Research Guides: GERM 320: Science As Fiction (HC) Spring 2016: Background Sources

Reference Sources: Best Bets

Dictionary of Scientific Biography
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ISBN: 9780684805887
Publication Date: 1998-04-01
In print at the Haverford's White Science Library, this is the premier biographical set in science and includes deceased scientists dating from antiquity who have made significant contributions. These biographical entries are detailed and contain bibliographies of primary and secondary sources. The coverage is international in scope and highly authoritative. The subject index allows for searching based on subject rather than by person. Where appropriate, diagrams and mathematical equations are included in the descriptions.

Literature Online Reference Suite
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(Use hyperlink or the "H" icon for access from Haverford; use the "B" and "S" icons to the right if trying to access to this resource from Bryn Mawr or Swarthmore.)

Additional Reference Sources: History of Science

Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography
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An updated version of the Dictionary of Scientific Biography but without the same breadth of coverage—especially with respect to 19th-century scientists.
Science and its times
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This set addresses the varied social impacts of science, medicine, and technology. See the appropriate volume for the time period you are researching. The volumes are divided into broad science categories with relevant biographical sketches for each section.
Hutchinson Dictionary of Scientific Biography
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"Provides an authoritative and accessible look at the lives of the men and women who have shaped science."

Additional Resources: Literature

Literature Resource Center
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Provides biographies, bibliographies and scholarly articles on novelists, poets, essayists, and other writers, with in-depth coverage of highly-studied authors.

Web Searching

The background sources listed above will most often be your best starting points, but you can also improve your web searches—if you need to turn to Google for additional information—by employing these search tips.