4. Find Sources

Once you've narrowed your topic and thought about keywords, try searching the databases below for potential sources you can use for your project. Try to find sources that provide evidence to support your thesis. If your keywords aren't working, ask a librarian for help!

Databases / Articles

The following databases are the best place to start for traditional biology topics.

EBSCO Science Databases
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Search 3 databases at once! Science Reference Center, GreenFile, and Applied Science & Technology Full Text. Proxy Bypass
Gale in Context: Science
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Articles from over 200 magazines and academic journals and links to quality web sites on Science.
PubMed Central
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PubMed Central (PMC) is a free full-text archive of biomedical and life sciences journal literature at the U.S. National Institutes of Health's National Library of Medicine (NIH/NLM).
Today's Science
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Today's Science explains important developments in biology, chemistry, the environment, space, physics, and technology. Updated weekly and containing thousands of links to a 15-year back-file. Proxy Bypass
Nature Research
Includes full-text of the journal Nature from 1950-2011, as well as partial full-text of over 125 other scientific journals (any article labeled “Open” is available full-text). For Nature archives, use advanced search to limit years to 1920-2011 and journal title to Nature.

If you are wanting to look at more of a controversial or current issue topic, this is a better place to start your search.

Gale in Context: Opposing Viewpoints
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Viewpoint articles, topic overviews, full-text magazine, academic journal, and newspaper articles, primary source documents, statistics, images and podcasts, and links to Websites.
Issues & Controversies
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Features pro and con articles on more than 800 thought provoking topics in business, politics, government, education and popular culture. Updated weekly with links to a 12-year back file. Proxy Bypass
U.S. Major Dailies
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U.S. Major Dailies provides access to the five U.S. national and regional newspapers: Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and Washington Post. The content is available by 8am each day and provides archives stretching as far back as 1980 for some titles.

These databases cover a wide range of topics and could be useful for any topic.

Statista
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With access to over million statistics on over 80,000 topics from over 18,000 credible sources, this database specialized in market and consumer data, statistics, infographics, reports, plus company insights to support research and help to find statistics, charts, graphs, and other visuals to integrate into papers and presentations.
Credo Reference
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Articles from almost 600 reference books, covering various subjects.
Gale Power Search
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A good general database that covers many subjects, especially current new issues. Has magazine, journal, and newspaper articles, as well as some reference material. Full-text content.
EBSCO General Databases
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Search 10 databases at once: Academic Search Premier, TOPICsearch, MasterFILE Premier, Military & Government Collection, MAS Ultra - School Edition, Vocational and Career Collection, Associates Programs Source, Newspaper Source Plus, GreenFILE, and News (AP, UPI, etc.). Proxy Bypass
Find journal, magazine and newspaper articles. Millions of full-text articles, many with images. Updated daily.

If you are looking for images or videos for your presentation, this database could have something useful depending on the topic.

Britannica ImageQuest Junior
This database has thousands of rights-cleared images & videos that young learners (preK to 2nd grade) can use to discover the world. It covers science topics like animals and objects in the world which could be used by students in presentations. For off-campus access, you must enter in Spartanburg Community College before entering your email and password.

Find Books

Urban Evolutionary Biology by Marta Szulkin (Editor); Jason Munshi-South (Editor); Anne Charmantier (Editor)
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 0198836848
Publication Date: 2020-07-05
'Urban Evolutionary Biology' fills an important knowledge gap on wild organismal evolution in the urban environment, whilst offering a novel exploration of the fast-growing new field of evolutionary research.
Cooperative evolution : reclaiming Darwin's vision by C.R. Bryant and Valerie Brown
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 1760464295
Publication Date: 2021
Cooperative Evolution offers a fresh account of evolution consistent with Charles Darwin's own account of a cooperative, inter-connected, buzzing and ever-changing world. Told in accessible language, treating evolutionary change as a cooperative enterprise brings some surprising shifts from the traditional emphasis on the dominance of competition.
How Children Invented Humanity by David F. Bjorklund
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 0190066865
Publication Date: 2020-11-13
Infants and children are the often-ignored heroes when it comes to understanding human evolution. Evolutionary pressures acted upon the young of our ancestors more powerfully than on adults, and changes over the course of development in our ancestors were primarily responsible for the species and the people we have become.
Evolutionary Biology : a Plant Perspective by Mitchell B. Cruzan
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 0190882670
Publication Date: 2018-10-17
Many of the characteristics that distinguish plants from other living organisms can be traced to their bacterial origin early in the history of life. These features-such as a multicellular haploid life stage, prevalent hermaphroditism, self-fertilization, and general dependence on biotic and abiotic vectors for reproduction-stem directly from the plant's ability to obtain energy from the sun.
Sixty Years of Biology by John Tyler Bonner
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 1400887437
Publication Date: 2017-03-14

Brains Through Time by Georg F. Striedter; R. Glenn Northcutt
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 0195125681
Publication Date: 2020-01-23
This book examines these innovations and relates them to evolutionary changes in other organ systems, animal behavior, and ecological conditions at the time. The resulting perspective clarifies what makes the major vertebrate lineages unique and helps explain their varying degrees of ecological success.
Animal Behavior : How and Why Animals Do the Things They Do by Ken Yasukawa (Editor)
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 0313398704
Publication Date: 2014-01-22
Discover why animals do what they do, based on their genes, physiologies, cultures, traditions, survival and mating advantages, and evolutionary histories-and find out how studying behavior in the animal world helps us understand human behavior.
Locked in Time : Animal Behavior Unearthed in 50 Extraordinary Fossils by Dean R. Lomax
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 0231552084
Publication Date: 2021
Fossils allow us to picture the forms of life that inhabited the earth eons ago. But we long to know more: how did these animals actually behave? We are fascinated by the daily lives of our fellow creatures—how they reproduce and raise their young, how they hunt their prey or elude their predators, and more. What would it be like to see prehistoric animals as they lived and breathed?
The Rules of the Flock : Self-Organization and Swarm Structure in Animal Societies by Helmut Satz
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 0198853394
Publication Date: 2020-04-14
Swarm behaviour and swarm intelligence have in recent years attracted much attention. However, by applying techniques of physics to the swarm behaviour of animal communities, we can begin to understand how such collective patterns can emerge in a self-organized way.

Climate Change and Population Displacement by Marcia Amidon Lusted (Editor)
Call Number: eBook and Giles Campus Stacks HB849.415 C55 2019
ISBN: 1534505547
Publication Date: 2019-07-30
While politicians debate whether or not climate change is real, extreme weather rages around the world. Whatever the cause, the effects are real, as evidenced by staggering numbers of displaced people. These climate refugees, through no fault of their own, have meaningful impacts on populations, economies, and even cultural makeup.
We Need to Change to Solve the Water Crisis by Cees Buisman
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 1789061393
Publication Date: 2020-04-15
Is impossible for 10 billion people to exist together on this Earth - as predicted for the year 2100? In this essay, Cess Buisman sharply analyses some of the problems facing mankind, such as fresh water shortages, whilst overturning several clichés and offering unexpected, positive solutions. Overpopulation is not the problem; the effects of our actions on the rest of the world have a much greater impact. 'Back to nature' is not the solution, nor is an overreliance on science and innovation.
Introduction to Population Ecology by Larry L. Rockwood
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 111894755X
Publication Date: 2015-04-07
Single species populations -- Density independent growth -- Density dependent growth and intraspecific competition -- Population regulation -- Populations with age structures -- Metapopulation ecology -- Life history strategies -- Interspecific interactions among populations -- Interspecific competition -- Mutualism -- Host-parasite interactions -- Predator-prey interactions -- Plant-herbivore interactions -- Multi-trophic interactions.

Island Biogeography by Robert J. Whittaker; José María Fernández-Palacios; Thomas J. Matthews
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 9780198868569
Publication Date: 2023-09-30
'Island Biogeography' is a review of the island literature, explaining how islands have been used as natural laboratories in developing and testing ecological and evolutionary theories.
The Biology and Ecology of Streams and Rivers by Alan Hildrew; Paul Giller
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 9780198516101
Publication Date: 2023-08-30
This second edition provides a concise, current and accessible overview of running water systems. The book's unifying focus is on rivers and streams as ecosystems in which the particular identity of organisms is not the main emphasis but rather the processes in which they are involved - specifically energy flow and the cycling of materials.
Into the Deep : Science, Technology, and the Quest to Protect the Ocean by Christy Peterson
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 1541555554
Publication Date: 2020-04-07
Containing 97 percent of Earth's water supply, the ocean plays a huge role in regulating global temperatures, supporting plant and animal life, and contributing to the livelihoods of millions of people. But in spite of all this, the ocean remains drastically unexplored, and the details of its impact on human lives aren't fully understood. Scientists from around the world are realizing that to address issues plaguing the ocean, such as dead zones, coral bleaching, and climate change, we need to better understand this incredible, unique feature of our planet. With a range of impressive, cutting-edge technologies at their disposal, oceanographers have set out to measure, sample, and analyze at every turn.
Cold : three winters at the South Pole by Wayne L. White
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 9781640125520
Publication Date: 2022-09-01
Winter owns most of the year at the South Pole, starting in mid-February and ending in early November. Total darkness lasts for months, temperatures can drop below -100 degrees Fahrenheit, and windchill can push temperatures to -140 degrees. At those temperatures a person not protected with specialized clothing and an understanding of how to wear it would be reduced to an icicle within minutes. Few people on the planet can say they know what it feels like to walk in the unworldly, frigid winter darkness at the South Pole, but Wayne L. White can--having walked several thousand miles and never missing a day outside during his stay, regardless of the conditions.
Forest Ecosystems by Noel C. Roberts
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 9781631178153
Publication Date: 2014-01-01
Temperate forests covering 34% of the Earth's land have experienced human disturbances since ancient times and this is where the major industrial and agricultural enterprises are located nowadays. The heaviest human stress has been on European and North American ecosystems. Forest ecosystems are a major control of moisture circulation in watersheds.

The Biology of Mediterranean-Type Ecosystems by Karen J. Esler; Anna L. Jacobsen; R. Brandon Pratt
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 0198739133
Publication Date: 2018-05-24
This text provides a concise but comprehensive introduction to Mediterranean-type ecosystems with the emphasis being on the organisms that dominate these regions although their management, conservation and restoration will also be considered.
Forest Bioeconomy and Climate Change by Lauri Hetemäki (Editor); Jyrki Kangas (Editor); Heli Peltola (Editor)
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 3030992055
Publication Date: 2022-08-18
The authors propose climate-smart forestry as useful approach for climate mitigation and adaptation of forests to climate change, as wells as sustainable increase of economic well-being based on forestry. The book illustrates the application of climate-smart forestry in the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany and Spain, i.e., in EU countries with quite different forests and forest sectors. This proactive and inspiring volume is an essential resource for Forest Management professionals, decision makers, scientists, and forestry students
Terrestrial Biomes by Marlon Nguyen
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 1634846435
Publication Date: 2016-01-01
Discusses the study of ecology and the world's delicate ecosystems. Articles include overviews on cultural and historical ecology, biodiversity, and environmental education.
Investigating Earth's Desert, Grassland, and Rainforest Biomes by Sherman Hollar (Editor)
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 1283079364
Publication Date: 2011-01-01
Perhaps the most prominent elements in the patchwork pattern formed by Earth's regions and ecosystems are its deserts, grasslands, and rainforests. Though vastly different from one another and often separated by thousands of miles, these biomes are all life-sustaining components of a larger environmental network.
Tropical Forest Biomes by Barbara A. Holzman
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 0313087431
Publication Date: 2008-09-30
Provides an overview of the animals, plants, and climate of the tropical forest biomes
Arctic and Alpine Biomes by Joyce A. Quinn
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 0313087741
Publication Date: 2008-09-30
Provides an overview of the flora and fauna of the biomes in the Arctic and Antarctic as well as of Alpine biomes

The Biology of Coral Reefs by Charles Sheppard; Simon Davy; Graham Pilling; Nicholas Graham
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 0198787340
Publication Date: 2018-02-10
A concise but comprehensive introduction to the biology of coral reefs, providing an overview of the ecology of coral reefs and their functioning, and the biology of their major species groups. The responses to modern environmental pressures, climate change, and use of their resources is also described.
Conservation Biology in Sub-Saharan Africa by John W. Wilson
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 1783747528
Publication Date: 2019
Conservation Biology in Sub-Saharan Africa comprehensively explores the challenges and potential solutions to key conservation issues in Sub-Saharan Africa. Easy to read, this lucid and accessible textbook includes fifteen chapters that cover a full range of conservation topics, including threats to biodiversity, environmental laws, and protected areas management, as well as related topics such as sustainability, poverty, and human-wildlife conflict."
The Ark and Beyond The Evolution of Zoo and Aquarium Conservation by Ben A. Minteer (Editor); Jane Maienschein (Editor); James P. Collins (Editor); George Rabb (Foreword by)
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 9780226538464
Publication Date: 2018-02-21
Scores of wild species and ecosystems around the world face a variety of human-caused threats, from habitat destruction and fragmentation to rapid climate change. But there is hope, and it, too, comes in a most human form: zoos and aquariums. The Ark and Beyond traces the history and underscores the present role of these organizations as essential conservation actors.
Saving Animals, Saving Ourselves : Why Animals Matter for Pandemics, Climate Change, and Other Catastrophes by Jeff Sebo
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 9780190861018
Publication Date: 2022-03-08
In 2020, COVID-19, the Australia bushfires, and other global threats served as vivid reminders that human and nonhuman fates are increasingly linked. Human use of nonhuman animals contributes to pandemics, climate change, and other global threats which, in turn, contribute to biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse, and nonhuman suffering.

Search for Books & eBooks

Use the search box below to search the SCC Library Catalog for physical books (in one of our library locations) and eBooks. You can also open the Library Catalog or use the Advanced Search for more search options.