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Finding background information in materials science
Encyclopedias and handbooks are a good way to get a broad overview and context for a subject and helpful for deciphering research articles. References at the ends of articles lead you to further relevant information.
Other helpful sources of background information are review articles and trade magazines. You can find those using databases like SciFinder, Scopus, and Web of Science and limiting by Document Type or Treatment Type.
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Encyclopedia of Materials Science and TechnologyThe only encyclopedia available that covers all of materials science and technology, focusing on the following areas: Functional Phenomena, Structural Phenomena, Fundamental Core Theory, Structural Materials, Polymers and Materials Chemistry, Functional Materials.
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KnovelOnline access to books, databases, and conference proceedings from a number of publishers that cover all areas of engineering and includes content relevant to related sciences (e.g., chemistry and earth sciences). It includes interactive graphs and tables.
Finding materials property data
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Tutorial: How to Find Chemical and Physical Property InformationFinding chemical and physical property data is not always easy because there is no one place where all types of data for all substances is located, and it is not always clear where to look or whether you have looked in the right places. This tutorial will show you how and where to search.
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ASM Handbooks OnlineFind data on metals properties and performance.
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ASM Materials Platform for Data ScienceASM Materials Platform for Data Science (MPDS) is the world’s largest and most comprehensive repository of inorganic materials data comprised of phase diagrams, crystal structures, and physical properties. The ASM Materials Platform for Data Science is the digital continuation of the Pauling File.
REPLACES: ASM Alloy Phase Diagram Center Online
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KnovelOnline access to books, databases, and conference proceedings from a number of publishers that cover all areas of engineering and includes content relevant to related sciences (e.g., chemistry and earth sciences). It includes interactive graphs and tables.
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SpringerMaterialsSpringerMaterials provides curated data and advanced functionalities to support research in materials science, physics, chemistry, engineering, and other related fields. An alternate, older search interface can be found here: http://lb.chemie.uni-hamburg.de/
Finding research articles in materials science
Articles are the primary way scientists communicate research results. Use an article index or database to find articles on your topic; the citation includes article information like article title, author, journal name, issue, year, and the abstract.
When you are starting to delve into a new subject, review articles are your best friends. Most article databases will allow you to limit your search just to this type of publication or document. The long reference lists in review articles are also a good way to identify key articles.
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Tutorial: Using citations to find journal articles and booksLearn how to use citations in journal articles to identify other relevant articles and books and use Libraries Search to find them.
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SciFinderSciFinder is one of the best databases for topics related to chemistry and adjacent fields. It includes journal articles, book chapters, dissertations, and patents. Find substance and reaction information as well as suppliers and chemical regulatory data.
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ScopusSearch for information from scientific journals, books and conference proceedings. Covers the fields of science, technology, medicine, social sciences, and arts and humanities.
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Web of ScienceA comprehensive interdisciplinary collection of journal article citations. Subjects generally covered are within science and technology, arts and humanities, and social sciences. View this tutorial to learn how to go from a general idea to a very precise set of results of journal articles and scholarly materials.
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Tutorial: How to read and comprehend scientific research articlesLearn tips on how to read a scientific article, how to find the main points of the article, and how to take effective notes.
Off-campus access to library journals and databases
In addition to going through links on the library website, we have 2 other ways to access resources from off-campus.
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Proxy Bookmarklet for off-campus accessAdd this button to your browser toolbar and click on it to reload a page and authenticate as a U of M user.
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Virtual Private Network (VPN)Download and log in to VPN before accessing resources