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This is a guide to library research in the field of physics. It contains a selective list of resources that may be helpful for getting started. Please consult Joanne Adamowicz, the physics librarian or ask a librarian for additional assistance.
Macmillan encyclopedia of physics
The signed articles in this encyclopedia are broad-ranging, covering the world of physics from antiquity to present times. There are also entries dealing with the physics of everyday phenomena, such as clouds, tornadoes, and the seasons.
Science Reference QC5 .M15 1996
McGraw-Hill encyclopedia of science and technology (through AccessScience). An online encyclopedia that includes 800 plus signed articles on physics topics. These articles provide detailed information on all of the major branches of physics, modern and classical. Their text is illustrated with over 1000 drawings, graphs, charts & photographs. Many entries include brief bibliographies. Also included is The Dictionary of scientific and technical terms which contains over 110,000 definitions.
Magill's survey of science. Physical science series
The six volumes in the set address 380 subjects in physics, mathematics, computation science, physical chemistry and astronomy/astrophysics. Each signed article, averaging 7-8 pages in length, begins with a brief summary of the topic's significance and a list of key terms with definitions.
Science Reference Q158.5 .M34 1992
World of physics
This two volume encyclopedia offers more than 800 entries and longer articles on various topics in physics. Included are biographies of many of the most important physicists in history. Covered are all major areas of physics both modern and classical.
Science Reference QC5.W67 2001
CRC handbook of chemistry and physics
The classic among handbooks, the CRC Handbook should be your first place to turn for physical constants and properties of substances.
The physics quick reference guide
Published by the American Institute of Physics, this volume is intended to serve as a compendium of useful material applicable to the broad range of physics. Includes all the important formulae.
Science Reference QC61 .C61 1996
Kaye & Laby's tables of physical and chemical constants
A useful volume of physical and chemical data required for everyday laboratory purposes. Contains sections on wavelength standards, cosmic rays, atomic radii, caloric values of fuels, nuclear fusion, and radioactive series, among other handy tables.
American Institute of Physics handbook of physics
This handbook contains multiple tables, including crystal properties, heats of combustion, properties of nuclides, and x-ray wavelengths.
Science Reference QC61 .A5 1972
Handbook of Physics
This volume covers all topics from classicial to modern physics. It offers formulas, rules, theorems in all areas covered. Also included are numerous examples of problems as well as problem solving hints. Tables of standard values and material properties are also provided.
Science Reference QC61 H37 2001
Information sources in physics
This excellent guide covers the gamut of traditional print and non-print literature & information sources in Physics - journals, preprints, conference proceedings, patents, handbooks & other reference tools, databases, and, yes, even, books. Bear in mind that it was written before the World Wide Web revolutionized the art of information gathering.
Science Reference QC21.2 .I535 1994
The search for data in the physical and chemical sciences
Wonderful background reading on the creation, compilation and retrieval of numerical data for both physics and chemistry.
Science Reference QC5.3 .A76 1984
LOUIS, the online catalog of the Brandeis Libraries, is the principle means of locating books in the library collections. LOUIS can be useful for this purpose at two levels of your research.
If you have already identified the book(s) you need through other research aids, search LOUIS by title or by author to locate the item(s) in the library.
If you are trying to identify books that will be useful for your research, search LOUIS by subject or by keyword.
In addition, you may want to browse for books using the Library of Congress (LC) System of classification. LC provides a systematic means of arranging books on the shelf by broad subject areas. Look for the Physics books in the QC section, and Astronomy under QB.
Indexes to the literature provide a quick way to locate articles in journals. The following are some general indexes for research in Physics.
Web of Science
This multidisciplinary database covering the journal literature from 1945 to present offers both subject and citation searching. If you know one or more key articles in your area of interest, use Cited Reference Search to find later articles that have cited the works. Also offers literature searching by topic. If you need help, a tutorial is available or ask a librarian.
SPIRES High Energy Physics Database
SPIRES, the Stanford Public Information Retrieval System, database indexes more than 350,000 high energy physics related papers, including preprints (i.e., articles issued in advance of formal publication), journal papers, technical reports, conference papers, and theses received by the Stanford Linear Accelerator Laboratory's library since 1974. Selected preprints can be viewed in full text using Postscript and/or PDF.
ArXiv.org E-Print Archive
Started in 1961, this site is a fully automated electronic archive & distribution center for research papers in physics and related disciplines, mathematics, nonlinear science, computational linguistics, and neuroscience.
Scirus
SCIRUS is a search engine of science specific information on the internet. Its search includes patents and preprints as well as scholarly journals and reports. Allows limiting of searches by science subject area as well as source.
American men and women of science
This reference tool profiles careers of U.S. & Canadian scientists, including birth dates, specialties, education, honorary degrees, current positions, awards, and addresses. The discipline index includes a section for Physics & Astronomy.
Science Reference Q141. A48
Directory of physics, astronomy, & geophysics staff
Another fine tool produced by the American Institute of Physics, this directory covers a wide range of organizations besides academic institutions: government agencies and labs, large corporations as well as small firms.
Science Reference QC30 .D47 1997
Member societies of AIP
This Web site gives addresses & telephone numbers for a number of physics societies, including the American Physical Society, the Optical Society of America, the American Association of Physics Teachers, the American Astronomical Society, and the American Geophysical Union. Most societies allow you to search the online membership directories, but others, like the American Physical Society, require a password.
Notable scientists from 1900 to the present
This multivolume set offers biographical information on approximately 1600 scientists who worked in the twentieth century in the physical, applied and life sciences as well as mathematics, computer science and engineering. Each entry includes a short biography as well as a list of selected writings by the other. Includes illustrations.
Science Reference Q141 .N732 2001
A review article offers a summary and analysis of previously published literature on a given subject. A review article may help you narrow your research topic and inspire a wave of ideas for searching the literature. These special articles feature extensive bibliographies, which may lead to important authors in your field of research. The following is a selection of review series available in the Science Library:
Advances in Nuclear Physics
Science Library QC173 .A2545
Annual Review of Astronomy and Astrophysics
http://arjournals.annualreviews.org/loi/astro
Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Science
http://arjournals.annualreviews.org/loi/earth
Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics
http://resources.library.brandeis.edu/login?url=http://arjournals.annualreviews.org/loi/fluid
Annual Review of Nuclear and Particle Science
http://arjournals.annualreviews.org/loi/nucl
Science Library QC770 .A52
Progress in Optics
Science Library QC351 .P7
Solid State Physics
Science Library QC173 .S477
EndNote is a personal software tool for managing your research citations and creating bibliographies and footnotes in a variety of citation styles. It can be downloaded to both Macs and PCs from here. Learn how to download citations from databases such as ScienceDirect and Web of Science into Endnote.
