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Specialized databases in physics

Use online databases to locate references to journal articles, book chapters, books, and more.  Most online databases provide abstracts but many will also link you to full-text resources.  Use OneSearch to determine which journal titles you may access at UR. 

Background information & key reference works in physics

Use encyclopedias, dictionaries, and handbooks to obtain an overview of your subject, an understanding of basic concepts, a summary of key issues, definitions, and data.  Encyclopedia articles frequently include bibliographies and may refer you to other entries on related topics. 

  • AccessScience (the online edition of the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology)
         REF Q121 .M3 2007
  • AIP Physics Desk Reference  *
         REF QC61 .P49 2003
  • Aldrich Library of FT-IR Spectra
         QC457 .P87 1997
  • Aldrich Library of Infrared Spectra  *
         REF QD96 .I5 P67 1981
  • Aldrich Library of 13C and 1H FT NMR Spectra  *
         REF QC462.85 .A44 1993
  • American Institute of Physics Handbook
         REF QC61 .A5 1972
  • Cambridge Atlas of Astronomy
         REF QB65 .G6813 1994
  • CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics  *
         REF QD65 .H3
  • Dictionary of Physics
         REF QC5 .D53 2009
  • Dictionary of Scientific Units: Including Dimensionless Numbers and Scales
         REF QC82 .J4 1992
  • Encyclopedia of Physics
         REF QC5 .E545 2005
  • Encyclopedia of Physics
         REF QC .R596 2004
  • Facts on File Dictionary of Atomic and Nuclear Physics
         REF QC772 .F33 2003
  • Handbook of Physical Quantities
         REF QC61 .H36 1997
  • McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Physics  *
         REF QC5 .M424 2003
  • McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms  *
         REF Q123 .M34 2003
  • NIST Physical Reference Data
  • NIST Reference on Constants, Units, and Uncertainty
  • Oxford Reference Online (Dictionary of Physics)
  • Physically Speaking: A Dictionary of Quotations on Physics and Astronomy
         REF QC5 .P47 1997
  • Physics Quick Reference Guide
         REF QC61 .C65 1996
  • Van Nostrand's Scientific Encyclopedia
         REF Q121 .V3 2008

    *  Also available in Science Reading Room, Gottwald

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