The library website is a great place to start looking for resources for your class.
https://millsaps.edu/academics/millsaps-wilson-library/online-library-search/
Big Search uses keywords to find books, articles, DVDs and more.
Want to know more? Below is a guide for formulating keywords and finding resources using Big Search
Browse Library Books by Subject
Physics books, often with call numbers starting with QC, are located on the top floor in the West wing.
Academic Search Complete offers coverage of information spanning a broad range of important areas of academic study including: anthropology, astronomy, biology, chemistry, civil engineering, engineering, ethnic & multicultural studies, geology, law, materials science, mathematics, music, pharmaceutical sciences, physics, psychology, religion & theology, veterinary science, women's studies, zoology, and many other fields.
Physical Review Online Archive (PROLA) is the American Physical Society's online archive for Physical Review Letters, Reviews of Modern Physics, and Physical Review A–E. Users have access to all journal content, except for the current year and the preceding three years.
PubChem provides information on the biological activities of small molecules. PubChem is organized as three linked databases within the NCBI's Entrez information retrieval system. These are PubChem Substance, PubChem Compound, and PubChem BioAssay. PubChem also provides a fast chemical structure similarity search tool.
Science.gov is a gateway to over 50 million pages of authoritative selected science information provided by U.S. government agencies, including research and development results.
SciFinder-n is produced by Chemical Abstracts Services, the most comprehensive discovery tool of chemical information. You must create an account before you can use it. Click Here to Register for an Account.
Primary vs. Secondary Sources in the Sciences
Primary Sources
When we speak of Primary source material in the Sciences, what we are basically talking about is original research -- the work researchers do in the laboratory and then write up and publish in formal lab reports and/or research articles that you will encounter in the Scientific Journals.
Primary sources provide:
One finds Primary source material in the Academic Journals that cover specific disciplines or in published conference proceedings.
As Primary source material presents original research, the articles tend to be narrow in focus and difficult to read unless you are an expert in the specific subject area of the research. The target audience is other people in the same field that share the common terminology.
Primary sources are important in that they are the original source of new knowledge. Primary source articles are often cited or referred to in other articles -- sometimes a secondary source or sometimes other original articles.
Secondary Sources
In the sciences, secondary sources are those that discuss the original research of others. They often summarize, interpret, and analyze material found in primary source research. Often, a secondary source such as a science periodical or a trade magazine will be the first place you would hear about some new original research. These articles provide enough citation information so that you can track down the Primary source material.
Secondary Sources provide context for the Primary Source material, giving readers:
Some examples of Secondary Sources are:
Secondary sources are written in language that is more accessible to a broader audience -- not just for those well-versed in a specific field. As they are not the original source of information, they lack the detailed description of the experiments and research that will be found in the Primary source.
