Research Guides: Physics: Physics Home

We Recommend

INSPEC
Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) database in physics, computer science, and electrical engineering. Includes citations, abstracts, and select full text for journals, proceedings, books, and other materials. Part of Engineering Village.
Web of Science
Scholarly literature covering all scientific disciplines. Shows connections between sources that cite each other.

arXiv
Open access e-prints in physics, mathematics, computer science and more.

Research Articles

arXiv
Open access e-prints in physics, mathematics, computer science and more.

INSPEC
Institute of Engineering and Technology (IET) database in physics, computer science, and electrical engineering. Includes citations, abstracts, and select full text for journals, proceedings, books, and other materials. Part of Engineering Village.
Scifinder
Useful for locating research articles in all areas of chemistry, including chemical physics.
SPIE Digital Library
Most extensive resource on optics and photonics. Contains technical papers from SPIE journals and conference proceedings as well as e-books from SPIE press.
Springer Nature Link
Comprehensive online collection of scientific, technological, and medical journals, books, and reference works published by Springer and a growing number of other publishers.
Web of Science
Scholarly literature covering all scientific disciplines. Shows connections between sources that cite each other.

Background Information

CHEMnetBASE
A collection of chemical and chemical-related dictionaries, including the CRC Handbook of Chemistry and Physics. Quick search function allows users to perform searches on chemical terms and structures simultaneously across the entire database.

Macmillan Encyclopedia of Physics
Call Number: Cabell Library Reference QC5 .M15 1996
Explanations for the phenomena, concepts, and laws that form the foundation of every other branch of science.

Taylor & Francis eBooks (formerly CRCnetBase)
Search or browse Taylor & Francis eBooks. Select 'Show content I have access to' when the results display. Browse by subjects to display results similar to the ...netBASE contents, e.g., Bioscience, Engineering, Environment. Can be used for course content: Science, Technology, Engineering and Medicine ebooks.
Knovel Library
Collection of engineering ebooks with full-text searching, interactive tables and access to materials properties and other data.
AccessScience
Online version of the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology. Includes embedded video and images in the articles which can be downloaded for use in class presentations and demonstrations.

Journals

Reviews of Modern Physics
In-depth reviews of a research area, surveying recent work and providing an introduction that is aimed at graduate students and nonspecialists.
Nature Physics
Papers of the highest quality and significance in all areas of physics, pure and applied.
Physics Reports
Keep up-to-date with important developments and trends on a wide range of topics with timely reviews.
Physical Review X
Open access journal that aims to publish a limited number of key papers from all areas of pure, applied, and interdisciplinary physics.
Physical Review Letters
Short reports of significant fundamental research in all fields of physics.

Browse journals in physics.

Standards

VCU Libraries provides some standards online directly from ASTM and IEEE. For standards that VCU Libraries does not provide access to directly, VCU students, faculty and staff can contact Ibironke Lawal, Science and Engineering Collections Librarian, ilawal@vcu.edu; (804) 828-8739, to get the standard for you. Please include the name and number of the standard you are requesting.

Standards Available Immediately

ASTM Compass
ASTM Compass includes standards and technical engineering information. The standards primarily are for materials and materials testing.
IEEE Xplore
IEEE Xplore includes research articles, conference papers, and standards in electrical engineering, electronics, and computer science. To limit the search to standards, uses the Advanced Search and limit the content type to standards.

ANSI Incorporated by Reference Portal
Read-only access, usually free, to standards incorporated by U.S. government rulemaking. Sometimes the standards are visible directly on the ANSI site, and sometimes you will be redirected to an external site to view the standards.

Other Standards

The tools below can be used to locate the names and numbers of standards. They can be used to help you identify the appropriate standards, and will display the price to purchase them.

Once you have verified you have located the appropriate standards for your need, direct your request for the standard to Ibironke Lawal, Science and Engineering Collections Librarian, ilawal@vcu.edu; (804) 828-8739. Please include the name and number of the standard you are requesting.

ANSI Standards
American Standards Institute - US and International Standards
NIST Resources for Finding Standards
Lists resources for locating standards -- both international standards and industry-specific standards that may apply only in a particular country.
Accuris Standards Store (formerly IHS and Techstreet)
A catalog for standards and technical information. Coverage is international. Useful for getting a feel if a standard exists for something and how much it would cost.

Writing and Citing

Scientific Style and Format by Council of Science Editors
Call Number: Cabell Library Reference (1st floor) T11 .S386 2014
Directions for formatting references using CSE style, a simple scientific citation style.

Cite My Sources and Avoid Plagiarism
Guide to help you learn when and how to cite your sources.
Write a Literature Review
Tutorials and tips for writing a literature review.