Biology Research Guide

Pre-research is the process of exploring and learning about your topic before diving into in-depth research or searching databases. It involves getting background information, understanding the basics, and refining your topic or research question. This step is essential for any research project—whether for a Biology course or any other subject—because it lays the foundation for effective, focused research.

Why is Pre-Research Useful?

• Builds Background Knowledge: Pre-research helps you understand the key facts, context, and main issues related to your topic, answering basic questions like who, what, when, and where.
• Refines Your Topic: By learning more, you can narrow or adjust your topic, making it more manageable and relevant to your assignment
  • For example,
    • Environmental Biology is a broad field that examines the interactions between living organisms and their environments; you might choose to focus your research on how invasive species impact local ecosystems.
    • Heredity involves the study of genetic inheritance and variation; you might start by exploring basic genetic principles, then narrow your research to the role of heredity in inherited diseases or traits within populations.
    • Microbiology studies microscopic organisms, including bacteria, viruses, fungi, algae, and protozoa. You might choose to focus your research on the role of bacteria in antibiotic resistance.
• Saves Time: Early exploration ensures your topic is viable and enough sources are available, helping you avoid last-minute changes.
• Guides Your Research: Pre-research helps you develop a focused research question, which is crucial for finding relevant sources later.

How to Do Pre-Research:

• Choose a Topic: Start with a general area of interest.
• Gather Background Information: To learn the basics, use encyclopedias, Wikipedia (for an overview, not as a final source), or introductory books and articles.
• Ask Questions: What are the main issues? Who are the key people or groups? What events or debates are important?
• Refine Your Focus: Narrow your topic and create a research question based on what you learn.

• Check for Sources: Make sure enough academic sources are available on your topic.

Online reference books (eBooks) are helpful for finding background information because they contain a lot of information about your topic all in one place. eBooks can be found in our library databases and are available at any time without a library card. Here are just a few of our eBook databases to get you started.

For more eBooks, please visit our A to Z Databases and sort the database Types by eBooks.