Before beginning to search for articles and other biological information, it's a good idea to have a plan for finding information.

Focus your search by characterizing the kind of information you are seeking. For instance, if you need to write a lab report on an experiment involving a species of plant you're not familiar with you may need to start with some general background . You may need to know what the scientific name of the spotted turtle is, or you may need to find scientific studies conducted on certain types of cells .

Next, identify the types of information resources that meet your information need. Examples include:

• Textbooks or Handbooks
• A Scientific Encyclopedia
• Journal Articles

Then determine which tools are going to help you find these sources. For example:

• Textbooks and handbooks are indexed in the library's catalog
• Reference librarians can recommend good scientific encyclopedias
• Web search engines and library databases index scientific studies and journal articles

Once you've got the right tool, take some time to come up with terms you need to search, such as:

• Subject keywords
• Scientific names
• Authors' names

When you have a clear idea of what kinds of information you need, you can begin searching. While this sounds like a straightforward endeavor, research is rarely linear. It is likely that only after you begin searching will you realize you need more background information or you need to use different terms in your search.