The Biology Student Handbook is a guide for Biology and Biochemistry majors at North Central College. It includes information on the curriculum, suggestions for studying biology, guidance on careers, standards for writing and citations, guidelines for presentations, instructions for commonly used equipment and procedures, and much more. A printed Handbook can be purchased through our online bookstore, Akademos. This site allows viewing and downloading of individual sections and also includes lists of resources (links, videos, sites with more information) related to the Handbook sections.
- Why a Biology Student Handbook?
- Life Sciences at NCC
- Career Pathways
- Preparing for Medical or Health Careers
- Doing Biology
- Getting Experience: Research and More
- Biology on the Web
- Lab Safety
- Keeping a Lab Notebook
- Working in the Lab
- Writing Lab Reports
- Making Figures
- Finding and Citing Sources
- Managing References
- Preparing Scientific Presentations
- Scientific Integrity
- Accuracy and Precision
- Statistical Analysis
- Graphing with Excel
- Computers and Software
- Human and Animal Research
- Measurements and Solutions
- Working with Microorganisms
- Using Micropipettors
- Measuring with Pipettes
- Microscopy
- Using Spectrophotometers
- Centrifugation
- Gel Electrophoresis
- Restriction Enzyme Digestion
- PCR
- Gel Documentation
- Image Analysis
- Drosophila Care and Maintenance
- Acknowledgements