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Physics and Astronomy: PHY 4210

Agenda June 2023

Where would you publish your article?

Wiswell, getting help, library

Why do a more careful search? 

Don't miss some especially important study.  Reduce bias.  Maybe you're not finding anything.

3 variables:

Words and "phrases" -- Nuances: Boolean AND OR NOT, fields, relevance

Databases (search engines, other similar) -- coverage, ranking algorithms

Other, but especially citations.  Also people, methods.

Databases again -- Web of Science and Google Scholar.  (APPsearch and others; new: Dimensions, The Lens; Arxiv.org preprints)

What's in them.  Sorting.  Links to full text.  Alternative searching methods.  "Advanced Search"

Getting full text, barriers to access (property)

Barrier between citation and full text, so sometimes 2 steps.  PDF and Find@ASU buttons.  Article title search.  Journal title search.  Web. ILLiad (from other libraries). Ask for help.

Managing electronic information -- EndNote and Zotero.  Research log example.

Examples for searches:

graphene Josephson junctions                                 "falling chain"

"optical tweezers" (tunable OR automated)

nanotribology OR (nano* friction surface*)

Francois Amet      Sayan Chandra

 

Sherman, James P., and Allison McComiskey. (2018). Measurement-based climatology of aerosol direct radiative effect, its sensitivities, and uncertainties from a background southeast US site. Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics, 18(6), 4131-4152.

M. Denny, American Journal of Physics 88, 94 (2020).  (Article title is "A uniform explanation of all falling chain phenomena.")

Guide for Zotero

Zotero.org is fairly easy, but also see our library guide for getting started.

We have EndNote also.  I especially recommend EndNote when you're working with other EndNote users.

CRC Handbook for Chemistry & Physics

Lens and Dimensions -- alternatives to Google Scholar and Web of Science

Interested in Physics journals? Not just the articles within them?

What journals should you be looking at?  Which are most influential or prestigious?  (Be skeptical of rankings though.)

Look at Scimago, Google Scholar, or Eigenfactor.  We no longer subscribe to Journal Citation Reports.  Many top journals show their impact factors on their splash page.

Also, and maybe better, do a few broad searches on your topic and take a closer look at the journals that come up among the results.

Health Sciences Librarian

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John Wiswell

Levine Hall 542F & Belk Library 225, (828)262-7853