Physics Research Guide
This guide provides you with a good starting point for conducting research in physics at the Southwestern Adventist University Library. As you explore the library’s resources you will find additional materials such as videos and DVD’s.<Back to Research Guides Index List>
Library Catalog
The library catalog is available online at: http://silc.swau.edu/aquabrowser/We use the Library of Congress Classification system to organize most of the material in our library. Using this system, each book is given its own call number. The call number is used to locate the books on the shelf. Material related to physics can be found in the following call number ranges or areas.
| Q | Science |
| QC | Physics |
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Research Related Material
Below are some titles in the SWAU library collection that describe the methodology used in conducting and organizing research. Some of these are specific to the field of science and some are general research and writing guides. Most of these titles are in the [MAIN] collection and are located on second and third floor. Those that begin with [R] are located on first floor in our reference collection.A glossary of English grammar
[R] PE1112 .L44 2006
The extreme searcher's Internet handbook
[R] ZA4230 .H63 2007
The research project : how to write it
[MAIN] LB 2369 .B38 2004
Using sources effectively : strengthening your writing and avoiding plagiarism
[MAIN] LB 2369 .H37 2002
The nuts & bolts of college writing
[MAIN] PE 1408 .H3927 2003
Communicating in science : writing a scientific paper and speaking at scientific meetings
[MAIN] Q 223 .B664 1993
The ACS style guide : effective communication of scientific information
On reserve at the Circulation Desk
Some online science writing style helps
http://www.councilscienceeditors.org/publications/style.cfm
How to Site the Bible (Grove City College)
http://hbl.gcc.edu/citingBIBLE.htm
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Dictionaries & Encyclopedias
Reference materials such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, almanacs and atlases provide facts and statistics and are usually arranged so information can be easily located. They can be used to narrow or broaden a search topic or provide needed details for your research. Most of our reference material is located on first floor.Encyclopedia of ethics
[R] BJ 63 .E45 2001 v.1-3
Encyclopedia of science and religion
[R] BL 240.3 .E43 2003 v.1-2
McGraw-Hill encyclopedia of science and technology
[R] Q 121 .M3 2002 v.1-20
Encyclopedia of astronomy and astrophysics
[R] QB 14 .E54 2001 v.1-4
The International Halley Watch atlas of large-scale phenomena
[R] QB 723 .H2I57 1992
A to Z of physics
[R] QC 15 .L45 2003
Encyclopaedia of scientific units, weights, and measures : their SI equivalences and origins
[R] QC 94 .C295 2003
Building blocks of matter : a supplement to the Macmillan encyclopedia of physics
[R] QC 793.2 .B85 2003
CRC handbook of chemistry and physics
[R] QD 65 .H3 2005
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Print Periodicals
Periodicals include journals, magazines and newspapers. All of our periodicals are shelved in alphabetical order by the title. We keep two issues of our current subscriptions on first floor. Back issues and titles not currently received are shelved on the east side of third floor.Currently Received Journals and Magazines
(First and third floor)
American Journal of Physics
American Scientist
Astronomy
Nature
Physics Teacher
Physics Today
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (Online through A to Z on library homepage)
Reviews of Modern Physics (Online through A to Z on library homepage)
Science
Scientific American
Sky and Telescope
Titles Not Currently Received
(Only on third floor)
American Laboratory
Annals of the New York Academy of Science
Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
Geophysics
Journal of Chemical Physics
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Print Indexes
Indexes are used to locate citations (the information on where the article is found and who wrote it) of articles on a specific subject or subjects. When you have found the citation(s), you go to the shelves to locate the article(s). Articles not available in our library may be obtained through interlibrary loan. Two good print indexes for physics are listed below. These indexes are shelved on third floor.General Science Index
Applied Science and Technology Index
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Databases
Our library databases, found on our web page, offer many options for locating material in physics. These databases are online indexes. Some of them have only the citation (the information on where the article is found and who wrote it) and an abstract (a short description of the article). Other databases offer some or all full-text articles. In other words, the whole article is on the computer. The ones most likely to help you in your research are listed below.EBSCOhost
Academic Search Premier - The greatest number of full text, peer-reviewed journals found in any database. Provides a broad spectrum of data in social sciences, humanities, education, computer sciences, engineering, language and linguistics, arts & literature, medical sciences, and ethnic studies.
Computer Source - Offers full-text for 300 publications on the latest information and current trends in high technology.
Information Science and Technology Abstracts - Indexes 450 journals, books, research reports, and conference proceedings related to information science.
Science and Technology Collection - Provides full-text from 800 journals on topics of aeronautics, astrophysics, chemistry, computer technology, geology, aviation, physics, archaeology, and materials science.
FirstSearch
ASTA - Applied Science and Technology Abstracts. Over 700 sources covering chemistry, computer technology, data processing, energy-related disciplines, engineering, mathematics and physics. Includes some full text from WilsonSelectPlus.
Dissertation Abs - Indexes dissertations and theses from institutions in North America and Europe.
ECO - An OCLC collection of scholarly journals. Includes some full text from WilsonSelectPlus.
GenSciAbs - General science literature from over 160 sources from the U.S. and Europe. Includes some full text from WilsonSelectPlus.
WilsonSelectPlus - Full text articles in science, humanities, education and business from 1,652 sources.
WorldCat - A consortial catalog of books and other materials in libraries worldwide.
NetLibrary
Provides access to a collection of 28,274 e-books. NetLibrary eBooks are digital full-text versions of books such as reference works, scholarly monographs, literature and fiction in all subjects.
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SDA Related Material
Index to the Complete Published Writings of Ellen G. WhiteIncludes the books, periodical articles and pamphlets with the writings of Ellen G. White. Searches can be done by topic, searching the full text of the published writings, or by going to a particular book, periodical or pamphlet.
SDA Periodical Index
Indexing to approximately 40 Seventh-day Adventist journals and magazines. Currently the index covers the years 1977 to the present. Some links to full text are available.
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Useful Web Resources
The Web sites listed below were evaluated by a reference librarian. Sites found on the web should always be critically evaluated for authority, accuracy, audience, coverage, currency, objectivity and purpose. There are additional sites related to physics that may be reached through some of the university sites listed at the end of this section. Not all of these sites have been evaluated. Be sure to use your “critical thinking skills if you choose to use these additional web resources or to find other sites on your own.Southwestern Adventist University
Mathematics and Physical Sciences(Online at: http://www.swau.edu/academics/chemphysics.asp)
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General Help Links
College and Graduate School Planning (Thomson Peterson’s)Contains a resource and information area for educators, as well as information for students and prospective students on test preparation, financial aid planning and career advancement.
(Online at: http://www.petersons.com/)
College and University Rankings (University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign)
Identifies top colleges and universities in various areas. Contains links to many ranking services, along with cautionary notes and a discussion of the ongoing controversy over rankings.
(Online at: http://www.library.uiuc.edu/edx/rankings.htm)
GRE - Graduate Record Examinations (Educational Testing Service)
Free test prep materials available for the General Test and for the Subject Tests. Also contains information about changes to the GRE, which are to be implemented in the fall of 2007.
(Online at: http://www.ets.org/portal/site/ets/menuitem.435c0b5cc7bd0ae7015d9510c3921509/?vgnextoid=b195e3b5f64f4010VgnVCM10000022f95190RCRD)
Guide to Grammar and Writing (Dr. Charles Darling and the Capital Community College Foundation)
Features a guide to grammar and writing, principles of composition, and interactive quizzes.
(Online at: http://grammar.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/)
Internet Detective (Intute Virtual Training Suite)
Free online tutorial designed to help college and university students develop their Internet research skills. Looks at the critical thinking required when using the Internet for research and offers practical advice on evaluating the quality of web sites. Follow the tutorial or explore the site on your own.
(Online: http://www.vts.intute.ac.uk/detective/tutors.html)
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary and Thesaurus (Merriam-Webster Incorporated)
Online web site for Merriam-Webster. Includes a variety of resources on words and word meanings.
(Online at: http://www.m-w.com/netdict.htm)
OWL at Purdue (Purdue University)
Offers free online writing, research, and MLA and APA style help.
(Online at: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/)
Paradigm Online Writing Assistance (Chuck Guilford)
Published by an experienced English teacher, POWA is an interactive, menu-driven, online writer's guide and handbook written in HTML and distributed freely over the WWW. Intended to be useful for all writers, from inexperienced to advanced.
(Online at: http://www.powa.org/)
Plagiarism (Indiana University, Bloomington)
Explains what plagiarism is and how to avoid it.
(Online at: http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml)
Writer’s Workshop (Northern Illinois University)
Includes resources for students, tutors, teachers and visitors.
(Online at: http://www.engl.niu.edu/comskills/main.html)
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Physics Links
Activity-Based Physics (University of Maryland)Uses the outcomes of physics education research along with flexible computer tools to promote activity-based models of physics instruction.
(Online at: http://www.physics.umd.edu/rgroups/ripe/perg/abp/)
American Association of Physics Teachers
Web site for the AAPT. AAPT seeks to enhance the understanding and appreciation of physics through teaching. Includes teaching resources, physics projects, links to other physics related web sites and more.
(Online at: http://www.aapt.org)
American Institute of Physics
Web site for the AIP. Includes resources on government relations, news and media, history, education, statistical research and more.
(Online at: http://www.aip.org/resources.html)
arXiv (Cornell University)
E-print archive considered by many to be the premier electronic source for most streams of research in physics, mathematics, computer science, nonlinear sciences, and quantitative biology. Currently the means of access to almost a half million papers.
(Online at: http://arxiv.org/)
Basics of NMR (Joseph P. Hornak, Ph.D.)
Educational package for nuclear magnetic resonance. Features simultaneous display of text, graphics, and navigation aids. Includes program helps.
(Online at: http://www.cis.rit.edu/htbooks/nmr/nmr-main.htm)
CERN (European Organization for Nuclear Research)
Web site for CERN (Conseil Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire), which is a high energy physics institute. Site includes education resources for teachers and students, information about CERN, information about tours as well as some virtual tour info and the latest news in particle physics.
(Online at: http://public.web.cern.ch/public/)
eConf<(Stanford Linear Accelerator Center)
Free proceedings of high-energy physics conferences.
(Online at: http://www.slac.stanford.edu/econf/)
Einstein Archives Online (California Institute of Technology and the Hebrew University of Jerusalem)
Includes digitized manuscripts, an archival database and finding aid information.
(Online at: http://www.alberteinstein.info/)
E-print Network (U.S. Department of Energy)
Gateway to over 27,000 Web sites and databases worldwide, containing 1.1 million e-prints in basic and applied sciences, primarily in physics but also including subject areas such as chemistry, biology and life sciences, materials science, nuclear sciences and engineering, energy research, computer and information technologies, and other disciplines of interest to the Department of Energy. (Online at: http://www.osti.gov/eprints/)
HyperPhysics (Dr. Rod Nave, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Georgia State University)
Interactive physics information for undergraduate students.
(Online at: http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hphys.html)
Information Bridge (U. S. Department of Energy and the Government Printing Office)
Contains documents and citations in physics, chemistry, materials, biology, environmental sciences, energy technologies, engineering, computer and information science, renewable energy, and other topics of interest related to DOE's mission.
(Online at: http://www.osti.gov/bridge/)
Internet Public Library: Physics (University of Michigan School of Information)
Resources for study in physics.
(Online at: http://www.ipl.org/div/subject/browse/sci54.00.00/)
IOP Select (Institute of Physics)
Selected articles on physics chosen for novelty, significance and potential impact on future research.
(Online at: http://www.iop.org/Select/)
Jobs@LANL (Los Alamos National Laboratory)
Features physics and other science related job listings as well as resume writing and job search tips.
(Online at: http://www.hr.lanl.gov/FindJob/index.stm)
Learn Physics Today (Colegio Franklin D. Roosevelt)
Online physics tutorial. Features sound and animation throughout the tutorial.
(Online at: http://library.thinkquest.org/10796/indexf.htm)
Librarians’ Internet Index, Physics (U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services)
High-quality law websites carefully selected, described, and organized by a team of librarians.
(Online at: http://search.lii.org/index.jsp?sm=fr10%3BSubTopic1344%3B00http%3A%2F%2Fwww.lii.org%2Fia%2Fdata%2Fdemo1%2Ftopic%231927%3BPhysics&moreres=SubTopic13)
Molecular Expressions, Electricity and Magnetism (National High Magnetic Field Laboratory)
Features a variety of interactive Java tutorials for different aspects of electricity and magnetism.
(Online at: http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/electromag/java/index.html)
NASA Technical Reports Server
Collects, archives, and disseminates NASA aerospace information, and locates domestic and international STI pertinent to NASA's missions and Strategic Enterprises.
(Online at: http://ntrs.nasa.gov/)
National Technical Information Service (U. S. Department of Commerce)
The largest, central resource for government-funded scientific, technical, engineering, and business related information available today.
(Online at: http://www.ntis.gov/)
Nobel Laureates in Physics 1901 - Present (Stanford Linear Accelerator Center Library)
Features biographical information on those who have won the Nobel prize in physics. Also includes links to related sites.
(Online at: http://www.slac.stanford.edu/library/nobel/)
Physical Reference Data (National Institute of Standards and Technology)
There are several online databases listed on this page in the areas of physical constants, atomic and molecular spectroscopic data, and x-ray and gamma-ray data, including Fundamental Physical Constants, which gives values of the basic constants and conversion factors of physics and chemistry, including atomic mass constant, classical electron radius, and Wien displacement law constant.
(Online at: http://physics.nist.gov/PhysRefData/contents.html)
Physics 2000 (University of Colorado at Boulder)
Interactive introduction to modern physics.
(Online at: http://www.colorado.edu/physics/2000/index.pl)
Physics Applets (University of Oregon, Department of Physics)
Large collection of interactive JAVA applets for use in physics, astronomy or environmental science courses.
(Online at: http://jersey.uoregon.edu/vlab/)
Physics Laboratory (National Institute of Standards and Technology)
Provides measurement services and research for electronic, optical, and radiation technologies. Also includes research programs and highlights.
(Online at: http://physics.nist.gov/)
Preprint Archive (Elsevier)
Requires registration, but use is free. Covers computer science, chemistry and mathematics.
(Online at: http://www.sciencedirect.com/preprintarchive)
Science Base (David Bradley Science Writer)
Portal to science articles in astronomy, biology, chemistry, physics and other areas of scientific discovery.
(Online at: http://www.sciencebase.com/)
Science.gov (U. S. Federal Government)
Access to scientific information. Click on "Math, Physics and Chemistry" to browse the available resources, or use the search function to find the information you need.
(Online at: http://science.gov/)
Smithsonian/NASA Astrophysics Data System (Harvard University and NASA)
Digital library of materials for physics and astronomy. Includes bibliographic records, full text material and links to electronic articles, data catalogs and archives. Also features links to other NASA centers and related sites.
(Online at: http://adswww.harvard.edu/)
SPIRES-HEP (Stanford Linear Accelerator Center)
Described as the first website in the United States and the first database to be served over the web, this site features high-energy physics preprints, reports, conference papers, and theses. (Online at: http://www.slac.stanford.edu/spires/hep/)
Visual Quantum Mechanics (Physics Education Research Group, Kansas State University)
Integrates interactive computer programs and digital multimedia with inexpensive materials and written documents in an activity-based environment.
(Online at: http://phys.educ.ksu.edu/vqm/index.html)
WebElements Periodic Table (University of Sheffield, England)
Periodic Table of the elements.
(Online at: http://www.webelements.com/webelements/scholar/index.html)
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Seventh-day Adventist Sites
Adventist Professionals NetworkGlobal registry of Seventh-day Adventist professionals who hold the minimum of a master's degree or its equivalent (5 years of postsecondary studies) in any field. Housed at the world headquarters of the Church, APN will help locate candidates for positions, consultants with expertise, and volunteers for short mission assignments. It will also foster international networking among Adventists in various professions.
(Online at: https://apn.adventist.org/)
PlusLine
Provides ministry support to Seventh-day Adventist church members, pastors and church leaders throughout the North American Division.
(Online at: http://www.plusline.org/)
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Online Periodicals and Newsletters
Living Reviews in Relativity & Living Reviews in Solar Physics (Max Planck Society)Refereed open access online only review journals. Living Reviews in Relativity has issues dating back to 1998 and Living Reviews in Solar Physics has issues dating back to 2004.
(Online at: http://www.livingreviews.org/)
New Journal of Physics (Institute of Physics)
Open access physics journal. Includes online issues back to 1998.
(Online at: http://www.iop.org/EJ/njp)
Physics Today (American Institute of Physics)
Includes selected articles from the current issue. Print copies from 1948 to the present are available in our library on third floor. Latest two issues shelved on first floor.
(Online at: http://www.physicstoday.org/)
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University Site Resources
Internet Resources, Physics (Walla Walla University)(Online at: http://www.wallawalla.edu/index.php?id=13900&catID=50)
Physics Internet Links (Tarleton University)
(Online at: http://www.tarleton.edu/%7Elibrary/physics_il.html)
Physics Internet Resources (Andrews University)
(Online at: http://www.andrews.edu/library/RefDesk/guides/phy-l.html)
Research Guides - Physics (Baylor University)
(Online at: http://www.baylor.edu/lib/rli/index.php?id=30575)
Resources of Scholarly Societies - Physics (University of Waterloo Library)
(Online at: http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/society/physics_soc.html)
Selected Web Sites - Physics (Southern Adventist University)
(Online at: http://library.southern.edu/research/view.php?id=108#sws)
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