an actual participant or witness from that time." Samantha Sanders, uploaded to YouTube on Sep 22, 2010
  • Case studies, review articles, and books may only be used in addition to the 6 primary articles and must only play a small role in the paper. 

Topics and Answers

  • Figure out my research topic and how to better find sources and the proper sources for my topic.

  • Nail down my topic

  • Learn how to browse the databases more efficiently

  • Try to research primary articles

  • Learn about all the resources we have available to us

  • found out about more databases.

  • Unknown or Still Deciding

  • Trypanosoma (still need to think of something more specific)

  • How protein Tau tangles in Alzhmeirs

  • SARS-CoV-1&2

  • Attend AA school or pursue a master's in healthcare administration.
  • Pursuing something in the field of ecology, zoology, or conservation science.
  • Collecting field data as an analyst or maybe working at the zoo again.
  • Working at a medical or a microbiology laboratory.
  • Going to medical school Attending grad school to earn a PhD in some biological science.
  • attending Grad school for microbiology
  • Getting a Master’s degree.

Review the basics
  • Boolean connectors- use AND, OR, NOT (sometimes AND NOT) to connect two or more search terms:
    • AND finds all records with all of your search terms and narrows your search
    • OR finds all records with one or more of your search terms and broadens your search
    • NOT or AND NOT is used to exclude the following term and can help to focus a search where one term has different meanings or uses (e.g., Mexico NOT "New Mexico")
  • Phrases in Quotes - most databases and web search engines allow you to search for exact phrases by placing them in quotes: "carbon footprint"
  • Truncation - the library catalog and most databases use special characters to make searching easier in certain situations. Check the help screens in the catalog or database you are using to see what the special characters are for that resource.
    • the asterisk * is often used to stand for multiple endings on a word (singular, plural, etc.): vot* finds vote, voter, voters
    • wildcards are similar, but replace another character in a word: wom?n in the library catalog finds both woman and women
  • Nesting - use parentheses to sort out the elements of a more complex Boolean search phrase, especially when you may want to search for more than one related term for one element of your phrase:
    • (carbon OR ecological) AND footprint
    • ("hip hop" OR rap) AND culture