Research Guides: Open Educational Resources: Biology

Biology

On this page you will find open access Biology textbooks along with supplemental materials. The purpose of these subject specific pages is to highlight content for those who are interested in what open educational resources are available. This list of content is by no means exhaustive. The nature of open educational resources is very collaborative and we encourage comments about the content featured on this page, or recommendations of content that are not found here.

Biology Textbooks

Microbiology - Much of the book is devoted to the structure/function relationships in pathogenic microorganisms and how these relationships are expressed in host-parasite interactions. The text also examines Microbial diseases of specific organ systems as well as host response mechanisms.
Lyme Disease - Lyme disease, or Lyme borreliosis, is an emerging infectious disease caused by bacteria belonging to the genus borrelia. Borrelia burgdorferi, in the strict sense. This book deals mostly with the molecular biology of the Lyme disease agent orrelia burgdorferi.
Cell Biology - This book is a compilation of inspiring reviews/original studies, which are divided into sections: New Methods in Cell Biology, Molecular and Cellular Regulatory Mechanisms, and Cellular Basis of Disease and Therapy.

Biology Collections

Biology - InTech
Resources including information on Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology; Oncology; Stem Cell Research and more...
College Open Textbooks
Peer-reviewed open access biology textbooks collected by both non-profit and for-profit corporations. Includes a range of formats and copyright licenses, although all are free for use.
Environmental Science - InTech
A collection of open textbooks and chapters on topics such as water quality, and forest ecology and conservation.
Lumen
Co-founded by open-education visionary Dr. David Wiley and education-technology strategist Kim Thanos, Lumen Learning is dedicated to facilitating broad, successful adoption of OER.
Open Textbook Library
Topics that cover concepts of biology, general biology, microbiology and more...

Biology Resources

Biodiversity Heritage Library
Materials provided by a consortium of natural history and botanical libraries who have come together to digitize the literature of biodiversity held in their collections and to make it available as part of a global 'biodiversity commons.'
Encyclopedia of Life
A collection of knowledge of the many life-forms on Earth - of animals, plants, fungi, protists and bacteria - scattered around the world in books, journals, databases, websites, and specimen collections.
Khan Academy
Video lectures covering topics from first-year college biology courses including cells and cell division, cellular respiration, photosynthesis, immunology and more...
LibreTexts
A BioWiki which includes several pages of biology information, a WikiText section that contains materials from courses, and more...
MERLOT
Hundreds of materials and learning exercise covering topics such as Human Biology; Exploring Biomes; Making Polypeptides, and more...
MIT Open Courseware
These courses represent the core, quantitative aspects of biology - including molecular biology, biochemistry, genetics, and cell biology. Courses are designed to provide a solid background in the physical sciences and to develop an integrated scientific perspective.
nanoHUB.org
"Our site hosts a rapidly growing collection of Simulation Programs for nanoscale phenomena that run in the cloud and are accessible through a web browser." The site also include and extensive collection of online presentations; course materials; learning modules; and podcasts.
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The site also include and extensive collection of online presentations; course materials; learning modules; and podcasts.
Saylor Academy
Courses on introduction to molecular biology as well as microbiology.

Open Access Biology Journals

Academic Journals - Biology
A collection biological science journals from a broad-based publisher of peer-reviewed open access journals.
Biology — Open Access Biological Sciences Journal
An international, peer-reviewed open access journal of biological sciences published quarterly online by MDPI.
BMC Biology
An open journal which includes research and methodology articles, review, Q&A and comment, across all of biology and with a publication policy that combines selection for special interest and importance with a commitment to serving authors well.
Cell Reports
A journal from Cell Press that publishes high-quality papers across the entire life sciences spectrum. The primary criterion for publication in Cell Reports, as for all Cell Press journals, is new biological insight. Cell Reports publishes with a focus on a shorter, single-point story, called a Report, in addition to a longer Article format. Cell Reports also publishes Resources, which highlight significant technical advances and/or major informational data sets.
Ecology and Evolution
A peer reviewed journal for rapid dissemination of research in all areas of ecology, evolution and conservation science. The journal gives priority to quality research reports, theoretical or empirical, that develop our understanding of organisms and their diversity, interactions between them, and the natural environment.
Environmental Science and Ecology - Elsevier
A collection of open access journals on topics of environmental science and ecology.
Journal of Marine Science and Engineering
Provides an advanced forum for studies related to marine science and engineering.
Journal of Zoology
Papers on animal behaviour, ecology, physiology, anatomy, developmental biology, evolution, systematics, genetics, and genomics.
PLOS Biology
Features works of exceptional significance, originality, and relevance in all areas of biological science, from molecules to ecosystems, including works at the interface of other disciplines, such as chemistry, medicine, and mathematics.

Scientific Research Publishing (SCIRP)

Scientific Research Publishing (SCIRP)
Publisher of more than 200 open access, online, peer-reviewed journals covering a wide range of academic disciplines serving the worldwide academic communities and contributing to the progress and application of science.