MICROBIO 360 - Writing in Microbiology

Try specific terms first,
   then try more general ones.

• Specific terms (Escherichia coli) give fewer but more precise results
• General terms (bacteria) give more but less precise results
  

Searching specific terms may miss a book about the broader topic that has just a chapter on your topic.

If you have them, use both the scientific and common names for organisms, connected with or.

Try using truncation (microb* will find microbe, microbes, microbial, and microbiology) and variant spellings so you won't miss important titles.

To find only books at UMass, use the Five Colleges Library Catalog.  You can borrow from the Five Colleges - use this link to search all at once. 

Searching tips:

• Use keywords to find good subject headings 
• Start with specific keyword search terms
  - if not enough results, then use broader terms
  
• Try broad Subject headings, browsing the sub-topics to narrow it down
  

To get a book delivered to campus from one of the other Four Colleges, click REQUEST at the top (left) of its catalog record and use your library barcode number. You will receive an e-mail in 1-3 days to pick up the book at the UMass Library.

TIP: Use WorldCat Local, the default search on the Library's website, for the widest search, when you are exploring a topic for the first time - it finds  books anywhere, whether the UMass Libraries have them or not. 

If the book is not available in the Five College Library System, you may request a copy through InterLibrary Loan and Document Delivery.