Macmillan Encyclopedia of Physics (Sci Ref QC5.M15 1996)
Four-volume encyclopedia devoted entirely to physics
Encyclopedia of Applied Physics (Sci Ref QC5.E541 1991)
Major 25 volume encyclopedia of applied physics, issued volume by volume, now almost complete.
McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology (Sci Ref Q121.M3 1997)
Comprehensive, multi-volume, up-to-date encyclopedia on all branches of science. Use this instead of Britannica, Americana, or other general encyclopedia.
CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (search for in library catalog and click on URL at the bottom of the record or, in print, Sci Ref QD65.H3 at the Science Reference Desk)
The standard handbook to commonly needed physical data, functions, relationships, etc.
Handbook of Physical Quantities (Sci Ref QC61.H36 1997)
Similar in scope to CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. Use in conjuction with the above.
Encyclopedia of Astronomy and Astrophysics (Sci Ref QB14.E54 2001)
Excellent 4-volume encyclopedia on all aspects of astronomy. Just published by a renown publisher in the field.
Encyclopedia of the Solar System (Sci Ref QB501.E539x 1999)
Excellent single volume encyclopedia of the solar system. Well illustrated with bibliographies.
Handbook of Space Astronomy and Astrophysics (Sci Ref QB136.Z65 1990)
Standard handbook of data, functions, tables, etc. needed by the practicing astronomer.
These are only a few of many useful reference books in physics and astronomy located in the Science Reference area of the library in the QB and QC call numbers. Non reference books are located in these same call numbers on the 2nd floor. Consult the library online catalog for help in finding books, or go to the Science Reference Desk for assistance.
Indexes to Journal Articles-Basic
Applied Science and Technology Abstracts (EBSCO)
These indexes are located on the library webpage under "Article Indexes." Each index covers 125-400 periodical titles in broad areas of knowledge under the general topic of the index. The articles are generally written on more of a layman's level. BYU has subscriptions to almost all of the journals covered by these indexes therefore use of interlibrary loan is unnecessary. The journals can be found in the "Periodical Room" at the north end of the new wing of the library on the 2nd floor (one floor underground) arranged by their call numbers.
Indexes to Journal Articles-Advanced
Current Contents: Physical, Chemical & Earth Sciences (Science Reference Desk)
This is the most current index to journal literature in physics and astronomy. It is available to search on CD-ROM disks that are issued weekly by the publisher. We have annual disks going back to 1994 with the current disk covering the current 52 week period.
Astronomy & Astrophysics Abstract Service
NASA ADS Physics Abstract Service
Physics & Geophysics Abstract Service
These are journal article indexes supported by NASA which also include abstracts of the articles. Each abstract service covers articles going back to about 1975 and covers all the major journals and many of the minor ones as well as conference proceedings, NASA reports and PhD theses. To find the "hot links" to these 3 indexes go to the "Article Indexes" tab on the library webpage. Click on "Physics and Astronomy" under the specific subjects list.
Inspec (see Science Reference Desk to arrange a search)
This index includes Physics Abstracts and is a very large and important index in physics. However, due to its high cost we can only offer it through remote access searching which may require the user to pay part of the cost of the search. The other physics indexes are generally sufficient to cover most needs.
Compendex (see "Article Indexes" on the library webpage)
This index can fulfill some of the more engineering related needs of physics journal searching that are missed with the restricted access to Inspec. It covers over 4,500 journals with a strong emphasis on applications.
Science Citation Index (SCI): Web of Science (ISI) (see Science Reference desk for the CD-ROM version or Sci Ref Q158.X1 S365 for the paper copy)
This is a specialized index, covering over 7,000 journals in the sciences, based on the citations of articles in article bibliographies. It can also be searched by keyword. Specialized help should be sought at the Science Reference Desk before using this index.
The library catalog is available from the library webpage and may be searched by title, author, subject, keyword, or by a variety of other methods. The library catalog contains records of the books and journal subscriptions that the library has but does not index the articles within the journals. That function is done by journal indexes including those listed above. To learn more about searching the library catalog click on the help button on the library catalog webpage or attend one of the help sessions that are offered to help learn how to search the catalog. Some catalog records do have links to Internet sites where full text is available.
The library has listed in its "Databases and Indexes" section under Physics three web sites for major professional organizations for physics: American Institute of Physics (http://www.aip.org), Institute of Physics (http://www.iop.org), and the American Physical Society (http://publish.aps.org). Each of these organizations have the full text of the articles of their current journals online available to those who subscribe to the print editions. Since the Library has print subscriptions to almost all of these journals we have access to almost all of the full text editions. It varies how far back each journal is available in full text but it is continually increasing. SPIN (Searchable Physics Information Notices) a search engine available on the AIP site can be used to search over 80 research journals of AIP member institutions. A proprietary search engine on the IOP site is used to search the 39 IOP journals. There are a variety of other useful services available on these sites.