Ready Reference Data
- National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) Physical Reference(physical constants, atomic and molecular spectroscopy data, and much more)
- PACS (Physics and Astronomy Classification Scheme): APS classification guide for submitted articles.
- Particle Data Group Review of Particle Properties
- Table of the Nuclides
- National Nuclear Data Center
- Handbook of Chemistry and Physics (CRC)
Encyclopedias and Dictionaries
- AccessScience: McGraw-Hill's Encyclopedia of Science and Technology, online. Very useful for introductory information about topics in physics, and keyword searchable.
- Net Advance of Physics: An online encyclopedia mainly of hot topics in physics. Articles are unsolicited but peer reviewed.
- How Things Work: Physics in Everyday Life: A companion website to the textbook by Louis Bloomfield. "Call in radio show" website, is an archive of questions submitted by readers with answers by the professor. Answers are at a non-technical level.
- ScienceWorld: Dictionary length definitions of scientific terms, created by Eric Weisstein--a professional encyclopediast at Wolfram (makers of Mathematica).
Directories
Current Events
- Physics News Update (AIP sponsored weekly update of new and interesting research achievements in physics)
- Physical Review Focus (Selected Physical Review Letters are summarized for the non-expert physicist. Provides context and explanation of the important features/conclusions of the article)
- Physics Web (IoP sponsored weekly update of happenings in the world of physics, with a European bent)
- SciCentral: Gateway to the Best Science and Engineering
Biographical/Historical Information
- Contributions of 20th Century Women to Physics 1898-1998
- AIP Center for the History of Physics
- Emilio Segre Visual Archives (if you want a picture of a physicist)
- A Walk Through Time (evolution of time measurement, from NIST)
Preprint Servers
- arXiv: (xxx) preprints in all areas of physics (including history, education of)
- SLAC/SPIRES: database (high energy physics only)
- OAIster: Open Access database in all subject areas, including many institutional repositories
- ADS (Astrophysical Data System)
- Superconductivity Papers Database: (Japan)
Gateways
- PhysicsCentral: Excellent compilation of web resources from the APS.
- PhysLINK: Mainly a compilation of websites on many topics, although there is some original content as well.
- PhysNet: (Universitat Oldenburg metasite)