Astronomy: Major Indexes and Databases

Applied Science and Technology Index

1983-current. Useful for finding articles on applied sciences in scholarly and popular English-language periodicals. Searchable via Dialog on Library computers; ask the Science Librarian for assistance.

INSPEC

1898 - current.  Indexes physics, electronics and computer science literature, 1969-current. Access via the Classroom Instruction Program.  Searchable via Dialog on Library computers; ask the Science Librarian for assistance.

NASA Astrophysics Data System

1975 (and much earlier for scanned titles) - current. The Astrophysics Data System (ADS) is a NASA-funded project that maintains four bibliographic databases containing more than 4.2 million records: Astronomy and Astrophysics, Instrumentation, Physics and Geophysics, and preprints in Astronomy. The main body of data in the ADS consists of bibliographic records and full-text scans of much of the astronomical literature.  In addition to its databases, the ADS provides access and pointers to a wealth of external resources, including electronic articles, data catalogs and archives.

Science.gov

Selective coverage, as far back as 1948.  Science.gov is a search engine for government science information. It allows you to search the contents of web sites from the Department of Agriculture, Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, Department of Education, Department of Energy, Department of Health and Human Services, Department of Interior, Environmental Protection Agency, Library of Congress, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Science Foundation, and the US Government Printing Office. 

Results are authoritative and selective and may include scientific or technical data, publications, databases, documentation, or other forms of information. Results will not include sites that are merely organization home pages nor  sites that require a login.

Tip:

• To limit your search to a subset of the database, click on the "Advanced Search" link

Web of Science (Science Citation Index)

1985-current. Together, the Science Citation Index and the Social Sciences Citation Index cover several thousand scholarly journals worldwide. The Science Citation Index segment covers core science and technology research journals. Special features include cited article searching and discovery of related articles through common terms. This is a subscription resource; for off-campus access, enter your Middlebury username and password when prompted.  (For references to articles published 1974-1989, use SciSearch via Dialog on Library computers; ask the Science Librarian for assistance.)
Tips:

• Enclose phrases in quotes " " . 
• Truncate terms using an asterisk * .
• For more tips, see Web of Knowledge Help or the online Tutorial.
• Go shortcut = go/wos