UNH Manchester
400 Commercial Street
Manchester, NH 03101
603-641-4101
This guide will help you get started with your research in Chemistry. If you have any questions about the research process, please don't hesitate to ask a librarian for assistance. You can reach a reference librarian at 641-4173 or by email at unhm.library@unh.edu. If you are in the Library, ask for assistance at the Reference Desk. The UNH Manchester librarians are here to help you with your research and to answer any questions that you may have regarding our resources and how to use them.
UNH librarians have developed an online library research tutorial-- InfoBoost--comprised of six modules to introduce you the basics of information literacy and to assist in navigating the UNH library. Each module takes approximately 15-20 minutes to complete.
To conduct a successful research strategy, you will need to locate books, reference sources, and current journal articles on your topic. (For an interactive introduction to starting your research process and developing a reseach strategy, try InfoBoost Module 1: Starting Smart and Module 2: Building a Search.
The links below will help you begin your research project.
Finding Books and Other Library Materials
Using Reference Sources
Finding Journal Articles
Chemistry Web Sites
Locating and Obtaining Materials from Other Libraries
Citing Sources
FINDING BOOKS AND OTHER LIBRARY MATERIALS
You can find books and other library materials on your topic (including videos, DVD's, and journal titles) by using the University of New Hampshire at Manchester Library Catalog. You can search the catalog by author, book or journal title, subject, or keyword. The Library of Congress Subject Headings is a very useful reference source which can help you broaden or narrow your topic; it will also help you with a subject search by providing you with the specific subject headings--the standard "library vocabulary"—that you can use to search for your topic in the online catalog. (A librarian can show you how to use this resource.) Here are several examples of possible subject headings in the area of Chemistry:
Chemistry, Organic
Chemistry--History
Biochemistry
Complex compounds
The UNH Manchester Library shares its catalog with the UNH libraries in Durham; a drop-down menu next to the search bar lets you search only UNH Manchester or expand your search to include the Durham libraries as well ("UNH Entire Collection"). Once you've got your list of books, you can find out detailed information about a particular title by clicking on it. The next screen will give you the book's location (Manchester or Durham), Library of Congress (LC) call number (i.e. its place on the shelf), and its availability. For an interactive introduction to the catalog and finding books, try InfoBoost Module 3: Using the Catalog.
If you would like to obtain a book that is located in one of the Durham libraries, we can get it for you through our delivery service with the Durham libraries. We can electronically request a title from Durham and will receive that material within 48 hours (weekends excluded). This activity requires library staff to place a hold on the requested material through your library record: visit the Reference Desk or call us at 641-4173 to request an item from Durham. (To obtain materials located at other libraries, please use our Interlibrary Loan service.) For assistance using the online catalog, interpreting LC call numbers, or finding a book on the shelf, please ask a librarian.
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USING REFERENCE SOURCES
The Reference Collection is a very good place to start your research. Reference sources can provide background on your area of study, help you focus your topic, and serve as a springboard to other research. The UNH Manchester Library's Reference Collection includes dictionaries, general encyclopedias (such as World Book), almanacs, and bibliographies. The Reference Collection also has many specialized encyclopedias which go into depth on one particular area of study. Check with your professor to verify which reference sources may be cited in your project and which should be used for background research only.
Materials in the Reference Collection are for library use only. Here are some specialized encyclopedias that you may find useful with your research in American History:
Dictionary of Chemistry (REF QD5 .H837 1999)
A Guide to the Elements (REF QD466 .S78 1998)
McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology (REF Q121 .M3 1997)
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FINDING JOURNAL ARTICLES
The UNH Manchester Library provides access to thousands of periodicals (journals, magazines, and newspapers) in paper and electronic formats. Journal articles are a very important part of your research: they provide current information, are often peer-reviewed, and are focused on a specific topic. To find citations to current periodical articles on your subject, you will need to use the Library's periodical indexes . Some of the indexes are general, indexing periodicals in a wide range of academic disciplines, while others focus on the periodical literature of a specific subject. If the index you are searching is a full-text database, you may find the articles online. For a flowchart of step-by-step instructions on how to get copies of the journal articles you locate in our online indexes, refer to our guide to obtaining journal articles. For an interactive introduction to using online databases, try InfoBoost Module 4: Finding Articles.
Electronic Sources
Many of the Internet-accessible indexes and databases to which the UNH library subscribes are limited to use by UNH faculty, students, and staff. To access the databases from an off-campus location, follow the instructions to access databases from home.
The following indexes are particularly useful to researchers in the area of Chemistry. For assistance using these or any of our databases, ask a librarian.
Academic Search Premier
A "scholarly, multi-discipline, full text database designed specifically for academic institutions."
Access Science
An online encyclopedia of the sciences.
Chemoreception Abstracts
"Index with abstracts for over 150 journals on chemoreception research and applications."
Environmental Sciences and Pollution Management
"This multidisciplinary database offers abstracts of articles spanning the environmental sciences."
ScienceDirect Web Editions
Indexes UNH-owned journals published by Elsevier.
SciFinder Scholar
"The Web interface for the world’s foremost resource for chemical information, Chemical Abstracts." This database requires sepecial software; the instruction for downloading and installing the software are available online: click the database link for more information.
Toxline
A National Library of Medicine database indexing articles that relate to the toxic effects of chemicals and drugs.
Web of Science
"The Web of Science accesses ISI citation databases, which are multidisciplinary databases covering thousands of scholarly journals from the Sciences, Social Sciences, Arts, and Humanities. After you perform a search, a list of the titles of the articles is returned."
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CHEMISTRY WEB SITES
The Internet can be a very valuable tool for students and researchers, opening up avenues of scholarly research formerly out of reach by providing instant access to information and materials from around the world. However, research on the Internet can be overwhelming due to the vast amount of reliable and unreliable information in cyberspace. How can you begin to sort through all the sites to find the one that can provide the information you are seeking? How can you determine that a site you have discovered meets the criteria of solid academic and professional authority? Was the web site you've located created by a reputable source? Is the author an expert in his or her field? Are the views expressed on the site biased in any way? These are the questions you should ask yourself when evaluating the information provided on any web site. For an interactive introduction to the WWW, try InfoBoost Module 5: Using the Web.
The librarians at the UNH Manchester Library have selected several web sites in the area of Chemistry that may prove useful to researchers in the field:
CHEMINFO: Chemical Information Sources
An Indiana University site with instructions on finding chemistry information online; includes resource guides and instructional materials.
Chemistry.org
This site, sponsored by the American Chemical Society, is a gateway to online chemistry information.
Crystallography Online
"Crystallography Online is available to provide extensive coverage of current and internet-based information concerning
crystallography and of interest to crystallographers."
General Chemistry Online
Tutorials, glossaries, and FAQ's for chemistry students.
The Information Retrieval in Chemistry WWW Server
A well-organized gateway site with links to online journals, glossaries, professional organizations, and more; covers all areas of chemistry. Hosted by the Institute of Physical Chemistry in Greece.
Library of Chemistry Information
This site, which is produced by the FDA's Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, provides links to a variety of chemical information, with a focus on food safety.
NIST Chemistry WebBook
Sponsored by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, "[t]his site provides thermochemical, thermophysical, and ion energetics data compiled by NIST under the Standard Reference Data Program."
Organic Chemistry Resources Worldwide
An annotated gateway site with links to organic chemistry information on the Web
The Organometallic Hypertextbook
Online information in the field of organometallic chemistry.
WebElements
A hyperlinked periodic table of the elements.
The Wired Chemist
Links to periodic tables, chemistry concepts, and professional organizations.
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LOCATING AND OBTAINING INFORMATION FROM OTHER LIBRARIES
It is possible to request items (books, journal articles, videos, etc.) from other libraries—across town, across the state and even across the country—by using a service known as Interlibrary Loan (ILL). You can search the online catalogs of other libraries to find more resources on your topic. ILL request forms are available at the library; you can also submit requests electronically by using the UNH Manchester Library's online Interlibrary Loan forms for books and articles. Before submitting an ILL request, make sure that the item is not available here at UNH Manchester or at any of the UNH libraries in Durham by searching for it in the online catalog . If you would like to obtain a book that is located in one of the Durham libraries, we can get it for you through our delivery service with the Durham libraries. We can electronically request a title from Durham and will receive that material within 48 hours (weekends excluded). This activity requires library staff to place a hold on the requested material through your library record: visit the Reference Desk or call us at 641-4173 to request an item from Durham.
Once you've verified that UNH does not own the item, you can submit the ILL request. Please fill out each request form completely and accurately. Interlibrary Loan materials are received anywhere from a few days to 2 weeks after the initial request, so be sure to budget your time wisely when collecting information for a paper or project. Library staff will contact you when your material arrives at the Library. To find out more about ILL rules and guidelines, refer to the UNH Manchester Library's Interlibrary Loan Policy.
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CITING SOURCES
Remember that information found on the Internet and full-text articles obtained from electronic databases (as well as all research material you use) must be properly cited in your paper or project. The UNH Manchester Library's homepage provides information on citing electronic resources . We have provided you with several examples of citations and with links to additional resources about proper academic citation, including information on the Modern Language Association (MLA) and American Psychological Association (APA) formats.
For an interactive introduction to citing sources and plagiarism, try InfoBoost Module 6: Citing Sources.
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Please send questions or comments about this research guide to Carolyn White, Associate Professor/Library Specialist, University of New Hampshire at Manchester Library, carolyn.white@unh.edu.
UNH Manchester | 400 Commercial Street | Manchester, NH 03101 | 603-641-4101
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