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Physics: A Guide to McFarlin Library Resources: Articles

This Library Research Guide will provide information about and access to some of the most significant research materials available in McFarlin Library related to the discipline of Physics.

Why are journal articles so important?

Cover of a 2019 issue of Journal of Physics B.

Scholarly journal articles are a vital secondary source of information for serious researchers. Articles are much shorter than books and focus in-depth on very specific topics.  Published by academic presses or associations and written by scholars and professionals in chemistry and/or biochemistry, they provide detailed information on the most current research and developments in the field. Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics, for example, is published by IOP Publishing, publishing arm of the Institute of Physics (IOP), the professional association of physicists in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

You will often hear scholarly journals described as being "peer reviewed".  This means that when an author submits their article to a journal for publication it is first referred to a committee of experts in that field.  (These experts would be the author's professional equals or peers, hence the term.) This committee carefully reads and studies the article, making sure that the research was properly done.  If they find possible errors in the article, it may be referred back to the author for further work and revision.  Only when the peer-review committee is satisfied that the article meets the journal's standards of scholarship will it be published.  If properly done, peer reviewed articles provide you with the most authoritative information available on your research topic.

Best Databases for locating articles in Physics

Search Discovery for Journal Articles

Search the library using Discovery for articles from scholarly/peer-reviewed journals.

ScienceDirect Quick Search

General Science Full Text Quick Search

Search General Science

Looking for a specific Journal?

Search here to see if McFarlin subscribes to a journal you need: