Finding Books

Polk Library Catalog -- Search here to find out what books, videos, journals, etc. Polk Library owns.
**Search suggestion for finding books on careers in science: In the "advanced keyword" option, try biology and career?or biology and vocation?

Universal Borrowing -- Use Universal Borrowing to borrow books from other UW campuses. Items usually take 2-3 days to arrive at Polk.
**See our Universal Borrowing Tips for details on how to place a request.

Examples of Reference Books on Careers and Biology Topics (Reference Rm, 1st Floor South)

Careers

Occupational Outlook Handbook -- Ref. HD 8051 .A62 2006/07

The College Majors Handbook -- Ref. HF 5382.5 .U5 F64 1999

Encyclopedia of Careers and Vocational Guidance -- Ref. HF 5381 .E52 2008 v. 1-5

Encyclopedia of Job-Winning Resumes -- Ref. HF 5383 .F77 1993

Biology

Encyclopedia of Science and Technology -- Ref. Q 121 .M3 2007 v. 1-20

Notable Women in the Life Sciences -- Ref. QH 26 .N68 1996

The Atlas of Endangered Species -- Ref. QH 75 .A85 1999

Dictionary of Biology -- Ref. QH 302.5 .I534 1999

Illustrated Dictionary of Mycology -- Ref. QK 600.35 .U4313 2000

Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopedia -- Ref. QL 7 .G7813 2004 v.1-17

Latin Names Explained -- Ref. QL 9 .G67 1996

Encyclopedia of Insects -- Ref. QL 462.3 .E485 2003

Finding Articles in Biology

Biological Abstracts -- The biggest search tool for biology articles (covers over 5,000 journals).

General Science Full Text -- Includes many articles and abstracts from a variety of science journals, including biology, environmental science, and medicine.

Science Citation Index -- This search tool allows you to not only search for articles on a topic, but also search for what other articles cited a particular article in their references.

Nature Online -- This site offers full-text access to the journal Nature. Check out especially the "NatureJobs" section for information on science careers (especially research/academia careers).

Science (Magazine) Online -- Online access to recent issues of Science. Check the "Science Careers" section for helpful tools, such as a salary surveys, career development advice, and a career forum, where career questions are asked and answered in a bulletin board format.

Oxford Reference Online -- Full text of encyclopedia and dictionary articles. Try especially the "Biological Sciences" section for biology-specific terms.

**See also the Biology, Environmental Studies, Medical Technology, and Nursing categories for more search tools.

Finding Information on Biology Careers

Occupational Outlook Handbook
The online version of an annual handbook published by the United States Department of Labor. For each occupation listed, this resource provides information on the nature of the work, workplaces that might employ someone in the occupation, average level of education required, expected salaries, and the job prospects for the future.

Indeed
A terrific "job search engine". Searches not only the standard job sites like Monster, but also searches company employment pages, online newspaper ads, and professional association employment pages.

JobStar: Job Search Guide
Offers links with suggestions on preparing resumés and cover letters, comparisons of resumés vs. the curriculum vitae, and some hints on when each is appropriate. The “Career Guides” section offers various links to sites with information on job outlook, career interest tests, and choosing a career.

America's Career One Stop
Tons of career information, including salary information for individual states, links to other websites, career video clips, and more.

Biology Browser
Links to lots of great biology information and news on this site. For career information, click on "Browse Subjects" and then choose "Careers" for numerous websites on biology careers.

American Institute of Biological Sciences
Lots of general information on careers in biology, including some alternative careers that could be considered by someone who is also interested in business, art, politics, or math. Also includes profiles of scientists in particular careers and descriptions of what their work involves.

American Physiological Society
Here you can find information about careers and education in physiology, with links out to tips about scientific papers, choosing a graduate program, and research fellowships.

ScienceJobs.com
Sponsored by the magazine New Scientist, this site allows you to search for job openings in many areas of the sciences, without requiring you to type in a particular job title. You can limit by type of job and geographic area, if desired.

Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle allows you to search for job openings by keyword. Most hits will be for jobs at universities, usually teaching.

**Also, check to see if there's a professional organization website for your chosen career (such as the American Medical Association, or the American Society of Plant Biologists). Often these will have info for students in the field looking for career info. Ask someone in the field about organizations, or try a search in Google (http://www.google.com/) for the occupation and the word "organization" (Examples: veterinarian organization OR biology teachers organization).

A Few "Alternative" Biology Careers...

Just for fun...here are a few "alternative" biology careers you may consider:

Twinkie Scientist -- http://www.twinkiesproject.com/
OB/GYN for Men -- http://www.malepregnancy.com/
Mind Control Protection Technician -- http://zapatopi.net/afdb.html
Dihydrogen Monoxide Activist -- http://www.dhmo.org/
Feline Behavioralist, Facial Hair Specialty -- http://www.improb.com/airchives/classical/cat/cat.html

Questions? Contact Renée Büker at bukerr@uwosh.edu.
Page updated 4/08

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