Physics

Find Articles

A guide to the major print and online resources in physics.

Journals List

To find journal titles that the BC Libraries provide on subscription, search the Journals list by title.
You can also search the Catalog to find physics journals included in our collections. Using the Advanced Search you can limit by subject to a specific area; combine that with a Material Type search on "Journals/Serials" to limit your search to journals.

The Major Journal Indexes for Physics

Use these tools to find on-topic journal articles, and, often, other types of literature. Search several of them to be comprehensive.

IEEE Xplore This link opens in a new window
Comprehensive coverage of journals, magazines, transactions, letters, conference proceedings, for both IEEE and IET from the U.K., as well as active IEEE Standards. Content covered begins in 1913.
SciFinder This link opens in a new window
Online access to the complete Chemical Abstracts database, 1907 - present. Most often associated with chemistry, but there is significant physics content as well. Access Requirements: SciFinder use is limited to Boston College students, faculty and staff, for educational purposes only. You must create a personal SciFinder account using your Boston College email address. We encourage you to read the privacy policy associated with this site before using it.
Web of Science This link opens in a new window
A large, multidisciplinary database. It is particularly valuable for "citation searching". This type of search lets you identify works citing older literature.
Scopus This link opens in a new window
Another large multidisciplinary database, useful for author, subject and citation searching over a wide array of disciplines. Find H-Index information, compare journal impact data, and analyze publication and citation trends. Scopus provides comprehensive coverage of many journals from 1996 - present, with added older content.

Other Indexes and Databases to Try

Scitation (AIP Journals) This link opens in a new window
Full-text access to scholarly journals and conference literature published by the American Institute of Physics and affiliated societies.
MathSciNet This link opens in a new window
MathSciNet is a comprehensive database covering the world's mathematical literature. It provides reviews and bibliographic data from Mathematical Review and Current Mathematical Publications and links to original articles. This database is also available via the Ebsco platform.

Where's the Article?

If you search a database and the full article's not there, don't despair. Look for the "FindIt" button: or FindIt@BC. Find It will offer help including:

If BC has the full text in another database, you will be taken to a list of databases for the full text.
If BC subscribes to the print journal where the article appeared, the Catalog will say Find in Library and you can check which library or libraries may have the year/issue you need and where it is located.
If the article is not available online or in print at BC, use the link to Request the item. We can usually get the article from another library within a few days and email it to you.

Search Library Catalog for Journal Titles

Search Journals by Keyword(s)

Journal Abbreviations Help

All that JAS (Journal Abbreviation Sources)
A good, general-purpose journal abbreviations guide.
CASSI (Chemical Abstracts Service Source Index)
The standard for journal abbreviations in chemistry and related fields, including physics.

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Physics

Find Articles

Journals List

The Major Journal Indexes for Physics

Other Indexes and Databases to Try

Where's the Article?

Search Library Catalog for Journal Titles

Journal Abbreviations Help