Library Guides: Materials Science & Engineering Research Guide: Articles, Papers, & Journals

How to find articles, papers, & journals

This page contains links to scholarly databases which will help you locate the research articles and other information you are seeking. You can browse the A-Z list or use the drop-down menus at the top to limit by subject or type.

Article Indexes & Databases
Databases for finding individual journal articles and conference papers by topic, author, and more. Most require ISU Library login for access from off campus.

Selected indexes & databases

These databases cover journal articles, book chapters, conference proceedings, meeting reports, and more. Refer to individual resource descriptions for more specific information about what each database contains and specialized search tools that may be available. If you would like help using any of these databases, contact your librarian.

Core materials science & engineering databases

SciFinderⁿ This link opens in a new window
Contains information about chemistry resources including articles, patents, protocols, proceedings, structures, and reactions.
SciFinder tutorial
Please note that this resource is not available to members of the public visiting Parks Library.
SciFinder Registration This link opens in a new window
First-time SciFinder users must establish a personal account using a valid ISU email address (i.e. ending in ...@iastate.edu). After you successfully submit the registration form, you will receive an email containing a confirmation link. You must click on the link within 48 hours to complete your registration.
Please note that this resource is not available to members of the public visiting Parks Library.
ICSD: Inorganic Crystal Structure Database This link opens in a new window
Explore structure data and bibliographic information for more than 240,000 crystal structures.
Springer Materials This link opens in a new window
Physical and chemical data for various materials, drawn from the Landolt-Börnstein New Series, the Linus Pauling Files, and specialized databases on thermophysical properties, polymer thermodynamics, adsorption isotherms, and 32,000+ substance profiles.

Science & engineering databases

Compendex This link opens in a new window
Compendex is a comprehensive engineering database covering journal articles, conference proceedings, technical papers, and standards in all engineering disciplines from 1884 to the present.
Compendex tutorial
Scopus This link opens in a new window
A large database containing scholarly journal articles and conference papers on any topic in science, technology, medicine, social sciences, and arts & humanities. Includes cited references and h-index information.
Scopus tutorial
Web of Science Core Collection This link opens in a new window
Web of Science Core is a database of “core publications” across all disciplines. This database has a cited reference search tool that can be used for searching for a specific item from a citation.
IEEE Xplore This link opens in a new window
IEEE Xplore provides full-text online access to publications of the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) and the IET (Institution of Engineering and Technology). Content includes journal and magazine articles, conference papers, standards, and books on subjects in electrical engineering, electronics, computers and computing.
PubMed This link opens in a new window
PubMed provides over 22 million citations for biomedical and life sciences literature, including: biomedicine and health, behavioral sciences, bioengineering, biochemistry, genetics, molecular and cell biology.
PubMed tutorial

Materials science & engineering journals

The Iowa State University Library subscribes to many journals across all fields of engineering. You can use the following tool to explore materials science and engineering journals and view the latest articles that have been published in this field - it's a great way to stay current in your area of interest. Scroll down for additional resources to help you locate articles and papers relevant for materials science and engineering research.

Looking for a specific journal?

To find out if we have online access: try the Library's Journal Search.

Search for the journal's title.
Click Get It @ ISU to view which volumes are available.
Click the database name and navigate to the correct issue.

If you do not find what you are looking for by using Journal Search, especially if the paper or journal issue you need was published before 1990, there may be a physical copy at the library. To find out if we have a journal in print, use Quick Search.

Change the first drop-down option to "Title". Change the second drop-down option if needed.
Type the journal's title into the search box.
Change the Material Type drop-down to "Journals".
Search!
Click the title or location to see which volumes we have and where they are.

ISU affiliates (students, staff, faculty) get unlimited document deliveries. To save yourself a trip to the library, request the article you need via our Interlibrary Loan/Document Delivery service. We'll scan it and send you a PDF copy.