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English 202C: Technical Writing

Stephan Fonash














Internet Resource Guide
Online Resources for Penn State Biology Students
By: Nick Wassam
February 11, 2014

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Table of Contents
1. Front Matter ............................................................................................................................... 3
1.1 What is in this Guide? ....................................................................................................... 3
1.2 Who is this Guide For?...................................................................................................... 3
1.3 What this Guide Assumes ................................................................................................. 3
1.4 How the Guide is Organized ............................................................................................ 3
1.5 Tips for Using the Guide .................................................................................................. 4
2. Index.............................................................................................................................................. 5
2.1 PubMed .................................................................................................................................. 5
3. Professional Journal ................................................................................................................. 6
3.1 Nature ..................................................................................................................................... 6
4. Catalog of U.S. Government Publications .......................................................................... 7
4.1 Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge: Amphibians and Reptiles .................... 8
5. Statistical Abstract of the United States ............................................................................ 9
5.1 Fishery Products - Domestic Catch, Imports, and Disposition: 1990 - 2009 . 10
6. Internet Sites useful in Biology ........................................................................................... 11
6.1 Penn State Biology Website .......................................................................................... 11
6.2 Encyclopedia of Life Sciences ....................................................................................... 12
6.3 Biology Guild ..................................................................................................................... 13
6.4 Ask a Biologist .................................................................................................................. 14


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1. Front Matter

1.1 What is in this Guide?
This guide contains internet resources pertaining to the field of Biology. It covers a range of
different sites that an Undergraduate Biology student may find helpful. This guide will provide
helpful summaries and tips to using many common websites within the field. It contains many
resources including indexes, professional journals, U.S. catalogs, and a statistical abstract and
helpful websites for Biology students. This list will be a good base on which a student can build
and find further information for research topics, experiments and laboratories. The sites
included will provide information on where to find research topics and background information
for experiments.

1.2 Who is this Guide For?
This guide is for Penn State Undergraduate students who are pursuing a major in Biology,
taking a Biology course or interested in the field. If a student is in need of study help or needs
questions answered, this guide will help. It is comprehensive enough that a senior will find it
useful for their work, but also easy enough to use that a freshman or someone exploring the
field can easily use the guide.

1.3 What this Guide Assumes
This guide assumes that the reader is currently enrolled in a Biology course or interested in
taking a Biology course. It also assumes that the reader has a general understanding in Biology
and that they can understand simple scientific terminology. The user of this guide should also
be a Penn State student because access to certain sites may only be through a Penn State
account or On-Campus computers. This guide also makes the assumption that the user has
access and the ability to use the internet competently.

1.4 How the Guide is Organized
This guide is simply organized into five sections, each of which contains an abstract and helpful
tips for each site. Some sections also have subsections of specific resources a Biology student
may find helpful. The Professional Journal section provides a few popular journals that a
Biologist may reference. The Catalog and Statistical Analysis sections contain examples of
articles that can be accessed through those sites. The Internet Sites section includes helpful
sites ranging from the Biology website, to informative sites and discussion forums.

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1.5 Tips for Using the Guide
The tips for using this guide are very similar to the tips included after each abstract. Keep these
tips in mind when using the guide.
Start with the Table of Contents. It provides specific pages and titles of sites and
articles in the guide.
Use the How to Access portion of each example. It will provide a hyperlink, how to
locate the site and who can access it.
Access to Microsoft Word or Adobe Reader is helpful for the example articles and
information provided by certain websites.
The Tips section also is useful in the navigation of the resources. It will make it easier
to get what you need out of each site.

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2. Index
An Index is somewhere that a user can locate any number of periodicals, journals, and literature
within the field. Indexes allow for fast and easy access of literature from a number of locations.
Most indexes allow a user to search keywords to find what they may need. The internet
provides a number of indexes, but it is also helpful for one to utilize library resources as well.
Indexes are useful to someone in Biology because it allows a user to search a variety of sites
from one location. From there one can then get more specific with the results. Indexes are a
great place to start the search for topics.

2.1 PubMed
Government Website

How to Access
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed
Some open to the Public, some requires access account

Description
PubMed is a government run site sponsored by the U.S. National Library of Medicine and
National Institutes of Health. This website is a little more complex than most but once
mastered is very helpful. PubMed links to millions of journals, books and other literature in the
Life Sciences and Medical fields. It allows the user to read just abstracts or search for full-text
PDFs. It contains a simple and advanced search bar that allows the user to easily find topics
they are looking for. This site is very useful to a Biology student because the research journals
and articles are frequently used as reference materials and to spark new ideas. PubMed can help
a Biology student find a number of articles and a lot of information about current research in
the field.

Tips
Use the Quick Start Guide on the Home page if you are having trouble with
something. It is an easy to understand guide on how to use all of the aspects on the
website.
Use the Citation Matcher link from the home page. It allows you to search by journal,
year, author and title.
o For example: search Langkilde T (a Biology Professor at Penn State) in the
Author name. The results show recent articles that have been published by this
author.
Look at the FAQs if you need help with something like accessing a full-text article.
Go to the bottom of the Homepage to explore some of the topics that PubMed covers.

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3. Professional Journal
A professional journal is normally a periodical published throughout the year focused on
different fields related to Biology. Journals are one resource a Biology student will find very
useful. New editions will provide the reader with up to date news and research in the field.
They are especially useful when searching for current data and new experiments. This section
provides two journals popular with Biologists today. Both journals cover a wide range of topics
within the field.

3.1 Nature
Periodical Journal

How to Access
http://www.nature.com/nature/index.html
Available online and in print to University Students

Description
Nature is an international science journal that provides up-to-date research and news within
many science fields. It works to convey scientific news to the general public and scientists alike.
The site allows a user to do a basic or advanced search of topics. Nature also provides one with
the most up-to-date issue right on the home page. The user can navigate through each edition
of the periodical and access archives. This site is useful to a Biologist because they can reference
current research and news within Biology. It also provides reviews on articles, so if one is
interested in a topic they can read the review before reading the full article or experiment.

Tips
Use the advanced search option to search by author, title, volume, etc. This allows a
user to search more journals related to the field.
The bottom of the page has an Explore nature.com option. This allows the user to
access information on a number of fields relating to Biology.
When looking at an issue of Nature, use the table of contents to find what you are
looking for. It provides headings like This Week, News in Focus and Research.
The home page also shows different headings that one may find useful, like Latest
Research and Specials, Supplements and Featured Articles.

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4. Catalog of U.S. Government Publications
Government Database

How to Access
http://catalog.gpo.gov/F
Distributed online

Description
The Catalog of U.S. Government Publications (CGP) is a database where one can search
government publications. The site allows a user to search numerous records dating as far back
as the 1800s. The site allows access to electronic and print documents from all three branches
of government. The CGP also provides links and information on publications available online.
The database provides information on nearby locations where a publication can be found, if not
available online. The site lets a user perform basic or advances searches. Basic searches can be
focused on keyword, title, author or subject. Advanced searches are more extensive and incudes
year, format, language and details from the aforementioned areas. A biology major can use the
site to look for articles on government research in the field, or to learn about government
policies in relation to Biology.

Tips
Take advantage of the location of the documents. The site will provide links or local
libraries or other locations with publications.
Use the advanced search to find more specific documents, especially for research articles
funded by the government.
One can specifically search for titles instead of keywords to further enhance specificity.

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4.1 Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge: Amphibians and Reptiles
Sample Document from Catalog of U.S. Government Publications

How to Access
http://permanent.access.gpo.gov/gpo39262/Bombay%20Hook%20Amphibian%202013.pdf
Distributed online

Description
The catalog, Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge: Amphibians and Reptiles is a document
that one can access from the CGP. It details a list of Amphibians, Reptiles and habitats that can
be found at the Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge in Smyrna, Delaware. The document
also provides information on the species, including frequency and time of sightings, and a
description of their habitat. This is a good example of what types of information can be found in
the CGP. This government site is also useful for descriptions of refuges and national parks.
One can learn a lot from similar sources, especially if research involves federal programs or
government sponsored research.

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5. Statistical Abstract of the United States
Government Database

How to Access
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/index.html
Distributed online

Description
The Statistical Abstract of the United States is a statistical summary of social, political and
economic organization in the U.S. It draws data from the Census Bureau, Bureau of Labor
Statistics and other agencies. The site allows users to search a number of topics covering any
number of fields. There is a search bar on the top of the homepage where one can keyword
search topics. The sidebar is very useful because it is where many of the topics can be accessed.
One can use the sidebar to find a broad topic and then more specific topics from the drop down
menus. A Biology student will find this site helpful when looking into budgets and federal
policies on a number of topics. If one is interested in the quantity of domestic fishing in the
United States, they can easily find this information via the homepage sidebar.

Tips
Be wary of the information as years pass from 2011. The homepage says funding was
cut and many programs were excised.
It would be helpful to know what your search topic is to better understand the statistics
you want to search.
Take advantage of the sidebar to navigate to familiar fields. There are a number of
topics, but try to focus on the ones you are interested in.
The top dropdown menus also contain useful data and research information.
The site allows the user to download Excel documents or PDFs, both easy to access and
easy to read documents.

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5.1 Fishery Products - Domestic Catch, Imports, and Disposition: 1990 -
2009
Sample Document from Statistical Abstract of the United States

How to Access
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/tables/12s0895.pdf
Distributed online

Description
The summary Fishery Products - Domestic Catch, Imports, and Disposition: 1990 2009
(table 895) is a table of the data collected from 1990 to 2009. It is data collection that is
representative of the data one would find in the Statistical Abstract of the United States. It
summarizes the Total and Domestic catches, Imports and Exports and the Disposition of
Domestic Catch. Each section is further broken into categories like For human food and For
industrial use. The table shows the millions of pounds of fishery products in the
aforementioned categories. This information, and similar information is useful to Biologist
when researching statistics for reports. It can also provide information when one is looking into
a field that requires background stats and similar information.
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6. Internet Sites useful in Biology
This section will provide a number of websites and locations where a Biology student can find
more information on topics, advising help, and open forums for scientific discussion. This
section includes Penn State Websites, Scientific Search engines and discussion forums. It is
helpful to know how to navigate all of these when doing research in Biology.

6.1 Penn State Biology Website
General Website

How to Access
http://bio.psu.edu/
Open to the Public

Description
This is the homepage to the Department of Biology at Penn State. Biology is a part of the
Eberly College of Science. This page is useful for a number of reasons. It can direct the user to
different aspects of Penn States program. The home page share Biology news and also has
links to seminars and events. The Faculty and Research tab is useful if you are looking into
what areas Penn State is currently researching and positions available in labs. The People tab
has names and contacts for a number of faculty and staff in the Biology program. It is useful if
you are looking for someone to contact about Biology. This site has a lot to offer and is a great
place to start looking for information.


Tips
Use the undergraduate website http://bio.psu.edu/undergraduate-portal to get more
information on courses and advising help.
If you need some help try and contact someone under the people tab. They have a
wealth of knowledge and are willing to help.
If you want to get more involved in the Program, there is a link under the
Undergraduate Portal that says Be a Peer Leader, TA or LA.
Try talking to an advisor, they can help you decide what courses to take, or what to
research when jobs are available.

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6.2 Encyclopedia of Life Sciences
General Website

How to Access
http://www.els.net/WileyCDA/
Open to the Public

Description
The Encyclopedia of Life Sciences is a website that allows one to search articles from the life
sciences. It contains many topics that range from cell biology to virology and evolution. The
homepage contains links to popular topics in the life sciences. The homepage also contains links
to themes that range from the human brain to obesity. A user can also search topics from the
homepage if they cannot find something they are looking for. This site is useful for Biology
students because it provides an easy-to-use interface with simple organization. The topics,
themes and search bar can help a student easily find information and articles they are looking
for within Biology and related fields.

Tips
Click on the Latest Articles tab in the upper right corner. It will provide the most
recent news and can be narrowed by topic.
Take advantage of the abstracts provided. They can help identify if the article is what a
user is looking for.
When browsing the site, try narrowing the search by topic and subtopic. This makes it
easier to see if there is information on the site available in the given area.

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6.3 Biology Guild
General Website

How to Access
http://biologyguild.com/
Articles open to the Public
Must be member to comment and review

Description
Biology Guild is a public website that provides news and literature within the field of Biology
and related fields. It also provides an open forum for users to discuss news and relevant topics.
Biology Guild also provides the ability to receive a newsletter for updates and new releases of
topics, forums, etc. The homepage contains a search bar for topics and a login for registered
users. This site is useful because it allows students to explore a number of discussion forums.
Forums are useful because they help critique new discoveries, research and news articles. Open
discussion also allows students to reach out for help with difficult questions or new ideas from
the community on research topics.

Tips
Use the different headings on the homepage to find a topic that is interesting to you.
This could lead to an interesting forum debate or news article on that topic.
Use the Browse tab to go into the Lab section of the website. This provides the user
with simple and at-home experiments.
Be cautious when using this site because it is not a federal or university site. Some of the
information may need reviews, as with all forums.

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6.4 Ask a Biologist
General Website

How to Access
http://askabiologist.asu.edu/
Open to the Public

Description
Ask a Biologist is a website run by the Arizona State University School of Life Sciences. It is a
simple site and is geared towards easy access. It is very simple and allows a user to easily ask
questions, find activities, read stories and search for information. The Ask a Question tab at
the top is the most helpful to Biology students. It is an easy way to ask questions and get
feedback from teachers and professors within the field. The site also has interactive activities
that a student can use to learn more or even quiz themselves on certain topics. Ask a Biologist is
a very helpful tool when a student is looking for homework help or supplements to lecture
material.

Tips
This site may look like it is geared to high school students but take advantage of the
tools. There is a lot of relevant and useful information within.
If you have a question, search the Top Questions portion, or submit your question to
be answered by a professor.
Use the quizzes under the Activities tab. There are a number of subjects, many of
which are covered by a majority of Biology courses.
Try using the Listen & Watch tab. A user can search topics and then watch or listen
to lectures or seminars in the field.