Faculty Research Interests

To learn more about the research interests of Chemistry Department faculty, visit the department's faculty web page.


Niagara University Library
Guide to Chemistry Research

Need Help?

Contact the Library subject specialist for chemistry:

David Schoen
716-286-8002
schoen@niagara.edu


Finding Journal Articles

Chemistry research is usually disseminated through journal articles, so this is almost always what you will focus on when doing chemistry research.

Start with either or both of the following databases:

ScienceDirect
More than 1,500 full-text scientific journals are available through ScienceDirect, including a couple hundred directly relevant to chemistry.

Academic Search Complete
This is a multidisciplinary database that contains quite a bit of full text.
Then move on to SciFinder Scholar, the definitive and comprehensive tool to use for chemistry research.

SciFinder Scholar allows you to explore:

  • references from over 9,500 currently published journals and patent information from more than 50 active patent issuing authorities
  • an online version of Chemical Abstracts
  • important discoveries that span the scientific century back to 1900
  • the latest scientific breakthroughs almost as soon as they are published with references added daily and some patent information as recent as two days ago
  • complete coverage of chemistry and the life sciences including biochemistry, biology, pharmacology, medicine, and related disciplines
  • the world's largest collection of organic and inorganic substance information, including CAS Registry data and chemical structure information
You can learn more about SciFinder by visiting http://www.cas.org/support/academic/index.html.

SciFinder is not accessible via a web browser. You will need to use the SciFinder software located on two computers in the Library's Reference Department or in the Chemistry Library on the second floor of DePaul Hall.

A few things to note about SciFinder:
  • Niagara University shares two logins with three other colleges, so if you can't login, please try again in a few minutes.

  • SciFinder is a reference database in that it provides chemical information and data and a bibliographic database, meaning that it identifies articles written about your topic. It is not a full-text database, but it will link out to full-text articles that are available through ScienceDirect.

  • SciFinder Scholar can be used by students, faculty, and staff of Niagara University for educational and not-for-profit research purposes.

The Library also subscribes to two additional chemistry journals online:

Both are available from any computer on campus.

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Finding Books

Books are not as important an aspect of the chemistry literature review, though they can be helpful if you are looking for overviews or are doing research on the history of chemistry or famous chemists.

Use Niagara University's Library Catalog to locate books owned by the Library.

If you want to search for books owned by other libraries, too, then try searching WorldCat, a catalog that contains references to more than 57 million items owned by 9,000 libraries worldwide. Don't worry - if you need a book owned by another library, you can request it. To learn how, jump to the section called Obtaining Materials NU Library Does Not Own.

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Finding Facts, Statistics and Web Sites

The Chemistry Department provides links to some useful chemistry web sites.

The Chemistry Library on the second floor of DePaul Hall contains some reference books and manuals.

The Reference Collection on the first floor of the main Library contains some reference books as well. Look for call number Ref QD 4 to see titles like:

  • MacMillan Encyclopedia of Chemistry
  • Van Nostand Encyclopedia of Chemistry
  • Handbook of Chemistry and Physics

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Obtaining Materials NU Library Does Not Own

If you need an article or a book that NU Library does not own, you can make use of Interlibrary Loan to obtain it.

Tip: In a hurry? If the article or book you need is owned by another library in Western New York, you can visit that library and use their resources on site (view a list of Western New York library web sites).

Please note: If you wish to borrow a book from another Western New York library, you can get an Infopass Card at the Reference Desk.

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How to Cite Your Sources

The Chemistry Department does not require the use of a particular style manual, so check with your professor.

If no preference is indicated, you might want to to use the American Chemical Society (ACS) Style Guide. Some sample citations are provided on the ACS web site.

You can find other unofficial web sites that offer guidance on ACS Style by searching for "ACS Style" on Google.

You may also wish to take a look at a journal published by the American Chemical Society and mimic the way an article cites sources. For example, the Library subscribes to the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry online, which can be viewed from any computer on campus.

Tip: Please talk to your professor if you have questions about how to cite your sources.

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