Biology

This guide is intended to help you through the various stages of biology research. You can follow the tabs on the left-hand menu in order to get an idea of how the research process might flow, or you can jump to any of the tabs. This guide is continuously updated, so you can revisit it in the future for more resources. You can always contact your subject librarian for more help. Happy researching! 

Understanding the research process will help you create a plan and help you focus your research. The steps below are a guide to the overall process and are a starting point. For more information, visit our Getting Started With Research guide. 

Remember that these steps are a guide. You may need to repeat some steps of the process as you go or complete them in a different order; for example, you may need to change or refine your topic after gathering background information, or you may need to brainstorm more keywords after evaluating your results. No matter what stage of research you are in, you can contact the library for help.

Choosing a topic for your research is an important step. You will want to consider the assignment and make sure that your topic will fit the guidelines. It can be helpful to think of your research topic as a question that you would like to find the answer to, such as "What are the environmental effects of losing biodiversity?" or "How do invasive plant species affect humans?". If you have a personal interest in your topic, the research process will feel much more exciting.

Another good way to generate topic ideas is to look at news sources or current events to see what topics might be raising questions in the community. Looking at news sources or blog posts will also help you collect background information on a topic and understand how different areas of study intersect with the question at hand. Below, you'll find some biology-focused news feeds that can help you choose a research topic.