Research Guide for Mathematics, Statistics & Computer Science

Contact: Linda Maddux , Science Librarian

Getting Started

There are many handbooks, dictionaries, and encyclopedias that describe mathematical terms, etc. If you are not clear about your topic, try establishing its limits with a good definition and some introductory information. The following sources may be helpful:

AccessScience
Online scientific encyclopedia and dictionary. Links to related websites. Includes some biographies.

The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Mathematics
"Covering everything in the field, from pure and applied mathematics to statistics, it also covers areas of more general interest, such as fractals, game theory, and chaos. The third edition has been brought right up-to-date with terms used in first-year university courses, such as Lorenz attractor and Liouville numbers; computing entries have also been expanded, along with biographies of prominent mathematicians, including Nobel Prizewinners and Fields' medalists."

Dictionary of Statistics
"Provides concise definitions of terms likely to be encountered by students, of both Statistics and of disciplines featuring statistical material such as politics, medicine, and mathematics."

Encyclopaedia of Mathematics
Ref QA5 .M3713 1988
Contains survey-type articles, detailed articles on specific topics, and short definitions; articles include editorial comments and references.

Encyclopedia of Physical Science and Technology
Ref Q123 .E497 2002
Multi-volume encyclopedia with lengthy, fairly technical, signed articles; separate subject index volume.

Mathematics Dictionary
Ref QA5 .J33 1992
Good general dictionary - concise definitions, brief references to contributors to mathematics; multilingual index.


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Databases

Reed community only. Off campus access is available.

ACM Digital Library
Searchable and browseable access to ACM journals, magazines, and conference proceedings. Index terms are from ACM's Computing Classification System (CCS).

CiteSeer
One of the best resources out there for computer science & it's free. Indexes Postscript and PDF research articles on the Web. The methods and algorithms used to create the index is as interesting as the information it contains. Features include reference linking, citation context, and citation analysis for the papers indexed.

Current Index to Statistics (CIS) (1975 - present)
Indexes the mathematical statistical literature.

INSPEC (1898 - present)
The premier database for physics, including mathematical physics. Covers journals and conference proceedings in physics, electrical & electronic engineering, computing, and information technology. Available 1941 - 1968 as Physics Abstracts.

MathSciNet (1940 - present)
Electronic version of Mathematical Reviews.

Web of Science (1900 - present)
Web-based version of Science Citation Index. Provides keyword and citation access to over 5,700 major science journals.


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Journals and Journal Collections

Once you identify a citation for an article using a database, or if you just want to browse a journal title, you must determine if the library subscribes to the journal. At this time, the best way to do so is to use the Print & Electronic Journals page. For help, try How Do I Find Journal Articles?.

If you haven't identified particular journals, but would like to see what Reed has access to, you can use the mostly complete subject lists available from the journal title list.


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Specialized Dictionaries

The Cambridge Dictionary of Statistics
Ref QA276.14 .E84 2002
Definitions and explanations of terms used in the field of statistics.

Dictionary of Computing
Ref QA76.15 .D526 2004
Reference to terms used in programming, computer organization & architecture, networking, information technology, etc. Also useful: Dictionary of Computer Science, Engineering, and Technology (Ref QA76.15 .D5258 2001).

Dictionary of Mathematics
Ref QA5 .E35 1982
Includes English, German, French, and Russian.

A Dictionary of Statistical Terms
Ref HA17 .K4 1990
Definitions and explanations of terms used in the field of statistics.

The Words of Mathematics
Ref QA5 .S38 1994
“A reference book describing the origins of over 1500 mathematical terms used in English, including a glossary that explains the historical and linguistic terms used in the book." Includes bibliographical references.


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Encyclopedias

Encyclopaedia of Mathematics
Ref. QA5 .M3713 1988
Contains survey-type articles, detailed articles on specific topics, and short definitions; articles include editorial comments and references. For shorter articles with excellent references use CRC Concise Encyclopedia of Mathematics (Ref QA5 .W45 2003).

Encyclopedia of Computer Science
Ref QA76.15 .E48 2000
Good general encyclopedia for the non-specialist, with signed articles covering entire range of computer science. For a more technical or historical perspective, see: Encyclopedia of Computers and Computer History (Ref QA76.15 .E53 2001).

Encyclopedic Dictionary of Mathematics
Ref QA5 .I8313 1987
Short, referenced articles; brief biographical entries on mathematicians; tables of formulas in the appendixes. Use subject index for locating specific terms.

International Encyclopedia of Statistics
Ref HA17 .I63
Long articles on broad topics of statistics; source of biographical information on statisticians and scientists/mathematicians who have influenced the field of statistics.


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Handbooks & Tables

Computational Handbook of Statistics
HA29 .B835 1977
Handbook of statistical applications showing step-by-step computational procedures; requires little mathematical or formal statistical background.

CRC Standard Mathematical Tables and Formulae
Ref QA47 .M315 2003
Standard mathematical reference work; includes many tables of mathematical functions, etc. See also: Table of Integrals, Series, and Products (Ref QA55 .G6613 2000).

CRC Standard Probability and Statistics Tables and Formulae
Ref QA273.3 .Z95 2000
Contains many tables and formulae for statistics, probability, distributions, etc.


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