Skip to Main Content
It looks like you're using Internet Explorer 11 or older. This website works best with modern browsers such as the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. If you continue with this browser, you may see unexpected results.

Biological sciences: Books

A guide to finding information in biological sciences. Includes links to key resources and sources of help.

To find out if a specific book is in the Library you just need to check the Enterprise catalogue (search box below). Enter the author's surname and one or two words from the title:

For example: Horton principles biochemistry

You can also search Enterprise for a topic, to find related books.

Finding books

Finding printed books and e-books

Search the Enterprise catalogue to find specific books or books on a topic.

 

Finding online book chapters

To find online book chapters on a topic search the Summon discovery service:

Key locations

3rd Floor

570 Biological sciences
571 Physiology
572 Biochemistry
575 Evolution and genetics
577 Ecology
578 Natural history
579 Microbiology

 

  
580 Botanical sciences
581 Botany

 

  
590 Zoological sciences
591 Zoology
591.1 Animal physiology
591.5 Animal ecology

 

  
610 Medical sciences
612 Human physiology
612.4 Endocrinology
615 Therapeutics and pharmacology
616.01 Medical microbiology

 

  
630 Agriculture

 

  
660 Chemical technology
660.6 Biotechnology
664 Food technology

Call Numbers for selected topics

Agricultural ecology 630.2745
Animal behaviour 591.51

Bacteriology 579.3
Biodiversity conservation 639.9
Biochemistry 572
Biochemistry of humans 612.015
Bioinformatics 572.80285
Biomedical engineering 610.28
Biophysics 571.4
Botany 580
British plants 581.942

Cancer 616.994
Cell biology & physiology 571.6
Clinical Biochemistry (human) 612.015

Disease control 614.4
DNA 572.86

Ecotoxicology 571.95
Environment 333.7
Environmental protection 363.7
Enzymes, Chemistry 547.758
Enzymes, Biology 572.7
Epidemiology (disease control) 614.4

Field crops 633
Field ecology 577.0723
Fish 597
Food microbiology 664.001579
Forensic biology 614.1
Forest ecology 577.3
Fungi 579.5

Genes 572.86
Genetic diseases 616.042
Genetics 576.5
Genetic engineering 660.65

Histology 611.018
Horticulture 635
Human diseases 616
Human ecology 301.3
Human genetics 599.935
Human immunology 612.1182

Insects 595.7
Invertebrates 592.04

Mammals 599
Marine zoology 591.92
Medical microbiology 616.01
Metabolism 572.4
Microbial physiology 571.29

Natural selection 576.82
Nematodes 595.13
Nervous system 591.48
Nitrogen fixation 581.13345

Parasitology 591.55
Pathology 616.07
Pest control 632.9
Plant diseases 632
Plant taxonomy 580.12
Pollution and wildlife 577.27
Population ecology 577.88
Proteins, Biology 572.6
Proteins, Chemistry 547.75

Reproduction 591.16

Statistics in biology 570.15195

Toxicology 615.9

Vertebrates 596
Virology 579.2

Accessing online Library resources

If you are on campus you will be able to access most e-journals and e-books, and some databases, without entering a username and password because your IP address identifies you as being at the University of Reading.

For any that require a login, see the Off-campus tab.

Terms of Use

When you use our e-resources you are agreeing to our Terms of Use. Please take a moment to look at these by following the link below:

When you are off-campus you will need to login to identify yourself as a member of the University of Reading to gain access to our protected databases, e-books and e-journals. 

Your login details

You login in the same way as for Blackboard - via Microsoft. Just enter your University username followed by @student.reading.ac.uk (e.g. ab123456@student.reading.ac.uk) and your password. If this is the first time you have logged in via this method when off-campus you will be asked to complete a Multi-Factor Authentication. For more information see:

Getting to the login page...

  • For most resources, if you follow a link from our website or catalogues your login will be picked up automatically or you will be prompted to login straightaway. 
  • If you access resources via another route you will need to look for a login option once you reach the resource you are trying to access. Look for an institutional or shibboleth login option and pick 'University of Reading' from a list of institutions. This will then pick up your login or prompt you to login. For more information about institutional login, please see the link below:
Logging in to Library resources

Watch this short video on how you login to use Library resources.

If you are unable to view this video on YouTube it is also available on Stream - view the Logging in to the Library video on Stream (University username and password required)

New books

Citation example in the Harvard style

Biological Sciences recommend using the Harvard style for citations and referencing. See the Citing References tab in this guide for more help and information. 

Citing a whole book example

Hogg, S. (2013). Essential microbiology. Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell. 

Citing a book chapter example

Potter, R.H. (1997). 'Plant gene transfer' in M.S. Clark (ed.) Plant molecular biology: a laboratory manual. London: Springer.

 

Getting books not held at Reading

Our Inter-Library Loans service can get books not held at Reading from other libraries (usually from the British Library).

For more information see our webpages: