In This Guide:

Why background?

Background sources (encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, etc.) provide well established summary and factual information. Useful for:

basic concepts and established viewpoints
historical context and relationships to other topics
specialized terms and definitions
data, facts, formulas

Bioinformatics: Encyclopedias, Dictionaries & More

Encyclopedias

The Software Encyclopedia. 2 vols.
Call Number: Reference QA76.6 .S61714 2008
Encyclopedia of Genetics, Genomics, Proteomics, and Bioinformatics by 8 vol.
Call Number: Reference QH431 .E62 2005

v. 1-2. Genetics, v. 3-4. Genomics, v. 5-6. Proteomics, v. 7-8. Bioinformatics
View MARQCAT Record
Encyclopedia of Measurement and Statistics, 3 vols.
Call Number: Reference HA29 .S2363 2007

Dictionaries

Dictionary of BIoinformatics and Computational Biology by John M. Hancock, Marketa J. Zvelebil (editors)
Call Number: Reference QH324.2 .D53 2004

Check MARQCAT record for availability.
Provides definitions of over 600 words, phrases, and concepts, lists references and Internet links, incorporates cross-referencing throughout, and features a comprehensive index.
The Dictionary of Genomics, Transcriptomics and Proteomics by Günter Kahl
Call Number: Reference QH506 .K333 2009

Check MARQCAT record for availablity and location. 4th edition, greatly enlarged; 3 volumes
A Dictionary of Biology by Elizabeth Martin (Editor)
Call Number: QH 302.5 .D5 2004

Publication Date: 2004

Check MARQCAT record for availability and location. 5th edition.
The Dictionary of Cell and Molecular Biology by 4th ed.
Call Number: Reference QH575 .D52 2007

With over 10,000 entries, it incorporates related terms from neuroscience, genetics, microbiology, immunology, pathology, and physiology. View MARQCAT Record
A Dictionary of Genetics by Robert C. King, William D. Stansfield, Pamela K. Mulligan
Call Number: Raynor Ref QH 427 .K55 2006

Check MARQCAT record for print availability and location.
Includes 7,000 cross-referenced definitions, line drawings, tables, chemical formulas and six appendices. Unlimited user license; 7th edition.
Oxford Dictionary of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology by Richard Cammack et al. (eds.)
Call Number: Reference QP512 .O94 2006

Check MARQCAT record for availability and location. 2nd edition.

Other Reference Books

NCBI Handbook
"Although each NCBI resource has online help documentation associated with it, there is no cohesive approach to describing the databases and search engines, nor any significant information on how the databases work or how they can be leveraged, for bioinformatics research on a larger scale. The NCBI Handbook is designed to address this information gap.
Each chapter is devoted to one service; after a brief overview on using the resource, there is an account of how the resource works, including topics such as how data are included in a database, database design, query processing, and how the different resources relate to each other. "
Color Atlas of Genetics by 3rd ed., rev. and updated
Call Number: Reference QH436 .P3713 2007

Covers the fundamentals of genetics, genetic disease processes, and genome organization. View MARQCAT Record
The Biomedical Engineering Handbook, 3 vols.
Call Number: Reference R856.15 .B56 2006
Quantities, Symbols, Units, and Abbreviations in the Life Sciences: A Guide for Authors and Editors
Call Number: Reference QH304.5 .Q36 1999

All the symbols, units, and abbreviations are defined, with commentary and some etymological background frequently provided. View MARQCAT Record