Research Guides: Botany: Overview

Subject Guide: Botany

Welcome to the Botany Research Guide. You will find a comprehensive range of resources to support your exploration of botany sciences. Alongside access to scholarly journals and databases in this guide, CSM Librarians can help you throughout your research in-person, via chat, or through one-on-one appointments.

Starting Research in Botany

Begin by identifying an area of interest, plant, or species.
Do some informal background research using Google or Wikipedia if you need to understand more about a topic, and keep track of what you find.
Narrow down your topic to a specific question or issue, and isolate the major keywords of your topic or issue.
Using your keywords, try searching several different sources including the OneSearch catalog and individual databases
Consider consulting with a CSM librarian or your instructors for guidance and recommendations on relevant sources.
As you gather information, critically evaluate sources for credibility and relevance to your research topic.
Keep track of citations and take thorough notes to aid in the organization of your research findings.

Start with these databases

Biology Journals (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
Abstracts and full-text from journals in the biological sciences.
Access Science This link opens in a new window
An online encyclopedia of science and technology.
Biodiversity Heritage Library This link opens in a new window
BHL is a large repository of biodiversity literature and archival materials. The bulk of material in the BHL is in the public domain in the United States, meaning that the publication date is prior to 1923.
Gale OneFile Gardening/Landscape & Horticulture Collection This link opens in a new window
This database focuses on the practical aspects and the scientific theory of horticulture studies. It offers biotechnologists, farmers, hobbyists, and landscape architects access to important content relevant to their pursuits.

Then try these databases

Academic Search Complete (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
This database offers an enormous collection of full-text journals, magazines, and news sources in many subject areas. Scholarly content covers a broad range of important areas of academic study, including anthropology, engineering, law, sciences and much more.
Academic OneFile (Gale) This link opens in a new window
Academic OneFile provides access to millions of articles from over 17,000 scholarly journals and other authoritative sources in key subject areas such as biology, chemistry, criminal justice, economics, environmental science, history, marketing, political science, and psychology.
All ProQuest Databases This link opens in a new window
Search all of CSM Library's ProQuest databases at once. Includes ProQuest Research Library, Diversity Database, Ebook Central, and more.

Searching OneSearch

OneSearch is the CSM Library's catalog of all of print and ebooks, and millions of articles from magazines, journals, newspapers, and more. OneSearch is a great place to start your search, but we recommend searching in individual databases as you proceed in your research.

More Ebooks

Ebook Central (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
Over 140,000 easy to access online books. Browse by subjects - literature, social sciences, life sciences, engineering and technology - or use the search box.
eBook Collection (EBSCOhost) This link opens in a new window
Thousands of digital books, including academic titles and popular fiction, for reading online. Most of these titles are currently NOT available in OneSearch; please search through the database here to locate titles.

Botany