"

1 Terms and Vocabulary

Terms and Vocabulary

In order to find relevant results, you need to use the specialized vocabulary and jargon used by biologists in their work. Keep notes of terms that you come across as you research.

  • Use the specialized vocabulary of the area you are researching, such as binomial nomenclature for organisms (eg, Homo sapiens, Aedes aegypti) and acronyms (eg, DNA). Specialized vocabulary may vary between aspects of your research topic (eg, genetics, ecology, or evolution).
  • Check subject headings in the databases to find additional helpful terms. In the screenshot below, note the keywords below the article abstract in PubMed.
Screenshot of article in pubmed about yucca plants. Keywords are featured below the abstract.
Keywords under article abstract in PubMed
  • Try broader and narrower terms to see which provide optimal results.

License

Icon for the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

Using Advanced Search and Evaluation Techniques in Biology Research Copyright © by Julie Feighery & Rhonda Culbertson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

Share This Book