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Physics

Below are suggested resources to use when researching a Physics topic. For research strategies and techniques, visit the resources linked from the menu at the left.

Getting Started | Finding Articles | Getting Fulltext

 

Getting Started

Before jumping in and looking for research, it is a good idea to have a refined topic and to know a little about it. Start with broad resources like encyclopedias, bibliographies, and handbooks to start to get a sense of what is available on your topic in the universe of information.

Books

• Encyclopedia of Physics (edited by Rita G. Lerner & George L. Trigg) QC5 .E545 1990
• Encyclopedia of Modern Physics (edited by Robert A. Meyers & Steven N. Shore) QC5 .E544 1990
• McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology Q121 .M3 2002
• Illustrated Dictionary of Science (edited by Michael Allaby) Via Credo ReferencePlus Online
• The New Penguin Dictionary of Science (edited by Michael J. Clugston) Via Credo ReferencePlus Online

Websites

• Physics Central: Learn How Your World Works
• Martindale Reference Desk's Virtual Physics Center
• Eric Weisstein's World of Physic
• Contributions of 20th Century Women to Physics
• Nobel Laureates in Physics
• Einstein Archives online

Finding Articles

Search the following indexes to find articles on the topic of Physics.

• Academic Search Complete:

  A large multi-disciplinary periodical database with full text for over 4000 journals including many peer reviewed publications. It covers a wide range of general science topics, including physics. This is a good starting point for many topics.

• Academic Onefile:

  This database is a good source for peer-reviewed, full-text articles from the world's leading journals and reference sources. It includes extensive coverage of the physical sciences as well as hundreds of podcasts and transcripts from NPR, CNN and the CBC, together with full-text of New York Times content to 1995.

• Applied Science & Technology Index:

  This database indexes over 700 publications specifically covering science and technology in the broad areas of Chemistry, Computers, Energy, Engineering, Mathematics, and Physics. It includes indexing since 1983 and full text since 1997 from leading international and English language periodicals. For a more successful and focused search, use the Advanced Search screen.

• Current TOPICsearch:

  This database focuses on current events from different viewpoints, including recent scientific discoveries. It includes thousands of full text articles selected by librarians and teachers from over 4,800 diverse sources.

• Dissertations and Theses - Full Text:

  This database, with over 2 million entries, is the single, central, authoritative resource for information about doctoral dissertations and master's theses. It's a great resource for researchers in a wide variety of fields, including physics.

• General Science Index:

  This database indexes articles from popular science magazines and professional journals. It is designed specifically for students and non-specialists, but it is also useful for the expert. The database features the full text for nearly 100 periodicals plus related graphs, charts, diagrams, photos, and illustrations.

• JSTOR:

  This database boasts an ever-growing archive of important scholarly journals. Use the "Browse" feature to see a list of different disciplines, including "General Science" and "History of Science and Technology". The collection includes older issues of core science journals such as Science and Proceedings of the Royal Society of London.

• The Smithonian/NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS):

  The "Digital Library for Physics and Astronomy" includes abstracts and some full text for astronomy, astrophysics, physics and geophysics literature. Use the "Physics and Geophysics Search" to search over three million records in the Physics database.

Getting Fulltext

Because not all indexes are fulltext--or 100% fulltext--you may have to elsewhere to find an article for which you have a citation. Consult the resources below to find out how to get access to the articles you need.

• Library Online Catalog - to see what Simmons owns in print or electronically
• Fulltext Journal Locator (Serials Solutions) just for e-journals, indicates which database covers which years of full-text journals
• Interlibary Loan - if Simmons does not have an article electronically or in print

Finding information on Specific Research Topics

For more information on more specific topics within the discipline of Physics, contact a librarian.

 

Page updated: April 24, 2007