BIOCORE (Biology Core Curriculum) 181: Becoming a Scientist: Doing Biology Research (Fall 2024) : Background Information

Concept Maps

Concept Map Example

Library Databases with Scientific Popular Press Newspapers and Magazines

These are a few databases licensed by UW-Madison that index scientific popular press (Scientific American, Science News, etc). Search for your topic and limit your results to Newspapers and/or Magazines.

Academic Search

Google

Evaluating Websites Tipsheet: PARCA

Encyclopedias

UW Madison Online Encyclopedias & Core Reference Books
Encyclopedia of Earth
Encyclopedia of Life
Wikipedia
Wikipedia is useful for background information, keywords, and finding links to original sources. Question the appropriateness of citing any encyclopedia as a source.
Guide to Researching with Wikipedia

Extension Documents

Cooperative Extension staff "extend" research done at state universities to the public. Extension publications are great examples of science writing for a lay audience.