Information Retrieval for Chemists: 84:260 

Scientific Database Descriptions

The Library Web site offers many databases for the exclusive use of the UMASS Lowell campus. The material found here cannot be found using Internet search engines as the UML Libraries have paid for access. If you are "surfing" and access the Library home page, you will not be allowed to use these databases. To access, just click on "Off-Campus users start here"; your UML email address and password are what you need.

The Library now has over 65,000 journals available in full text.  These journals may be available in one OR MORE databases which are subscribed to by the Library.  If you find an item you want, look for 360Link button. Click on it and you will be presented with a list of all places the item is available in Full Text.  These links will take you right to the article in another database. Links are also offered to the UML E-Journal list so you can see what journals we have in electronic format and connect to them directly from that list.  If you are searching for a particular journal, go to the UML E-journals to locate your journal. You may search by the exact name of the journal, or words from the name, or ISSN.  Links to both electronic and the UML paper  collections are found here.

A new service, 360Search, is now available.  This service, like a "Google" for library databases, will search multiple databases with one search statement.  Access this service via our Databases page, and select the subject of your choice.  You may immediately search a preselected group of databases in your subject, or add other ones in your field.  The more databases you add, the larger your answer set will be.  SciFinder Scholar cannot be searched by 360Search.

Chemical Abstracts. 1907-  Available as  SciFinder Scholar (SFS), a full electronic access. Open 24 hours a day with the exception of early Sunday mornings.  To use SFS, you must register here and create a username and password.  Only current faculty, staff and students may register. We no longer have paper copies of Chemical Abstracts. 
This database is the premier source for any chemical information.  It covers upwards of 10,000 titles per year.  SFS also offers links to other references, and links into many full-text items.  Absolutely the FIRST source for any chemical search.  Much detailed chemical searching available, including by structures and reactions. Chemical properties are also available, as well as thousands of spectra.  Tutorials are available on computers in Olney Hall, rm 223 or can be downloaded onto your own computer from here.

Engineering Index.  1970-, is available as COMPENDEX, 1970- 
 1920-1969 Shelved on 1st floor. It covers approximately 7000 titles.
This database covers the field of engineering very well.  Links are also available to ScienceDirect journals. An extremely important source for all engineers, regardless of their specialty.  

 ScienceDirect. (1995- for 1200 titles, 2002- for 800 titles.) This database covers approximately 2000 Elsevier journals, via our subscription through the Boston Library Consortium. Easily searchable and an excellent resource for science and engineering materials. As subscribers, you may set up free alert services if you wish to monitor developments in a particular field or a certain journal. 

MEDLINE, the premier medical database provided by the US Government,  is available on Ebsco 1966-, CSA, and in SciFinder Scholar. Essential to all biomedical researchers. Allows searching by CAS registry number. Also free on the WEB at: PubMed.   PubMed also offers links to journal articles but if UML does not subscribe to the electronic journal, the link will not work.

Cambridge Scientific offers access to a number of databases, including the Polymer Library (formerly RAPRA,  the premier database for Plastics information) and Engineered Materials Abstracts. The Biological Sciences comprehensive database covers all biological and biochemical topics.  All aspects of biology may be searched at once, or you may concentrate on a specific section of biology by going here.

Knovel.com  A database of over 900 technical handbooks in all fields of science and engineering.  Database may be searched for particular properties of a chemical, and a number of the titles offer interactive graphing capabilities. Knovel includes the entire International Critical Tables, Perry's Chemical Engineering Handbook, and many important plastics engineering sources, such as the full text ANTEC (plastics engineering) conferences.

Wiley-Blackwell journals offers the full-text of 700 journals, back to 1997.  The majority of the journals are science and engineering titles.

Annual Reviews: offers full-text access to all Annual Review publications, from 1996-.  Premier source for review articles on any subject.

Ebsco 1990-  This is a general information database supplier. Academic Search Premier contains full text for about 4600 of the 5200 journals indexed.  Also includes other databases, which may be searched separately or in combination: Medline, CINAHL, PsycInfo & PsycArticles, ERIC, Econ Lit, SociologyFT, MLA Bibliography, and Environmental Policy

ASP offers indexing from 1984- and full text from 1990-.  For all Ebsco databases, Full Text or citations may be printed,  saved, emailed, or downloaded to RefWorks.

Infotrac: 1980- This contains several databases of interest.  Expanded Academic Index is the index for 1500 academic journals, including full text for about 1200 of them. Others include: Health Reference Center, General Business ASAP, Biography Resource Center, and Contemporary Literary Criticism. For college papers do not use General Reference Center, which indexes only popular magazines, not suitable for your research endeavors.
This is a general database, a good place to start for material in any field.  Full Text or citations may be printed,  saved, emailed, or downloaded to RefWorks. 

Proquest Direct: One of the best sources of business information covering 1000 full text journals plus the  New York Times,  Wall Street Journal and Massachusetts Newstand, covering the major papers in Massachusetts including the Globe and the Herald. Backfiles available for newspapers (choose Historical Newspapers); New York Times backfile goes all the way back to 1851.
 All ProQuest databases can be printed, saved, emailed or downloaded to RefWorks.

Lexis/Nexis: Academic Universe Business news and company directories and financial reports, medical, legal and biographical information. Court cases included, both federal and state. Full-text.  

 Page created and maintained by: Marion Muskiewicz

last updated 11/23/09