Home - Protocols and Methods - Research Guides at MIT Libraries

Protocols and Methods Collections

CSH (Cold Spring Harbor Protocols) Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, pioneers in Molecular Biology Research have a well-respected press that includes manuals and methods books. This collection is the foundation for the CSH Protocols series.

Nature Protocols Nature publishing has greatly expanded their scope and range of publications while maintaining their reputation. This collection contains content from the edited Nature Protocols Journal and a forum-based Protocols Exchange.

Current Protocols Series (Wiley). This is a journal series with 17 titles in collection that is indexed in a number of search engines. Use advanced search, then filter for lab protocols to search the entire Current Protocols Series

Methods in Enzymology Early volumes in this journal are amongst the most highly cited papers ever published.

Springer Protocols This is our largest collection of methods and protocols that were published in book series going back to 1984.

Journal of Visualized Experiments (JoVE) a video journal featuring methods for biological research. MIT's subscribes to content in the JoVE General section, and the Neuroscience; Immunology & Infection; and Bioengineering sections.

Discovering Protocols

Search Barton for books with Methods and Protocols

Basic Search: (laboratory manuals) and (biol* or biochem*) Will retrieve over 300 books about experimental methods.

Databases that index selected protocols

Protocols on the Web

Open WetWare is an effort to promote the sharing of information, know-how, and wisdom among researchers and groups who are working in biology & biological engineering.
Protocol exchange The Protocol Exchange is an open resource where the community of scientists pool their experimental know-how to help accelerate research.

Methods in Dissertations and Theses

DSpace theses collection - MIT theses and dissertations
Dissertations and Theses (Proquest) - theses and dissertations from North American universities, some worldwide
Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD) - International open access collection of electronic theses and dissertations

About Protocols and Methods

Protocols and methods are a body of literature that describe experimental procedures. Descriptions of experimental procedures are widespread in the scientific literature. The methods sections of research articles are typically brief, and may not provide enough information for a researcher to replicate the process, particularly if the researcher is not already familiar with the procedure.

Research methods are often published separately.
These appear in a variety of formats.
There are journals and serials that focus on methods, such as Methods in Enzymology.
- These may be indexed in databases such as Pubmed, Web of Science, or SciFinder.
Much of the literature in published in books, and these are not widely indexed.

A good protocol can save you countless hours in the lab with proven methodologies as a starting point for your research.