Send Feedback | Dartmouth Home

Ask Us iconAsk Us

Got a question?
We can help.

Off-Campus Access IconOff-Campus Access

How to connect from
off-campus

Kresge Library

Contact Information

  • Kresge Physical Sciences Library
  • 6115 Fairchild Hall
  • Hanover, NH 03755
  • Tel: (603) 646-3563
  • Fax: (603) 646-3681
  • Today's Hours: 8am-12 midnight
Home >  Kresge Library >   Guides, Workshops & Help > 

PHYS 7: The Colonization of the Moon and Mars Course Guide

A Guide to Library Research

PHYSICS 7
The Colonization of the Moon
and Mars

Fall 2004
Prof. Robert Fesen

moon footprints
Tranquility Base, The Moon
July 21, 1969
© Bettmann/CORBIS

CONTENTS

 


A. Background Information from Reference Sources

Encyclopedias, handbooks and dictionaries provide an overview of a topic and short definitions of terms and ideas. They often contain references to other books and articles which can be used for further research. Statistical reference sources are valuable when you need a few statistics to back up an argument. Selected examples are:

Title and Electronic Access

Print Holdings and Location

Chronological Encyclopedia of Discoveries in Space Lists launches and landings chronologically, as well as missions and satellites by name, subject and nation.

Kresge Ref.
QB500.262 Z56 2000

Dictionary of space Definitions of terms regarding space flight, short descriptions of missions.

Kresge Ref.
QB497 .P57 1986

Encyclopedia of astronomy and astrophysics

Includes a detailed index, easy to understand definitions, data, authoritative articles and a news section. Online and print.

Kresge Ref.
QB14 .E54 2001

Encyclopedia of planetary sciences

In-depth articles on each planet in the solar system and on other objects as well, with full bibliographies.

Kresge Ref.
QB600.2 .E53 1997

Encyclopedia of the solar system

Covers the origin of the solar system, planets, asteroids and other objects.

Kresge Ref.
QB501 .E53 1999

McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology (available online as AccessScience)

Short explanations with illustrations Kept up-to-date with annual yearbooks.

Kresge Ref.
Q121 .M3

Space Almanac Descriptions of missions, with personnel and anecdotes.

Kresge Ref.
QB500 .C87 1992

See also Web Resources, Section E, for reference materials, useful organizations or projects on the Web, as well as guides to evaluating resources.

Back to top

B. MAGAZINES and JOURNALS

Magazine articles are a good source of news reports on subjects of current interest. Journal articles provide in-depth information; they are edited and reviewed by experts. The library has many electronic journals which you can find using the Library Catalog.

Journal Title and Electronic Access

Print Holdings and Location

Astronomy
Full text 1992-present

Kresge 1986-present

Acta Astronautica
Full text 1974-present

American Scientist
brief records 1998-present;
full text 2002-present

Dana Serial (v.15- 1927- ) Kresge Journal Current year only

Aviation Week & Space Technology
Full text 2001-present

Other electronic versions

Feldberg Journal - Latest year only

JBIS-Journal of the British Interplanetary Society

Kresge 1986-present

Nature
1997-present

Dana (Serial v.165- 1950- ) Baker/Berry Q1 .N2 (v.225- 1970- Current issues in Serials Reading Room) Storage Q1 .N2 (v.1-224 1869-1969)

Physics Today
1975-present

Kresge Journal (v.23- 1970- ) Storage QC1 .P568 (v.1-22 1948-1969)

Science
1995-present
via JSTOR (1880-1996)

Kresge Journal (1970-present) Kresge Micro-film 2015R (v.1-170 1883-1970) Dana Serial n.s. (v.79- 1934- ) Baker/Berry Q1 .S35 n.s. (v.167- 1970- Current issues in Serials Reading Room)

Scientific American
1995-present

Scientific American Archive
1993-present

Other electronic versions

Kresge Journal (v.190- 1954- ) Baker/Berry T1 .S5 (1951-1973
Current issues in Serials Reading Room) Storage T1 .S5 (v.2-183 1846-1950)

Space Policy
1985-present

Technology and Culture
1998-present

Baker Berry T1 .T27 1959-present.
Current issues in Serials Reading Room

Terra Nova
1999-present via publisher

Other electronic versions

Kresge 1989-present

C. Finding Journal, Magazine, and Newspaper Articles Using Indexes

Articles in journals, magazines, and newspapers can be found using article indexes (searchable databases of article records). In many cases these indexes link through to full-text articles; if not, use the Library's Catalog to locate the source of the article. [Note that the Catalog does not contain records for individual articles.] Article not available at Dartmouth? Try Interlibrary Loan.

Selected indexes relevant to space exploration are listed here. See eResources for a complete listing of electronic indexes, databases, and other eResources licensed by Dartmouth.

Wilson Web Databases: These can be searched separately or together.

Applied Science and Technology Index
Indexes over 500 technical and engineering journals, including: Spaceflight, Aerospace America, Aviation Week and Space Technology, Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets, and Technology Review.
General Science Abstracts
Indexes about 250 popular science and multidisciplinary journals, including: Ambio, Discover, Science, Scientific American, Nature, American Scientist, PNAS. Also indexes articles on science topics from the New York Times. Covers 1984- present.
Biological and Agricultural Index
Indexes over 300 journals in Biochemistry, Biology, Medicine and Health, and Psychology, in addition to its agricultural focus. Journals indexed include: Journal of Applied Physiology, Journal of Comparative Psychology, Perspectives in Biology and Medicine. Covers 1983-present.
Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

A NASA funded indexing and abstracting service for all areas of astronomy, astrophysics, geophysics and related instrumentation from 1975 to present. ADS is really four different databases, Astronomy, Instrumentation, and Physics and Astrophysics, and preprints in Astronomy. Publications indexed includes journals, books, conference proceedings, and the publications of astronomical observatories, in all languages.

Subject coverage includes: Astronomy, Astrophysics, Lunar and Planetary Exploration, Solar Physics, Space Radiation, Instrumentation, Spacecraft, and Geophysics.

More complete information about ADS can be found at their FAQ.
Web of Science

Web of Science indexes about 8000 journals in all subject areas.This index is unique in that it tells you who has cited a particular paper, which is useful as a way to find related papers, and to track the influence of a particular paper. You can also search by topic, and the index is very up-to-date. Especially useful for interdisciplinary fields. Covers 1945-present.

Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe

Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe is a web-based news and business information service that contains more than 13,500 sources. Search Lexis-Nexis for news coverage (regional, national and international), broadcast transcripts, news wire service reports, industry and trade journals, and congressional news coverage.

Too many or too few search results?

Way too many search results?
  • try focusing on narrower, more specific aspects of your topic
  • use additional search terms to make your search more focused, using AND to connect diverse concepts
  • leave out any synonyms and choose only the term you really want
  • use subject headings or descriptors to focus your result set
  • limit your search by year, or by language, if appropriate
  • sort by year to view only the most recent results, if appropriate
 No results, or only a few?
  • check your spelling!
  • check to see that you've constructed your search query correctly
  • use broader or more general concepts
  • omit search terms that are not essential to your topic
  • try adding synonyms for your search terms, using OR to connect similar terms
  • widen the scope of your search - from title/abstract to all fields, for example. Make sure your year range is set appropriately.
  • consider using a different article index - there may be one better suited to your topic.

D. FINDING BOOKS in the Library Catalog

Search the Dartmouth library catalog to locate books, journals, and other items in the collections of all the Dartmouth libraries. Search by subject (using Library of Congress subject headings) or keywords; you can also search by author, or by title.

Think about the terms you use in any search, and come up with multiple ways of asking your question. Many bibliographic databases, including the library catalog and the Wilson indexes, use strictly controlled terms to describe the subject content of materials. Being aware of these subject terms can help you focus your search with great precision.

For discussions of missions to specific areas, follow these examples, using the Subject search option:
SUBJECT Space flight to Mars
SUBJECT Mars Planet Exploration
SUBJECT Space flight to the moon
SUBJECT Moon Exploration

SUBJECT Planets - Exploration
SUBJECT Planets - Environmental Engineering

For specific missions, using the Subject search option:
SUBJECT Voyager Project

For the politics of space exploration, using the Subject search option:
SUBJECT Astronautics--put your country here, such as:
SUBJECT Astronautics--United States
SUBJECT Astronautics and State--Put your country here if you want to specify a country, such as:
SUBJECT Astronautics and State--Russia (remember to use Soviet Union too)
SUBJECT Astronautics, Military
SUBJECT Space Industrialization
SUBJECT Space Stations--Government Policy
SUBJECT Space Tourism

For space exploration in general, using the Subject search option; examples of subject terms:
SUBJECT Astronautics
SUBJECT Outer space Exploration
SUBJECT Space stations
SUBJECT Space flights
SUBJECT Space

Tip: if you're not sure of the exact Library of Congress Subject Heading, use a Keyword search to locate a few items that are relevant to your topic. Then use the Subject Headings associated with those items to lead you to more relevant materials.

Back to top

E. Web Resources

Internet Searching Guide -- Go to this site to find descriptions, links, and evaluations of different search engines (e.g., Google, Scirus, Teoma, Vivismo) There are many valuable sources of information in government sponsored Web sites. Always evaluate the source of your information before you use it in a paper, particularly if it is a non-reviewed or non-refereed Web site. Always cite your Web sources as you would cite printed resources!

Directories, or annotated guides, to selected Internet resources. Browse by topic headings, or search.

  • Librarians' Index to the Internet
    A searchable, annotated subject directory of more than 8,600 Internet resources.
  • The Scout Report Archives
    A searchable and browseable collection of over seven years' worth of critical annotations of selected Internet sites, mailing lists, and other online resources.

Selected Web sites with background and current information

F. Managing Your References and Citing Sources

The Composition Center offers tips on writing academic papers.

The Student Center for Research, Writing & Information Technology can also assist with paper topics, research assignments and multimedia projects.
Style guides provide accepted standards to follow when preparing research papers for publication.

Sources is the Dartmouth College general guide to getting started with citing sources, and contains required reading about plagiarism and when, and how, to cite material you are using for a paper or presentation.

Reference management programs allow you to build a personal database of your references to articles, books, websites - any information source - and then easily create bibliographies and reference lists using any particular style, without having to retype or reformat. See this overview of reference management programs widely used at Dartmouth.

RefWorks
RefWorks is a web-based reference management program that allows users to create their own personal database of references by importing references from online article databases. RefWorks makes it easy to search, sort, and cite these references in writing papers and then to automatically format the paper and the bibliography. To get started with RefWorks, go to http://www.refworks.com and click on the "User Login" button on the menu bar. Then click on the "Sign up for an Individual Account" link and fill out the form. RefWorks in-context help, or the online tutorial, will guide you through the basics. See the overview for details on importing citations from various article databases into RefWorks.

G. Locations | Maps | Hours | Help


Map of the libraries & Library Hours

Library How Do I? (FAQ) | Ask A Kresge Librarian

Help

For assistance with any part of your research project please contact:
Noah Lowenstein, Reference Librarian, Kresge Physical Sciences Library, 6-9958
Barbara DeFelice, Head, Kresge and Cook Libraries, 6-3564

Email: Kresge.Library.Reference@Dartmouth.EDU

Last Updated: 6/18/08