Materials search tools
Bibliographic databases
Multidisciplinary bibliographic database which indexes nearly 9,000 international journal. Available 1970 - present.
Multidisciplinary database covering peer-reviewed literature, conference proceedings, trade publications, books and patents in all subject areas including science, technology and medicine. Available 1823 – present, although majority of content is from 1996 – present. Includes citation links.
Gives access to:
Compendex
Most comprehensive database of engineering research including mechanical, materials, aerospace, applied physics and bioengineering. Available 1884 – present.
Inspec
Leading database in physics, electrical engineering, electronics and computing. Also provides significant coverage in materials science, nuclear engineering, biomedical engineering and biophysics. Available 1969 – present.
Contains over 14 million citations and abstracts from more than 4,800 biomedical journals. Useful for biomaterials and tissue engineering, etc. Available 1966 – present.
A very useful resource for information on health and medical topics. According to their website, it is "the most authoritative and comprehensive collection of physiology information ever assembled, and uses the most powerful features of review journals and electronic reference works to cover the latest key developments in the field, through the most authoritative articles on the subjects covered".
Information system on the peaceful use of nuclear science and technology. Provides a bibliographic database with abstracts and a collection of full-text documents.
CAS SciFinder Discovery Platform
SciFinder is a key chemistry resource searchable by reference, substance, reaction or chemical structure. SciFinder includes access to , and .
CAS Analytical Methods is a comprehensive, searchable database designed to help researchers quickly locate, compare, and validate step-by-step experimental procedures for chemistry. It streamlines R&D by providing curated protocols, including sample preparation, instrument parameters, and validation data from top journals and patents.
CAS Formulus is a comprehensive, web-based database and workflow tool designed to help formulation scientists accelerate product development. It enables researchers to find, analyze, and compare formulations from patents, journals, and product inserts across industries like pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and cosmetics.
Full-text of all IEE/IEEE publications including journals, magazines, conference proceedings, standards and books. Available 1986 – present.
Other databases and databanks
Full-text set of British standards on all subjects.
The UK’s national thesis service which aims to maximise the visibility and availability of the UK’s doctoral research theses.
Partnership of research libraries and library consortia who are working together to improve global access to European research theses.
Abstracts of theses and dissertations from North America.
Knovel library will let you gain access to reliable information across a range of materials topics including biomaterials, nanomaterials, composites and much more from over 1000 electronic books; it also includes materials data and complex graphs that you can query using their interactive tools.
Handbook of Chemistry and Physics offers reliable data that you can use to for modelling and experiments. It Includes properties of solids, molecular structure and spectroscopy, properties of elements and inorganics and much more.