Subject Guides - Physics

Physics

Below are some suggested databases for Physics.

Databases

Core Databases

Canadian Science Publishing (NRC Research Press) Back Issues

Canadian Science Publishing published 24 journals that cover the spectrum of natural and physical sciences and engineering, including three open access journals that are interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary.

Institute of Physics (OpenAccess)

IOPscience is an online service for journal content published by IOP Publishing. The database includes access to upwards of 70 journals and over 100 open access eBooks.

Multidisciplinary Databases

EBSCOhost Academic Search Elite

Covering all major academic disciplines, Academic Search Elite is a rich resource spanning a broad stretch of academic subjects with thousands of full-text journals and abstracted and indexed journals.

Journals

Core Journals

Applied Physics Letters

Applied Physics Letters emphasizes rapid dissemination of key data and new physical insights, offering prompt publication of new experimental and theoretical papers related to applications of physics phenomena in all branches of science, engineering, and modern technology.

Astrophysical Journal

The Astrophysical Journal is an open access journal devoted to recent developments, discoveries, and theories in astronomy and astrophysics. Publications in ApJ constitute significant new research that is directly relevant to astrophysical applications, whether based on observational results or on theoretical insights or modelling.

Canadian Journal of Physics

The Canadian Journal of Physics reports significant advances in physics research, including atomic and molecular physics; condensed matter; elementary particles and fields; nuclear physics; gases, fluid dynamics, and plasmas; electromagnetism and optics; mathematical physics; interdisciplinary, classical, and applied physics; relativity and cosmology; physics education research; statistical mechanics and thermodynamics; quantum physics and quantum computing; gravitation and string theory; biophysics; aeronomy and space physics; and astrophysics. Special issues dedicated to current researchers in a particular area of physics are also published.

Journal of Applied Physics

Journal of Applied Physics is an influential international journal publishing significant new experimental and theoretical results of applied physics research. The journal also publishes perspectives, tutorials, methods and special collections focusing on research of particular current or emerging interest.

Journal of High Energy Physics

JHEP encompasses the following areas of theoretical and experimental physics: Collider Physics, Underground and Large Array Physics, Astroparticles, Gauge Field Theories, General Relativity and Gravitation, Mathematical Methods of Physics, Solvable Models, Strong Interactions, Weak Interactions, Quantum Field Theory, Statistical Field Theories, String Theory, Supersymmetry, Duality, Branes.

Books

Physical Collections

  • QC1-999 Physics
  • QC170-197 Atomic physics. Constitution and properties of matter
  • QC501-766 Electricity and magnetism
  • QC770-798 Nuclear and particle physics. Atomic energy. Radioactivity
  • QC801-809 Geophysics. Cosmic physics
  • QC851-999 Meteorology. Climatology

Subjects

  • Physics — Early works to 1800
  • Quantum theory
  • Nuclear physics
  • Physics — Religious aspects
  • Space and time

Keywords

  • Acceleration
  • Antimatter
  • Centre of gravity
  • Centrifugal and centripetal force
  • Conductor
  • Doppler effect
  • Gravitational force
  • Kinetic energy

Web Resources

Selected Internet Resources - Physics

A curated list of physics resources from The Library of Congress. Includes links to professional organizations, archives and databases, journals, and miscellaneous and interesting websites related to physics.

Citing & Writing

Citation Styles

APS (American Physical Society)

Print resource on Course Reserve. Please visit the Library information desk. 

Council of Science Editors Style Guide

Print resource on Course Reserve. Please visit the Library information desk. 

Chicago/Turabian

Print resource on Course Reserve. Please visit the Library information desk. 

IEEE Style Manual (PDF)

This style is commonly used for Electrical and Computer Engineering.

MLA (Modern Language Association)

Print resource on Course Reserve. Please visit the Library information desk. 

Other Resources

The Purdue Online Writing Lab

The Online Writing Lab (OWL) at Purdue University houses writing resources and instructional material, and we provide these as a free service of the Writing Lab at Purdue. Students, members of the community, and users worldwide will find information to assist with many writing projects.

Research Tips

Primary Articles

Original Research Articles

These are articles reporting on original research and include elements such as a hypothesis, background studies, literature reviews, detailed methodologies, results, interpretations of findings, and discussions on possible implications and future research. Original research articles are typically longer, ranging from 3, 000 – 12, 000 words. These articles are peer reviewed and cite relevant publications from other authors that relate to the research being conducted.

Case Studies

These articles report on the in-depth study of a specific person, group, or event. They are used in a variety of fields such as psychology, medicine, education, political science, and social work in order to seek patterns and causes of behaviour.

Secondary Articles

Literature Reviews

A literature review is a systematic summary and synthesis of what has been published on a topic by accredited scholars and researchers. They frequently convey what knowledge and ideas have been established on a topic, as well as critically assessing the strengths and weaknesses of the field. They will often lack a ‘Methods’ section, though they are often peer reviewed.  

Systematic Reviews

These reviews are often designed to provide an exhaustive summary of current evidence in relation to a specific research question, synthesize findings qualitatively or quantitatively, and critically appraise research studies. Systematic reviews use rigorous and transparent review methodologies with the aim of assessing and minimizing bias in the findings. 

Meta-analyses

A meta-analysis is a statistical analysis that combines the results of multiple scientific studies addressing the same question. The primary aim is to use statistical analyses to determine common truths. Meta-analyses can be part of a broader systematic review.

Special Articles

Including letters to the editor, correspondences, short communications, editorials, pictorial essays

Tertiary/ Gray Literature

Broadly speaking, gray literature is information produced outside of the traditional academic publishing and distribution systems such as academic journals and monographs. Gray literature can include reports, policies, working papers, newsletters, speeches, government documents, and more.

As grey literature is produced directly by an individual or organization, for their own either use or wider sharing, it is often more current than academic publications as it is not subject to the delays found in traditional publishing processes.

As grey literature does not go through a rigorous peer review process the quality can vary significantly, and it is recommended that these sources be critically evaluated.

Technical reports

These can include scientific studies conducted by Government agencies and NGO which are often not peer reviewed. These types of reports can be found in both scholarly databases and freely on the web.