Subject Guide
Using Electronic Resources
Through the Library you have access to a wealth of electronic resources, only a fraction of which are findable through Virgo. You can search any of the many databases available. But this guide will also introduce you to ways that you can search the external web, using Google Scholar or simply searching a publisher's journal website for a particular article to get instant access to the article if UVA subscribes, or to submit a pre-populated ILL request form if we don't.
Accessing electronic resources
Quickest path to full-text articles
- Libkey Nomad Browser Extension - Locates subscribed or open access full-text articles when you view an article webpage. Prepares an ILL request for your submission if we don't have access to the article. This is usually the quickest tool to use for finding an article.
Quick Links to Astronomy Articles, Data, and Software
Try these databases to quickly find useful Astronomy articles. For more in-depth research, click on the Find articles tab above. Contact me if you are having trouble figuring out where to search.
- ADS: Astrophysics Data System This link opens in a new windowFull Text Citations and abstracts of articles in astronomy and physics, with links to published version and to preprints. It is also possible to search the fulltext of documents scanned for ADS.
- arXiv This link opens in a new windowOpen access to over 1,500,000 e-prints in Physics (including Astronomy), Mathematics, Computer Science, Statistics, Quantitative Biology, Quantitative Finance, Electrical Engineering & Systems Science, and Economics
- Astronomy Thesis Collection
A thematic, community-wide repository – curated by astronomy librarians and indexed monthly by the NASA ADS – collects theses and dissertations on astronomy and astrophysics. Share the full-text of your cumulative, graduate or PhD level, research with the world by uploading it as open-access to this subject based community. - Asclepias
The Asclepias portal and broker are resources that connect software tools with scientific results to make research progress in astronomy faster, more open, and more reproducible. Developed by the AAS, Zenodo, and the SAO/NASA Astrophysics Data System. - Astrophysics Source Code Library
Repository for your code. Assigns DOIs, and indexed by ADS, so can be referenced in publications
- NED: NASA Extragalactic Database This link opens in a new windowNED is a comprehensive database of multiwavelength data for extragalactic objects, providing a systematic, ongoing fusion of information integrated from hundreds of large sky surveys and tens of thousands of research publications. The contents and services span the entire observed spectrum from gamma rays through radio frequencies. As new observations are published, they are cross- identified or statistically associated with previous data and integrated into a unified database to simplify queries and retrieval. Seamless connectivity is also provided to data in NASA astrophysics mission archives (IRSA, HEASARC, MAST), to the astrophysics literature via ADS, and to other data centers around the world.
- SIMBAD This link opens in a new windowThe SIMBAD astronomical database provides basic data, cross-identifications and bibliography for astronomical objects outside the solar system. SIMBAD can be queried by object name, coordinates, other criteria (filters), and lists of objects.
- Web of Knowledge/Web of Science This link opens in a new windowIncludes Science Citation Index, Social Sciences Citation Index, and Arts & Humanities Citation Index which can be searched together or separately.
All Astronomy Databases
Here you will find a list of some databases which are particular relevant to research in Astronomy. Be sure to look at the page on Database Search Tips for help in developing a successful search strategy.
- Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new windowLarge general database of articles from scholarly journals and a few newspapers covering a wide range of topics. Millions of full-text articles, many with images.
- Aerospace Database (1962-present) This link opens in a new window1962-present
Journal articles and technical reports in aeronautics, astronautics, and space sciences. Both basic and applied research are covered along with technological developments in supporting research fields. - ADS: Astrophysics Data System This link opens in a new window1975-present
The Astrophysics Data System (ADS) is a NASA-funded project which maintains three bibliographic databases containing more than 4.8 million records: Astronomy and Astrophysics, Physics, and ArXiv e-prints.
- Digital Dissertations1861-present
Full text (PDF for download) of most dissertations accepted from 1997 on, some earlier works and some master's theses. Also lists dissertations and theses accepted from 1861 on in the US and at some international universities. - SIMBAD
The SIMBAD astronomical database provides basic data, cross-identifications and bibliography for astronomical objects outside the solar system. SIMBAD can be queried by object name, coordinates, other criteria (filters), and lists of objects.
- Web of Knowledge/Web of Science This link opens in a new window1970-present
Includes Science Citation Index, Social Sciences Citation Index (1981-present), and Arts & Humanities Citation Index (1981-present) which can be searched together or separately.
Zotero: Organize What You Find
Zotero (pronounced "zoh-TAIR-oh") is an application that collects, manages, and cites research sources. It's easy to use, connects with your web browser to download sources, and best of all it's free.
Zotero allows you to attach PDFs, notes and images to your citations, organize them into collections for different projects, and create bibliographies.
It's incredibly customizable for how you work and how you want to use the platform.