Douglas D. Schumann Library & Learning Commons: Find Primary Sources Online: Science and Engineering : Primary Sources

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Scientific articles that offer the results of original experiments or research are considered to be primary sources. The Library's science and engineering databases are great places to search for these materials:

Science and Engineering Primary Sources on the Web

arXiv.org
Open access to e-prints in Physics, Mathematics, Computer Science, Quantitative Biology, Quantitative Finance and Statistics
Computer History Archives Project
Historical videos and presentations on 20th century computer development.
Computer History Museum Resources
Video interviews with pioneers of the computer industry. Transcripts included.
Computer Security Archives Project: Seminal Papers
Contains early papers on computer security, from 1970-1985.
Google Patents
Patent applications and art from around the world.
HathiTrustDigital Library
Open access to pre-1926 scientific journals. Desired pages must be saved individually.
Internet Archive
Public domain (pre-1926) scientific books in PDF format.
Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations (NDLTD)
Nearly 4.5 million theses and dissertations from universities around the world.
Science History Institute: Digital Collections
Digitized artifacts, photographs, advertisements, letters, rare books, and oral histories in the fields of science, chemistry, and engineering.
Smithsonian Digital Library: Natural and Physical Sciences
Texts and images on a variety of scientific topics.
Video Interviews with Nobel Laureates in Chemistry
Video Interviews with Nobel Laureates in Physiology or Medicine
Video Interviews with Nobel Prize Winners in Physics
Vintage Apple Manuals
An online collection of product manuals published by Apple.

U.S. Federal Science Agencies (Scientific Data Centers)

Scientific data and statistical information are the main types of primary source materials used by scientists and engineers. The Library's The following U.S. government agency websites are excellent providers of raw scientific data, demographic information, and economic statistics.

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
U.S. Dept. of Agriculture (USDA)
U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
U.S. National Weather Service (NWS)
Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI)
Search for research publications funded by the U.S. Dept. of Energy.
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Digital Archives
Historical photos, notebooks, and scientific papers in the physical sciences from this government laboratory.