Publication types            Books (and parts of books)                 Journal articles

Internet information              Reference books                         Style and other miscellaneous issues

Everyone thinks of books, and hopefully articles come to mind.  But "real-world" searching exposes you to other formats.  In class we will address ones that may become important in your work.

Why is publication format important?  At least three reasons: finding it physically, citing it correctly, and shaping your search strategy to find others.

Selected recent titles in Schaffer Library of a mostly non-mathematical nature on...

    Relativity

        Simply Einstein: Relativity Demystified by Richard Wolfson (2003)                                                    QC173.57   .W65

        The Curvature of Spacetime: Newton, Einstein, and Gravitation by Harald Fritzsch (2002)              QC 173.6  .F7513

        Albert Einstein's Vision: Remarkable Discoveries That Shaped Modern Science by Barry Parker (2004)  Q 16 .E5  P365

        The Labyrinth of Time: Introducing the Universe by Michael Lockwood (2005)                                QC 173.59  .S65  L63
                                                                                                                                                                       (Current Reading Area)

    Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Electrodynamics (QED)

        The Quantum World; Quantum Physics for Everyone by Kenneth W. Ford (2004)                            QC 174.12  .F68

        QED and the Men Who Made It: Dyson, Feynman, Schwinger, and Tomonaga by S.S. Schweber (1994)    QC 680  .S34

    Cosmology and Astronomy

        Big Bang: the Origin of the Universe by Simon Singh  (2004)                                                              QB 991  .B54  S56

        On the Shores of the Unknown: a Short History of the Universe by Joseph Silk (2005)                     QB 981  .S5535

        The Dancing Universe: from Creation Myths to the Big Bang by Marcelo Gleiser (2005)                  QB 981  .G57

        Warped Passages: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe's Hidden Dimension by Lisa Randall (2005)  QC 6 .R26
                                                                                                                                                                        (Current Reading Area)

    Particle Physics

        Deep Down Things: the Breathtaking Beauty of Particle Physics by Bruce Schumm (2004)              QC 793.2   .S35

        Facts and Mysteries in Elementary Particle Physics by Martinus Veltman (2003)                               QC 793.2   .V45

        The Charm of Strange Quarks: Mysteries and Revolutions of Particle Physics by R. Michael Barnett (1999)  QC 776  .B28

    String Theory and Theories of Everything

        Not Even Wrong: the Failure of String Theory and the Search for Unity in Physical Law by Peter Woit  (2006)  QC 794.6  .S85  W65

        The Great Beyond: Higher Dimensions, Parallel Universes, and the Extraordinary Search for a Theory of Everything by
                                                                                                                                                          Paul Halpern (2004)  QC 6  .H273

       The Theory of Almost Everything: the Standard Model, the Unsung Triumph of Modern Physics
                                                                                                                                              by Robert Oerter (2006)  QC 794.6  .S75 O4
                                                                                                                                                                                (Current Reading Area)

    Scientific Curiosity (Contemporary or Recent) and Philosophy

        Victory and Vexation in Science: Einstein, Bohr, Heisenberg, and Others by Gerald Holton (2005)     Q 180  .A3  H65
                                                                                                                                                                    (Current Reading Area)

        Galileo's Finger: the Ten Great Ideas in Science by P. Atkins (2003)                                                   Q 126  .A85

        Knowing: the Nature of Physical Law by Michael Munowitz (2005)                                                     QC  24.5  .M864     

        Beyond Measure: Modern Physics, Philosophy, and the Meaning of Quantum Theory by J. E. Baggott (2004)   QC 174.12  .B33

        Quantum Physics--Illusion or Reality? by Alastair I. M. Rae (2004)                                                      QC 174.12  .R335

    Across Categories

        Einstein's Theory and the Quantum Revolution: Modern Physics for Non-Scientists (8 cassette tapes)
                                                                                                                          by Richard Wolfson (1996)    QC 173.52  .W650

        The New Physics for the 21st Century by Gordon Fraser (2006)                                                           QC 7.5  .N49

        Discoveries: Great Breakthroughs in 20th-Century Science by Alan Lightman (2005)                          Q 180.55  .D57
                                                                                                                                                                (Current Reading Area)

In this class you will learn some ways of finding other titles on your own.  One is searching the Library's catalog with....

...subject headings:

Relativity	Quantum Mechanics and Quantum Electrodynamics (QED)	Cosmology and Astronomy	Particle Physics	String Theory and Theories of Everything	Scientific Curiosity (Contemporary or Recent) and Philosophy
general relativity (physics) gravitation gravity relativity (physics) special relativity physics	quantum electrodynamics quantum theory uncertainty principle	astrophysics big bang theory cosmology expanding universe nuclear astrophysics	nuclear astrophysics particles (nuclear physics) quarks	grand unified theories (nuclear physics) standard model (nuclear physics) string models supersymmetry superstring theory symmetry (physics)	discoveries in science physicists--intellectual life physics--history physics--philosophy science--history

But also try these options in the catalog:

• browsing by call number,
• keyword searching,
• jumping from one book's subject heading(s) to other books.

Go to the books themselves (use the online maps!) and

• browse directly by call number,
• use the book's references.

And remember, your purpose is not only to find entire books that inform you but also parts of books (e.g., chapters, papers, or paragraphs).

There's more...use ConnectNY and perform any of the above steps in a "universe" of 3,000,000 volumes (beyond Union's 600,000).

American Journal of Physics "resource letters", for example:

        "Particle beams and accelerators," Am. J. Phys. 74, 855 (2006)

        "Einstein and the existence of atoms," Am. J. Phys. 74, 863 (2006)

        "The nature and status of string theory," Am. J. Phys. 72, 730 (2004)

        "Frontiers of nuclear physics," Am. J. Phys. 72, 983 (2004)

        "Observations and theory of supernovae," Am. J. Phys. 71, 11 (2003)

        "The standard model and beyond," Am. J. Phys. 71, 302 (2003)

        "Gravitational waves," Am. J. Phys. 71, 520 (2003)

        "The theory of anisotropies in the cosmic microwave background," Am. J. Phys. 70, 106 (2002)

        "Causality and determinism in physics," Am. J. Phys. 64, 208 (1996)-- (quantum mechanics)

        "Radio pulsars," Am. J. Phys. 61, 13 (1993) -- (stars)

        "History of elementary-particle physics," Am. J. Phys. 59, 779 (1991)

        "Cosmology and particle physics," Am. J. Phys. 56, 492 (1988)

For finding any of the above: the crucial "Find Journal Titles" link

Using databases for finding more articles:

• Union College>Library>Databases & Indexes>Natural Sciences>Physics & Astronomy

when you get there, look for

• General Science Index,
• Inspec,
• SPIN,
• Science Citation Index.

• Union College>Library>Databases & Indexes>Any Topic

when you get there, look for

• JSTOR,
• EBSCOhost or ProQuest.

Hunting down the full text of articles:

• The database may provide it, but if not, then
• Use the Library's "Find Journal Titles" link
• Request via ILLiad (but not ConnectNY)

How to aim at non-mathematical papers:

• use a general-readership-friendly database (e.g., General Science Index, JSTOR, EBSCOhost, ProQuest)
• read the abstract before pursuing the full text
• if the database permits you to limit to review articles use that feature or use the word "review" in your search

Professor Newman's list of websites

Google Scholar--http://scholar.google.com

Website authority techniques:

• "About" links to clarify the site's origins and sponsorship
• Very rough indication from the domain (.edu/.gov/.com/.org)
• Truncating the address to reveal a site's parent site
• Searching through pre-authority-checked universes like the WWW Virtual Library  (www.vlib.org)
                      or the Internet Public Library (www.ipl.org)

Why would you need a reference book or two to get you started when you could just use Wikipedia?

    The following examples are authoritative and substantive but concise.  Of the three, authoritative counts the most.

• Dictionary of Scientific Biography -- Ref Q 141 .D5
  
  
• Encyclopedia of Astronomy and Astrophysics -- Ref QB 14 .E534 2001
  
  
• Encyclopedia of Physics -- Ref QC 5 .R596  2004
  
  
• Oxford Companion to the History of Modern Science -- Ref Q 125 .O86 2003
  
  
• McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology -- Ref Q 121 .M3 2002

As with the general collection (above), when you visit these shelf locations (on the 1st floor near the Reference Desk), you will find other useful titles adjacent to or near these.

Professor Newman requires AIP Style -- found at www.aip.org/pubservs/style/4thed/sec2.pdf, see especially page 7 of the pdf.

Other libraries (besides what ConnectNY and ILLiad offer): see Schaffer Library>How to...>Find>Hours/direction: other libraries

Reference help -- you are very welcome to ask...

• any professional reference librarian, at Schaffer Library daily during term until 10pm, or
• me (David Gerhan) in particular, by email at gerhand@union.edu or by telephone at the Reference Desk at 388-6281 or my office at 388-6614.