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The following is a very basic guide to the many resources available in the area of Materials Science Information. Due to its interdiciplinary nature, information useful to those in materials sciences can be found in a wide variety of locations. Remember that many excellent resources for thermodynamic data and other topics are still in print only and found in the Chemistry or Engineering Libraries. For help identifying and using those resources, please check with the Librarian (chemlib@u or 3-1603). Additional reference help is available 24/7 by using the `Ask Us'links on every UW Libraries webpage.
The original source for most information in chemistry, including chemical engineering, and materials, comes from journal articles. In addition, patents are a very important source of information. These, along with conference proceedings, dissertations and technical reports, are where new ideas, processes, and data are presented. Over the years, Indexes and Abstracts have been developed to provide access to the contents of these materials. The A&I's use the language and tools scientists and engineers use so you can find what you need more easily and generally more precisely. New tools, such as Google Scholar, are providing additional ways to access the information. At this point, however, they do not cover anywhere near as much information nor provide the same powerful tools that the traditional A&I's do. Depending on your needs, you may need to just look at one index or all of them (are you looking for a quick bit of information? Looking for everything on a subject? Looking for something that may be more obscure?) For a review on the basics of searching for chemical and related-information go to Introduction to Chemical Information.
For more information: chemlib@u or 543-1603
Updated6/08