Research Guides: Chemistry and Biochemistry: Articles

Recommended Databases

Get started with...

Materials Science & Engineering Database This link opens in a new window
Featuring content from 1962 to present, supports numerous areas of both materials science research and engineering. Includes scholarly articles, as well as patents, conference proceedings, and government reports.
PubMed This link opens in a new window
Citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include links to full-text content from PubMed Central and publisher web sites. Also searches NCBI's integrated molecular biology databases, including nucleotide sequences, protein sequences, 3-D protein structure data, population study data sets, and assemblies of complete genomes in an integrated system. Note: This link uses a special address which turns on Get it at UC. Without that, PubMed does not link to UCLA's online subscriptions.
Reaxys This link opens in a new window
Access to Beilstein's Handbuch der Organischen Chemie, and Gmelin's Handbuch der Anorganischen Chemie. Provides chemical data on organic substances and reactions, including structures, properties, bioactivity records, preparation details and specific reaction pathways; also provides citations and some abstracts to the primary organic chemistry literature.The MarvinSketch structure editor works with the campus VPN, but not the proxy server.
Crossfire, Beilstein, Gmelin, Patent Chemistry
Science of Synthesis This link opens in a new window
Currently contains approximately 2 000 generally applicable synthetic methods in organometallic and heterocyclic chemistry covering 18 000 reactions with roughly 80 000 structures
SciFinder-n This link opens in a new window
SciFinder-n is the new interface for the most comprehensive index to the chemical literature and related sciences, including chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science, & nanotechnology. Search 52 million article, patent, and conference references, the CAS Registry of 161 million chemical substances (many include property data) & CASREACT database of 126 million chemical reactions and preparations. Search by topic, reaction, or chemical substance (Registry number, structure, substructure). Already registered? Go directly to SciFinder-n.
E-resources in Chemistry & Biochemistry
Web of Science This link opens in a new window
A multidisciplinary database, with searchable author abstracts, covering the journal literature of most disciplines. Indexes major journals with all cited references captured. Combines the following citation databases: Science Citation Index Expanded; Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI); Arts & Humanities Citation Index (A&HCI); Conference Proceedings Citation Index.

Additional Databases

Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window
A multidisciplinary database that indexes over 10,000 publications, with the complete text of over 5,500 periodicals, including a mix of peer-reviewed journals, magazines, and newspapers.
AGRICOLA (AGRICultural OnLine Access) This link opens in a new window
Created by the National Agricultural Library and its cooperators, AGRICOLA covers materials in all formats, including printed works from the 15th century. The records describe publications and resources encompassing all aspects of agriculture and allied disciplines.
American Chemical Society Publications This link opens in a new window
Peer-reviewed research journals in the chemical and related sciences. Also includes ACS Legacy Archives and ACS Symposium Series.
BIOSIS Citation Index This link opens in a new window
Citation index for articles in the life sciences.
Compendex (Engineering Village) This link opens in a new window
Contains citations and abstracts to over 5000 engineering journals from 1884 to the present, conferences and technical reports in the fields of chemical and process engineering, computers and data processing, applied physics, electronics, communications, civil engineering, and mechanical engineering. Coverage is from 1884 to the present; print equivalent is Engineering Index.
Google Scholar This link opens in a new window
Searches articles, theses, books, abstracts, patents, and court opinions from academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories, universities, and other web sites.
Inspec (Engineering Village) This link opens in a new window
Contains citations to articles in over 4000 scholarly journals, conference proceedings, books, reports, and dissertations in physics, electrical engineering and electronics, computers and control, and information technology. Most citations include abstracts. Full-text is available for many articles. Corresponds to the print publications: Physics Abstracts, Electrical & Electronics Abstracts, and Computer & Control Abstracts. 1969 to present; Inspec Archive 1898-1968.
NTRL: National Technical Reports Library from the National Technical Information Service This link opens in a new window
Provides indexing and open access to a collection of more than two million historical and current government technical reports archived by the National Technical Information Service (NTIS). Over 500,000 documents are available in full-text format.

Science.gov
Science.gov searches over 50 databases and over 2100 selected websites from 13 federal agencies, offering 200 million pages of authoritative U.S. government science information including research and development results.
Toxicology Abstracts
Index of articles on issues from social poisons and substance abuse to natural toxins, from legislation and recommended standards to environmental issues. Coverage includes toxicology studies of industrial and agricultural chemicals, household products, and pharmaceuticals. Also addressed are the effects of alcohol and smoking, drug abuse, hydrocarbon studies, nitrosamines, radiation, and radioactive materials. Coverage from 1981 to present.
TOXLINE
Citations and abstracts to journal articles, monographs, technical reports, theses, letters, meeting abstracts, papers and reports covering all areas of toxicology, including chemicals and pharmaceuticals, pesticides, environmental pollutants, and mutagens and teratogens.

Search Tips and Strategies

1. Map out your research questions.

Turn your ideas for research projects into questions.

2. Craft a savvy search strategy.

Generate a diverse set of keywords to help you generate more effective searches.

3. Seek out diverse perspectives on your topic.

Look for articles that address your research interests from multiple perspectives. Improve your search by using a variety of keywords and multiple databases.

The Library's online subscription resources can always be accessed from computers and wireless networks on campus. However, off-campus access is restricted to current UCLA, students, faculty, and staff who have set up their computer using one of the following methods.

UCLA OnLine Proxy Server
A simple browser setting which will automatically divert you to a UCLA logon page when you first access a restricted site.
Virtual Private Networking (VPN)
A program you can download and install, or use the built-in version on many computers or mobile devices. VPN software must be logged on manually before you access a restricted site, but works for all programs on your computer.

Illustration of a computer screen with a video call with a librarian

1. Why cite?

Watch this quick video for an overview of why citation really matters.

2. Determine your citation style.

Check out the submission guidelines or assignment prompt to determine the proper citation style. When in doubt, ask a researcher in the field, the instructor, or a librarian for help.

3. Use a citation tool.

Check out Zotero, Endnote, or Mendeley to keep track of your articles and create citations. You can also use the citation tools in many databases. Check out our guide to citing sources for more information.