Biology Guide: Begin your Research

If you are just starting your research, you may need to develop your topic further. Ask yourself:

• What do I already know?
• What do I need to know?

As you consider these questions, take a look at a few of our reference resources for general, background information about your topic. The information you find in these resources will help you determine what you need to know, what search terms or keywords to use, an what, exactly, it is that you hope to discover through your research.

This guide contains suggested resources and how-to tutorials to guide you through your research. On this main page you'll find databases that we suggest you use to find articles about current topics in biology and evolution, websites we suggest you use to find ___. Click the "How do I...?" tab at the top to access general how-to handouts and videos to help you research at the Viterbo University library.

Need some help formatting your citations? Select the "RefWorks" tab at the top of the page to learn how to organize your research and cite your sources.

Feeling lost? Select the "Research Process" tab at the top of the page to access an in-depth tutorial on all the steps of the research process.