Understanding Your Topic - FYS100K - Perfect Children-Reproductive Technology and the New Eugenics (Heller)

Finding Possible Book Sources

Although books are not usually primary resources for scientific topics, they may give a good overview and bibliography.

Use the following databases listed on the library's resources page to look for books:

Catalion (Albright Library's Online Catalog) This link opens in a new window
Search for the print and electronic holdings contained in the Albright College Library and in selected campus departmental libraries.
WorldCat This link opens in a new window
The OCLC catalog of books and other materials held in libraries worldwide. Coverage: Before 1000 BC-present

DON'T USE WIKIPEDIA IN YOUR RESEARCH.

DO USE WIKIPEDIA FOR BACKGROUND INFORMATION AND TO UNDERSTAND YOUR TOPIC.

DON'T USE WIKIPEDIA AS A SUBSTITUTE FOR JOURNAL ARTICLES.

DO USE WIKIPEDIA FOR POSSIBLE REFERENCES AT THE END.

Browse a subject-specific encyclopedia. A good encyclopedia can provide beginning researchers with the following:

an overview of a topic and how it fits into the broader picture,
the various aspects of a topic to help broaden or narrow the area of research,
the vocabulary associated with the topic to help identify appropriate keywords to use at the computer,
the names of important people, companies or places involved with the topic,
a bibliography to lead to other relevant items on the topic, including major studies, books, articles and researchers.

Some good examples are:

Credo Reference includes articles from 816 reference books
Encyclopedia of Bioethics, 5 vols. [Ref 174.2 E56R3 2004]
Encyclopedia of the Human Genome (part of online reference site CREDO Reference)
The Gale Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders. 2 vols. [Ref 616.042 G152 2002]
MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia, includes over 4,000 articles about medicine and allied fields.