Sciences: Finding Sources
Overview
Physics and Astronomy

Databases and Indexes | Web Resources | Reference Books
CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, Online. Ed. David R. Lide. Boca Raton: CRC, 1999-.
A compilation of formulas, numeric data, tables, lists, and charts of interest to scientists. The electronic database, searchable by keyword and subject, provides the full texts of these materials. The print version of this work, CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics, provides coverage beginning in 1913; it is updated annually.

INSPEC. London: IEEE, 1969-.
A leading database in the fields of physics, electrical and electronics engineering, computers, and information technology. This work provides bibliographic citations and descriptive abstracts of research literature of the field. The print version is Physics Abstracts, with coverage beginning in 1941.


Databases and Indexes | Web Resources | Reference Books AstroWeb: Astronomy/Astrophysics on the Internet.
A simply designed but comprehensive collection of resources for astronomers including information on observations, data, publications, people, and research. The site is maintained by the AstroWeb Consortium, a collaborative effort of nine scientists at seven institutions.
WEBLINKhttp://www.stsci.edu/astroweb/astronomy.html

PhysicsWeb: Global News and Information.
Selected physics links from around the world of interest to scientists, teachers, and students. The site also includes a database of physics departments, bulletin boards, and notification services. Multimedia features demonstrate how certain physics rules and concepts work. (Most of the site is available free of charge, but users must register to enter some areas.)
WEBLINKhttp://physicsweb.org/TIPTOP

NASA.
Provides information gathered by NASA and its affiliates, with daily news stories on current astronomical events, data received from space probes, and the latest information on shuttle launches.
WEBLINKhttp://www.nasa.gov

The NASA Astrophysics Data System.
Provides a searchable database of descriptive abstracts for astrophysics papers divided into categories such as Astronomy and Astrophysics, Instrumentation, Physics and Geophysics, and Los Alamos Preprint Server. The site, funded by NASA and maintained by Harvard University personnel and professors, also provides access to the full text of articles and translations of abstracts written in different languages.
WEBLINKhttp://adswww.harvard.edu

PubSCIENCE.
Indexes articles in over 1,000 journals focused on the physical sciences. Provided by the Department of Energy's Office of Scientific and Technical Information, the site includes over 1.8 million citations to articles related to physics and energy. Contributors to the site include a number of well-known science institutions and publishers.
WEBLINKhttp://pubsci.osti.gov/index.html


Databases and Indexes | Web Resources | Reference Books
The Astronomy and Astrophysics Encyclopedia. Ed. Stephen P. Maran. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1999.
A handbook of current information in astronomy and astrophysics.

The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Astronomy. Ed. Simon Mitton. New York: Crown, 1977.
A topical survey of astronomy geared to the interested layperson and arranged by broad topic.

Encyclopedia of Physics. Ed. Rita G. Lerner and George L. Trigg. 2nd ed. New York: Wiley, 1990.
Provides brief discussions of basic concepts in physics.

Information Sources in Physics. Ed. Dennis F. Shaw. 3rd ed. London: Bowker Saur, 1994.
A guide to reference resources in physics, arranged in chapters by subdiscipline. Each chapter is written by an expert. Especially helpful is the chapter explaining the scope of physics literature.

Macmillan Encyclopedia of Physics. Ed. John S. Rigden. 4 vols. New York: Macmillan Library Reference, 1996.
Covers laws, concepts, fundamental theories, and the lives and work of important physicists throughout history.

A Physicist's Desk Reference. Ed. Herbert Lawrence Anderson. 2nd ed. New York: American Institute of Physics, 1995.
A concise source of tables, formulas, and bibliographies in 22 subdisciplines related to physics.

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