Research Guides: Physics: Background Information

Find Background Information

Online reference ebooks in the Physical Sciences include:

Annual Reviews critically reviews primary research literature, identifies major contributions, and provides updates on new discoveries.

ComPADRE
Creats, hosts, and maintains collections of educational and community resources focused on the needs of specific audiences in Physics and Astronomy Education.
Eric Weisstein's World of Physics
The Feynman Lectures on Physics
Online edition of The Feynman Lectures on Physics.
Gateway to Global Change Data and Information
Global Change Master Directory (NASA)
NAWQA (National Water Quality Assessment Program)
OpenPhys
OpenPhys is an open source project hosted by the University of Alberta featuring interactive, self-guided modules on modern & radiation physics, organized by topic and difficulty level. Features quizzes and animated pages. Content is designed for viewing on any device (phone, tablet, laptop).
Physical Reference Data (National Institute of Standards and Technology)
Physics.org (IOP)
Your guide to physics on the web.
Physics Central
Physics to Go (APS)
An online monthly mini-magazine including a collection of more than 900 websites with physics images, activites, and information.
PhysicsWorld
News, views and information for the global physics community from IOP Publishing.
Science Daily
This award-winning site provided breaking news on science discoveries, providing more than 65,000 research articles, 15,000 images, 2500 encyclopedia entries, 1500 book reviews, and hundreds of educational videos.
United States Geological Survey

Britannica This link opens in a new window
Full text academic edition of Encyclopedia Britannica and Merriam-Webster Dictionary; includes video and audio clips
Gale eBooks (formerly Gale Virtual Reference Library) This link opens in a new window
Gale’s eBook platform provides comprehensive support from many of today’s top publishers.
Gale in Context: Science This link opens in a new window
Current scientific topic overviews, including selected full text for journal and news/magazine articles, images, videos, interactive data maps, and more
Very Short Introductions This link opens in a new window
Full text overviews of diverse subjects, including ancient warfare, climate, consciousness, economics, game theory, Islamic history, literary theory, privacy, and more from Oxford Univ. Press

Related research guide:

Resources for Statistics
Find statistical data from government websites and other recommended sources

Using Advanced Search in OneSearch:

select UHCL Books and Media
enter desired subject terms (e.g., chemistry OR biochemistry) in the first text entry box
enter encyclopedia OR dictionary in the next
click Search