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PHYS/ASTR 040: Expanding Ideas of Time and Space: Popular Science Resources

A guide with library resources for this course.

Newspapers and Magazines

If you want electronic access to Scientific American, we have several different options. 

If you have reached this page on your own, you have probably tried Googling a Scientific American article, and you were paywalled (it asked you to pay to view an article).

How to Access

Scientific American with the illustrations, pictures, and figures is available through the Scientific American web site at a special URL:

We also have access to Scientific American issues from the early days (before 1909).

Finally, there are a few text-only articles available through our aggregators (library subscriptions that give us access to a bundle of publications, but that haven't necessarily cleared image rights). Please note that "Single Journals" is how the name for Springer-Nature's Scientific American is appearing and that we do have access to Scientific American Mind through the archives.

Troubleshooting

If you are experiencing problems accessing Scientific American, here are a few instructions for getting access.

  • On YaleSecure/Ethernet or the VPN – The most common problem is a cookie issue. First, confirm that you are connected to the Yale network or VPN at this link. Then, clear your browser cookies for Scientific American and refresh the page or use a new browser, preferably one that you use less frequently.
    • Cookies can frequently persist for hours to days, so it's always best to close Scientific American browser tabs after using it if you have plans to be away from the Yale network.
    • We recommend saving your articles to a reference manager like Zotero, EndNote, Mendeley, or RefWorks for easy access and annotation on the go.
  • Off-campus, but not on the VPN – Clear your browser cookies as described above. You can use our proxy service to access Scientific American without being on the VPN via the following link: https://www-scientificamerican-com.yale.idm.oclc.org/page/institutional-access/
    • Have your phone handy, as you may need to use multi-factor authentication.
    • If you're off-campus and accessing SciAm from one of the other links, add https://yale.idm.oclc.org/login?url= to the front of the URL and ensure that the URL begins with https://

Access Limitations

The following limitations apply to ScientificAmerican.com, not to the other access portals.

  • Special issues are not included in our subscription, but they are on the library access page. Look for the key symbol; it's used to indicate "locked" content.
  • The interface does not support exporting to Pocket or Instapaper, but you can download articles to PDF.

Accessing SciAm in Print

What if you need something from Scientific American in print?

You have several options. The location of Scientific American's print Orbis record is extremely important: http://search.library.yale.edu/catalog/470143

Scientific American is held in multiple locations, with holdings ranges (the volumes and issues that we have) varying from location to location. Most locations will provide two options: Request recall or delivery and Request scan of article/chapter. Clicking on either of these will get you what you need — the former in print, the latter in e. Before making a request, ensure that the location you have selected carries the specific volume and issue that you want.

Request recall or delivery allows you to recall a book that has already been checked out or deliver a copy to you. For example, if the Bass Library and SML are the closest libraries to you, but the copy you need is at Marx Library or at LSF, you can request that the volume be sent to the Bass Library or SML for easy pickup.

Request scan of article/chapter requires information about the article you need. Once you click on the link, input as much information about the article as possible, such as the journal volume and issue numbers, authors, title, and doi (digital object identifier; it will look similar to this: 10.1038/scientificamerican0514-14). 

More information about processing and turnaround times is available on our Get It @Yale site: http://guides.library.yale.edu/getit.

Astronomy (ISSN 0091-6358) is dedicated to astronomy, with topics ranging from cutting-edge science to amateur astronomy updates. It is available through several sources at the University. The publication started in 1973, and our online access extends back to 1988 from one of our collections (the Natural Science one):

The Natural Science Collection contains full-text with images. Some of the other sources above only contain some images or no images at all due to image copyright restrictions.

To find early issues of Astronomy, especially if you want to make an article scan request, use this catalog record: https://search.library.yale.edu/catalog/481721 

Our print holdings go back to early issues of the journal. For anything that is currently unavailable, please use interlibrary loan to make a request.

AAS Nova features recent research published in AAS, with the goal of taking interesting new science and informing both astronomers and the interested public about breakthroughs and discoveries. 

Categories like Astrobites, Images, and so on help readers find the information that they need most. Featured Images show you an image with some accompanying text, much like what you get on Astronomy Photo of the Day websites, to explain the science behind the image. Astrobites is an organization run by graduate students that reads and interprets astronomy papers for undergraduates and the interested public.

Sky and Telescope was formed as the union of Sky and Telescope in 1941. It is a very popular amateur astronomy and general space science resource for the interested general public.

We have electronic access to Sky and Telescope from 1993-2017 through Gale General OneFile. The Astronomy Department may have print issues of Sky and Telescope that are from more recent years.

The two best ways to get access to Sky and Telescope issues through the Library are to use the catalog record or interlibrary loan.

Our catalog record (with records going up to 2010) is here: https://search.library.yale.edu/catalog/469704

If you want electronic access to New Scientist, we have several different options. The full record for electronic access (including the date ranges) is here. With all of our electronic options, coverage begins in 2000. It is important to note that none of the electronic options includes images from New Scientist. Please consult a print copy location (listed below) for a complete article reading experience.

Second, we have access to New Scientist issues in print at the locations listed at the following ORBIS URL. I've included information below on the year coverage present at all of the locations.

  • Marx Science and Social Science Library: Current issues on library display shelves; older issues (back to 1971) available in the stacks on the lower level with call number Q1 N48+ Oversize.
  • Offsite storage (request in Orbis): http://search.library.yale.edu/catalog/613204

Please note that Scan and Deliver is always an option for print periodicals.

Science Research Support Librarian

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Kayleigh Bohemier
Contact:
Please email me or use the Schedule Appointment button. In-person and virtual (Zoom) appointments are both possible. Please note that Science Hill is a 15-minute walk from central campus, and there is a temporary entrance due to construction.

My default ONSITE days are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday. During the semester (not during breaks!), I am onsite on Thursdays. I am OFFSITE most Mondays.

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Marx Science and Social Science Library (formerly called CSSSI)
Office C41
219 Prospect Street
Concourse Level
Kline Biology Tower
203-432-9519