Physics: Article Databases

First, organize your research topic into concepts. Concepts are typically nouns or noun phrases.

• For example, if you are researching dark matter, black holes, and the effects of gravity, your concepts would be
  • gravity 
  • black holes
  • dark matter

Using a databases's Advanced Search, enter each concept and its synonyms into a separate search line.

• gravity*
• "black holes"
• "dark matter" OR "dark energy"

Use quotation marks around phrases, these are typically noun phrases that you would find a definition of in a dictionary.

• "black holes"
• "dark matter"

Use * for truncation.

• genetic* will find genetics, genetically, and genetic

Limit to peer-reviewed articles if necessary.

Limit by date if necessary.

Too many or too few results?

• Use the thesaurus or Subject Index to find related, broader, narrower, and similar terms OR specific terms that the databases uses to describe a topic.
  • Too many results? Use a narrower term.
  • Too few results? Use a broader term.

Find an article that looks interesting?

• Click on the article's title.
• Look at the subjects given to an article to find related terms and run additional searches using these terms.
• Click on the references, cited by, or see similar documents links to find related articles.

Some databases contain the full text of articles and some databases only contain the citation and abstracts. To only view search results that are Full-Text, find a "Full-Text" refining or search limiting option on your database of choice.

If you do not see a link to the full text in PDF or HTML format, click on the 360 Link Check for Full Text button ().

The 360 Link may...

• Take you directly to the full text.
• Take you to a page that indicates we have online full-text in a different database. Click the database link to access the article.
• Take you to a page that says Auraria Library does not have online access to this journal volume/issue.
  • Click Search Skyline by Journal Title to determine if Auraria Library has the journal in PRINT form. This will search the library catalog for the JOURNAL title (not article title). You will need to determine if Auraria Library owns the year and volume of the journal that contains your article.
  • If Auraria Library does not own a print copy, on the previous page, click Request article from another Library.* A PDF copy of the article will be emailed to you within two business days.

*You will need to create an Interlibrary Loan account before requesting material.