Types of Resources
Pick the type of resource to match your research need:
Looking for basic, background information? Choose a book!
Looking for recent, peer-reviewed research? Pick a Journal!
Looking for the latest, cutting edge research? Check out the Preprints!
And always, cite responsibly.
Can't Find It?
Swem doesn't have the item? - Complete an Inter-Library Loan request. Note that first-time users have to register to use this service.
It's in Off-Site Storage (SOSS)? - On the purple bar at the top of the search window, click the "Find and Request" link, then "Swem Off-Site Storage." The form will automatically be completed with the information from the last item you viewed.
Questions? contact Karen Berquist or the Swem Reference Desk. They're happy to help out.
Search Tips
| Truncation |
Some databases and search engines allow you to expand your search by using special characters to truncate words. The search "wom*" will pull results for woman and women. It will also return results for wombat, so be sure to think this through. "Wom*n" may be a better choice. Different databases will use different characters -most use an asterix (*), but some (including Swem's catalog) will use a dollar sign ($), and there are a few others out there as well. Check the database help and look for information on truncation. |
| Boolean Search |
Boolean searches use the words "AND", "NOT", and "OR" as well as parenthesis to effeciently describe desired results. Using the word "AND" will limit your search: "physics AND women" will find only those articles that contain both words. "OR" will expand your search: "physics OR women" will pull articles that contain the word "physics" as well as articles that contain the word "women", plus the articles that contain both words. "NOT" limits your search: "physics NOT women" will pull articles on physics that do not include the word "women." Parenthesis can also help frame your query. The search "(physics AND women) NOT curie" will find information on works that contain the words physics and women, but exclude information on Marie Curie. |
| Using Quotation Marks |
When you type in your search terms into a search box without quotation marks, your results will include all the documents that have all your terms in any order. When you put quotation marks around your search terms, you are searching for that specific phrase. A search for women in physics (no quotation marks) will return documents that have the word "women" and the word "physics" somewhere. They need not be found together. The word "if" is generally ignored in this kind of search. A search for "women in physics" (quotation marks used) will return documents where the phrase "women in physics" is found, exactly as you typed it. |
Tutorials
These tutorials can help guide you through the research process - from refining your question to publishing articles.
- Internet Physicist Created by the University of Manchester, this tutorial guides users into the sources for physicists on the web.
- Information Literacy Course in Physics Library of Kaunas University of Technology in Lithuania. This site is somewhat dated, but is still a good guide into the types of sources of use in physics resources.
- Publish not Perish How to publish in scholarly journals. University of Colorado. Let them know where you're coming from to enter the site, no personal information needed.
- InfoSkills University of Newcastle's (Australia) tutorial includes questions that can be used for self-assessment.
- Road to Research Wesleyan University's Research Skills Tutorial covers the full research cycle, from refining your topic to citing sources.
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