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MATHEMATICS & STATISTICS

A Brief Guide to Reference Resources

[Guides to the Literature] [Databases, Indexes & Abstracts] [Dictionaries & Encyclopedias]
[Biography] [Handbooks & Compendiums] [Current Awareness Services]

updated:  October 31, 2005
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Guides to the Literature

Guide to Information Sources in Mathematics and Statistics. [SCIENCE REF QA 41.7 T83 2004]
Beginning with a thorough overview that chronicles the transition of mathematics scholarly communications from paper to electronic, the bulk of this guide describes the most important resources for mathematics and statistics.

A Guide to Library Service in Mathematics: The Non-Trivial Mathematics Librarian. [SCIENCE REF Z 675 M37 G85 1993 and DEWEY Z 675 M37 G85 1993]
Contains a comprehensive bibliography of reference materials for mathematics.

Using the Mathematics Literature. [SCIENCE QA 41.7 F69X 2004 and DEWEY QA 41.7 F69X 2004]
Divided into two parts, this guide offers strategies for locating information and resources in mathematics. Part 1 contains three chapters on general mathematics reference sources and methods to access the primary literature. There are twelve chapters in the second part that focus on resources for specific sub-fields of mathematics.

Databases, Indexes & Abstracts

Current Index to Statistics, Applications, Methods and Theory. <http://www.statindex.org/CIS/CIS/psqlQuery> Accessible to University at Albany users only
Issued annually by the American Statistical Association and the Institute for Mathematical Statistics, it is a comprehensive index to journal articles and monographs for mathematical statistics from 1974 forward.

The Jahrbuch Project: Electronic Research Archive for Mathematics. <http://www.emis.de/projects/JFM/>
The Jahrbuch Project complements MathSciNet by serving as an index to important mathematical publications for the time period of 1868 - 1942.

MathSciNet. <http://www.ams.org/mathscinet/> Accessible to University at Albany users only
Based on Mathematical Reviews, it provides comprehensive coverage of pure and applied mathematics. Entries include abstracts, author summaries, and in many cases, signed critical reviews. Covers journal articles, books, and conference proceedings back to 1940.

Referativnyi Zhurnal. Matematika. [SCIENCE REF / Index QA 1 A373]
Similar in format, style, and purpose to Mathematical Reviews, except that all the reviews are in Russian and many more pedagogical articles are listed. The entries are listed in the original language followed by the Russian entry and abstract. The Science Library has 1953-1995.

Science Citation Index. [SCIENCE REF / Index Q 1 Z999 S28]
Produced by the Institute for Scientific Information, it is an index to the core journals in mathematics & statistics (about 275 titles). Searchable by author, title keyword, author's address, or by cited reference which links current and past publications. The Science Library has 1964+ ; also available in CD-ROM format (1980+).

Zentralblatt für Mathematik und ihre Grenzgebiete. [SCIENCE REF / Index QA 1 Z4] <http://www.emis.de/ZMATH/>
Contains signed abstracts of books, journal articles, & conference proceedings in pure and applied mathematics, statistics, and application of mathematics. Stronger than Mathematical Reviews for non-English publications. Predates Mathematical Reviews by nine years. The Science Library has 1931-1996. There is also a database that covers from 1931 to present. As a non-subscriber, University at Albany users will receive only three records for each search, but it's a great way to verify a reference.

Dictionaries & Encyclopedias

CRC Concise Encyclopedia of Mathematics. [SCIENCE REF QA 5 W45 1999]
A comprehensive encyclopedia of mathematics equations, terms, and derivations.

Encyclopaedia of Mathematics: An Updated and Annotated translation of the Soviet "Mathematical Encyclopaedia." [SCIENCE REF QA 5 M3713 1988]
Contains 3 levels of entries: general survey articles on main topics; more specialized articles on concrete problems, techniques, and results; and brief definitions. 10 volumes.

The Penguin Dictionary of Mathematics. <http://www.xreferplus.com/letter_picker.jsp?vol=166> Accessible to University at Albany users only
This dictionary covers all branches of pure and applied mathematics. It contains definitions to over 3,200 terms, and includes over 200 biographies.

Biography

Dictionary of Scientific Biography. [SCIENCE REF Q 141 D5]
This multi-volume resource includes over 1,000 essays on mathematicians from all periods of history. Published under the auspices of the American Council of Learned Societies, each essay is signed by the contributor, emphasizes the biographee's accomplishments, and includes a bibliography. 14 volumes plus indexes and supplements.

Notable Mathematicians: From Ancient Times to the Present. [SCIENCE REF QA 28 N66 1998]
Contains biographical information on over 300 mathematicians throughout recorded history. Each entry includes birth and death dates, nationality and ethnicity where applicable, and primary field(s) of specialization. This is followed by a biographical essay, a list of selected writings by the subject, and a bibliography of further readings.

Handbooks & Compendiums

CRC Handbook of Mathematical Sciences. [SCIENCE REF QA 47 H324 1987]
A compendium of formulas, tables, and other reference material in pure and applied mathematics. Earlier versions are available in the Science Library circulating book collection.

CRC Standard Mathematical Tables. [SCIENCE REF QA 47 M315 1996]
A reference handbook filled with tables, formulas, equations, and descriptions. Similar to the CRC Handbook of Mathematical Sciences. Earlier editions are available in the Science Library circulating book collection.

Current Awareness Services

Alerting Services. <http://scilib.ucsd.edu/refshelf/ealert.html>
Alerting Services is made available from the Science & Engineering Library at the University of California, San Diego. It lists publishers, independent journals, and databases that provide email alerting services. This includes both those that support complete tables-of-contents listings as well as those that will maintain subject search profiles.

Current Mathematical Publications. [SCIENCE REF / Index QA 1 C65X]
A classified bibliography of recent and forthcoming materials received by Mathematical Reviews for review by that publication. The Science Library retains the current two years. American Mathematical Society members can access e-CMP, an electronic notification service based on this publication, at <http://www.ams.org/e-cmp/>.

IngentaConnect. <http://www.ingentaconnect.com/> Accessible to University at Albany users only
An automated current awareness service that delivers the table of contents of journals or article citations by electronic mail. Search strategies can be created by journal, keyword, or author. Instructions on how to set up a profile are available at <http://library.albany.edu/databases/about/ingentahelp.html>.


For Web-based mathematical and statistical resources
see the Mathematics & Statistics subject guide
available at <http://library.albany.edu/subject/math.htm>.