Scholarly Journal Articles:
A scholarly journal is a collection of articles written by scholars in a particular field of study. Since journals are published periodically, i.e. weekly, monthly, etc., the terms "journals", "periodicals" and "serials" are synonymous and may be used interchangeably.
Most scholarly journal articles are available in full text in electronic databases or found online through Google Scholar. Other online sites such as HighWire Press and BioMed Central/PubMed Central provide free full text access to journals in the Biological Sciences.
The following electronic databases contain relevant, scholarly journal articles in the field of Biology:
Scholarly Books:
Scholarly books are published by University Presses such as the University of Toronto; McGill-Queens, Johns Hopkins University, Oxford University, Princeton University, etc.; professional or government organizations such as the National Research Council Canada (NRC Research Press), the New York Academy of Sciences and other scholarly publishers such as Wiley-Blackwell, Springer, Elsevier, CRC Press, etc. Scholarly books are written by scholars or professionals in the Biological Sciences and present research similar in format to research published in scholarly journals. In contrast, popular books are published by trade or mass market publishers such as Random House, Harper Collins, Harcourt, etc., and written in layman's language for the general public.
Selected scholarly books in the Biological Sciences which are available at the Angus L. Macdonald Library:
Kinetic Modelling in Systems Biology, c2009 Call no.: QH 323.5 D456 2009
Spatial Ecology, c2010 Call no.: QH 541.15 S62 S615 2010
Dynamics of Marine Ecosystems: Biological-Physical Interactions in the Oceans, c2006 Call no.: QH 541.5 S3 M25 2006
The World of the Cell, c2009 Call no.: QH 581.2 B43 2009
Medical Genetics at a Glance, c2008 Call no.: RB 155 P6965 2008
E-Books:
E-Books (electronic books) are books available online in full text. Scholarly E-Books in the Biological Sciences can be found in the following databases:
Scholarly Websites/Portals
Scholarly websites are more difficult to identify because of the plethora of information that is available on the Internet. Scholarly websites are published by professionals and intended for a professional audience. Complex, scientific language is used and the websites are peer-reviewed. The content of scholarly websites is up-to-date and citations to other scholarly material are often included.
Examples of scholarly websites in the Biological Sciences:
What is a Scholarly Resource?
Scholarly resources are journal articles, books and websites written and published by experts in a particular field, e.g. Biology. Scholarly journals primarily publish researchers' original works, which includes methodology and results, usually outlined in figures, tables and other graphics. Language contained in scholarly resources is complex and scientific in nature, pertaining to the specific field of study. Sources cited, "references" or "bibliographies" are also included in scholarly works.
Most scholarly research undergoes a "peer-reviewed" or "refereed" process, whereby other experts in the field review and evaluate the research prior to publication.
What is a Popular Resource?
Popular resources are publications such as newspapers and magazines designed for the general public and written in everyday or layman's language. Topics cover current events, summaries of the latest research, sports, entertainment, etc. The articles are usually brief and cited information is not often included.
Primary Resources:
Primary resources are works which contain "original research" that is usually presented in a format which includes: introduction, methodology, results, discussion, conclusion, and cited references. Many peer-reviewed "original research" journal articles have "original article", "original research" or "original paper" listed at the top of the article.
Other examples of primary resources include: newspaper articles, diaries and personal narratives, interviews, speeches, photographs and audio-visual recordings.
Secondary Resources:
Secondary resources are works which contain "reviews" or "summaries" of the original research. Many peer-reviewed "review" journal articles have "review" or "review article" listed at the top of the page.
Other examples of secondary resources include: scholarly or popular books, textbooks, and reference books such as encyclopedias.
