History of Science

This is a general research guide for undergraduate and graduate courses in OSU's History of Science program. You'll find suggestions for locating books, journal articles, topical overviews, research tools, and factual information. For additional assistance, please contact (737-7269).

*New* now online New Dictionary of Scientific Biography

Quicklinks
Off-Campus Access | ILL Forms | Academic Search Premier

Table of Contents

Finding Books in Online Catalogs

The OSU Libraries online catalog is the primary tool for finding books and periodicals owned by the library, as well as for locating and requesting materials from nearby libraries. You may search the database by Subject, Author, and Title. OSU Libraries catalog its subjects according to the Library of Congress Subject Headings *(LCSH Red Books), which means that, when necessary, you must consult the Red Books to determine which headings match your subject. The books are available in the Information Commons and in the Reference section at Z695 .U66. Speak to a reference librarian if you need help with subject-searching. Here are some subject-searching categories:

Heading--Sub-heading

  • astronomical spectroscopy--History
  • chemistry--Germany--History--18th century
  • drugs--research--United States--History
  • Kaiser Wilhelm Institut fur Chemie--History
  • Lark-Horovitz, K (Karl), 1892-1958
  • Medical scientists--Egypt--History--19th century
  • Science--social aspects--History--19th century
  • Science--studying and teaching--Canada--History
  • Science and Industry--Poland
  • Science and state--Germany

Explanation of Library of Congress subject headings
Outline of Library of Congress call numbers

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Finding Articles in Journals

  • Academic Search Premier Includes full text for nearly 2,050 publications, including nearly 1,500 peer-reviewed journals. In addition to the full text, indexing and abstracts are provided for all 3,393 journals in the collection. This database offers information in nearly every area of academic study. This database is updated daily.
  • America: History and Life Covers scholarly literature relating to North American history from prehistoric times to the present day. Indexes over 2000 journals in 40 languages.
  • ArticleFirst Indexes articles from over 15,000 journals in all fields.
  • Bulletin Signaletique, Sect. 522: Histoire des Sciences et des Techniques Z7403 .F7 - French and English: 1969-94
  • C.R.I.S.: The Combined Retrospective Index Set to Journals in History, 1838-1974 REF D1 .C18 - Complete coverage of 243 English-language journals from their first issue to 1974. All periods of history are covered.
  • Historical Abstracts - Provides access to scholarly publications on world history (outside of the U.S. and Canada) from 1450 to the present day. Covers 2100 journals in 50 languages.
  • ISIS Q1 .I7 - Periodical which publishes Current Bibliography of the History of Science and Its Cultural Influences annually. From 03/01/2002 to the present, ISIS is available electronically from the e-journals page.
  • JSTOR This is primarily an archival collection of journal articles that includes over 140 titles in the humanities, social sciences and sciences. Some journals include articles up to 2003. This includes full-text coverage.
  • LexisNexis Academic: Access to full-text reviews appearing in newspapers.
  • Nineteenth Century Reader's Guide REF AI3 .N5 - Covers articles published during the 1890s in over 50 popular and/or reputable journals.
  • Poole's Index to Periodical Literature REF A13 .P6 1893 and 1902. - Indexes articles in general interest periodicals published between 1802 and 1902.
  • Project Muse Offers nearly 250 quality journal titles from 40 scholarly publishers. Project MUSE includes full-text journals covering many fields such as history, cultural studies, political science, gender studies, economics, and many others.
  • PubMed (Medline) Use the limits feature and then pick History of Medicine as a subset.
  • Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature REF AI3 .R4 - Access to articles published in popular magazines from 1900 on.
  • Social Sciences and Humanities Index (1907-1974) REF AI3 .I6 - Broad coverage of scholarly publications in many fields. Split into two separate indexes (Social Sciences Index and Humanities Index) in 1974.
  • Social Sciences Citation Index (1969-1970) REF H1 .S61 - Broad coverage of scholarly publications in many Social Sciences.
  • Technology and Culture T15 .T4 - Periodical which publishes Current Bibliography in the History of Technology annually.
  • Web of Science Contains the Science Citation Index and the Social Sciences Citation Indices from 1970-present. Search for citations, for authors' references and, for who cited a given author's work.

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Reference Sources

Dictionaries & thesauri // Encyclopedias // Handbooks & directories // Biographical information // Bibliographies // Yearbooks & literature reviews // Curriculum materials

Dictionaries & thesauri

Specialized dictionaries define terms, concepts, and jargon used in a particular field or subject, sometimes in extended entries.

Encyclopedias

Subject encyclopedias are organized alphabetically and contain authoritative information on various topics. Overviews of current research and short bibliographies on specific topics also are included. Use them to discover, develop, and narrow topics for research papers.

  • Britannica Online
  • Companion Encyclopedia of the History of Medicine R131 .C651 1993
  • Encyclopedia of the History of Arabic Science Q127 .A5 E531 1996
  • Encyclopedia of the History of Science, Technology, and Medicine in Non-Western Cultures Q124.8 .E53 1997
  • Encyclopedia of the scientific revolution: from Copernicus to Newton REF Q125 .E53 2000
  • History of Technology and Invention; Progress Through the Ages T15 .D26
  • International Encyclopedia of Unified Science Q121 .I5
  • Norton History of Technology T15 .C371 1995
  • Oxford Reference Online

Handbooks & directories

  • Dates and Events: Chronologies and Calendars
    • Chronology of Medicine and Related Science REF R133 .M717 1997
    • Chronology of the Expanding World REF D11.5 .W48 1969
    • Chronology of the Modern World REF D209 .W59 1994b
  • American Scientific Exploration, 1803-1860: Manuscripts from the Philadelphia Libraries Spec Coll Q125 .S6431 1985
  • Astronomy and the Geophysical Tradition in the United States in the Nineteenth Century: a Guide to the Manuscript Sources in the American Philosophical Society QB33 .U6 N41 1991
  • Catalogue of the Books, Manuscripts, Maps and Drawings in the British Museum (Natural History) Z7409 .Z9 B7
  • Catalogue of Medieval and Renaissance Optical Manuscripts QC355.2 .L5
  • Guide to Federal Records in the National Archives of the United States DOCS AE 1.108:G94/V
  • Knovel Critical Tables
  • Manuscript Papers of British Scientists, 1600-1940 (RCHM) Q125 .M321
  • Manuscript Sources in the Library of the American Philosophical Society QB33 .U6 N41 1991
  • Regional Union Catalog of Manuscripts Relating to the History of Science and Technology Located in Indiana, Michigan, and Ohio Z7405 .H6 L36

Biographical information

  • Special Collections at Oregon State University - Special Collections maintains and preserves the Ava Helen and Linus Pauling Papers and other materials important to the development of science and technology in the twentieth century.
  • American Men and Women of Science: The physical and biological sciences. Q141 .C2 Note: some years are shelved in compact and some in storage.
  • American Men and Women of Science: The social and behavioral sciences. Q141 .C21 Note: some years are shelved in storage.
  • American men & women of science. Cumulative index Compact shelves Q141 .C2 1906-1979. Library use only.
  • Biographical Dictionary of Scientists REF Q141 .B528 2000
  • Biographical Encyclopedia of Scientists SPEC COLL Q141 .B53 1994
  • Biographical Dictionary of the History of Technology REF T39 .B49 1996
  • Cambridge Dictionary of Scientists REF Q141 .C128 1996
  • Collins Biographical Dictionary of Scientists REF Q141 .C641 1994
  • Dictionary of American Biography REF E176 .D5
  • Dictionary of National Biography REF DA28 .D5
  • Dictionary of Scientific Biography REF Q141 .D5 *New* Online New Dictionary of Scientific Biography
  • Dictionary of Scientists REF Q141 .D521 1999
  • Prominent Scientists: an Index to Collective Biographies REF Q141 .P398 1994
  • Biography Index REF CT100 .B5 Indexes over 2700 English-language publications from 1946 to the present.

Bibliographies

  • Ancient Egyptian Science: A Sourcebook A525 .A58
  • Bibliography of the History of Technology (1968) Z7914 .H5 F4
  • The Cambridge history of science Q125 .C32 2003
  • Geologists and the History of Geology... from the Origins to 1978 REF QE21 .S2
  • Italian Bibliography of the History of Science
  • Medical Bibliography (Garrison and Morton) R131 .M671 1983
  • Source Book of Medieval Science Q153 .G7
  • Bibliographies of the History of Science and Technology Series. The library has:
    • Earth Sciences (1983): QE26.2 .P651 1983
    • History of Agricultural Science and Technology (1994): S419 .H81 1994
    • History of Biology (1989): Z5320 .O9 1989
    • History of Chemical Technology (1984): TP15 .M81
    • History of Civil Engineering Since 1600 (1986): TA145 .S71 1986
    • History of Classical Physics (1984): QC21.2 .H61
    • History of Electrical Technology (1991): TK15 .F421 1991
    • History of Engineering Science (1989): TA15 .C431 1989
    • History of Geophysics and Meteorology (1985): QC804 .B71
    • History of Health Care Sciences and Health Care, 1700-1980 (1984): REF R148 .E71
    • History of Mathematics from Antiquity to the Present (1985): QA21 .D31 1985
    • History of Metal Mining and Metallurgy (1986): TN145 .M61 1986
    • History of Modern Astronomy and Astrophysics (1982): QB15 .D481 1982
    • History of Modern Geography (1985): G80 .D821
    • History of Modern Physics (1983): QC7 .B761 1983
    • History of Pharmacy (1995): RS61 .H51 1995
    • History of Science and Technology in the U.S. (1982): Q125 .R6 1982
    • Medieval Science and Technology (1985): Q124.97 .K71

Yearbooks and literature reviews

  • America: History and Life
  • Book Review Digest REF Z1219 .B6
  • Book Review Index REF Z1219 .B62
  • Combined Retrospective Index to Book Reviews in Humanities Journals, 1802-1974 REF AI3 .C6521
  • Combined Retrospective Index to Book Reviews in Scholarly Journals 1886-1974 Z1035 .A1 C64

Curriculum materials

Research Papers: Guides and Bibliographies for Research and Writing

Research:

  • American Historical Association's Guide to Historical Literature REF D20 .A51 1995
  • Companion to the History of Modern Science Q125 .C565 1990
  • Guide to the Culture of Science, Technology, and Medicine Q175.5 .G84
  • Guide to the History of Science Q145 .G81 1992
  • Historian's Handbook: A Descriptive Guide to Reference Works Z6201 .P65
  • Information Sources in the History of Science and Medicine REF R118.2 .I51
  • Introduction to the Historiography of Science Q125 .K686 1987
  • Reference Sources in History: An Introductory Guide D20 .F71 1990
  • Student's Guide to History D16.3 .B4 1983

Writing:

  • Chicago Manual of Style Z253 .U69 1993
  • Complete Guide to Citing Government Information Sources REF J9.5 .G31 1993
  • Electronic Style: A Guide to Citing Electronic Information PN171 .D37 L5 1993
  • MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers LB2369 .G53 2003
  • Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association BF76.7 .P83 1984
  • Ask for copies of these style manuals at the Reference Desk.
  • Websites to style guide information

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Return to the Alphabetical or Subject index of the Subject Research Guides.