Selecting the Most Relevant Databases
Due to Biology's multidisciplinary nature, there are several databases that you will need to search depending on your specific research topic. Below are the most appropriate databases for biology overall. There are several specialized databases that focus on niche fields located in the More Bio Databases tab in the left menu.
If you are unsure which database to use or are not finding what you need, don't hesitate to contact me. I'm your librarian. -Donna Braquet, donna@utk.edu
What are databases anyway?
This image shows that journals are made up of articles. Then the contents of journals are included in databases. You search Databases in order to find journal articles. Databases link to the full-text of articles that you can get to if the library has a subscription or if it is open access.
Top Biology Databases
Web of Science
Try this first! You can also search BIOSIS, PubMed and several other databases at the same time once in Web of Science. Coverage starts at 1900.
Biological Abstracts/BIOSIS
The main database for life sciences. Can be searched alone or with other databases within Web of Science. Coverage starts at 1926.
PubMed
The main database for health sciences. Can be searched at the same time in Web of Science. Coverage starts in 1946.
Scopus
A multidisciplinary abstract and citation database with enriched data and linked scholarly literature in science, engineering, medicine, social sciences, and some arts & humanities. Coverage is strongest from 1996 to present. Chrome is the preferred browser for this platform.
