Literature searching
Don't forget to try and answer the "Questions to think about ..." at the bottom of this page!
Searching the literature is an essential part of doing research. Nearly all the astronomical literature is online at ADS (http://adsabs.harvard.edu/). From anywhere, you can search via the ADS form, read abstracts, and old papers. However, because the journals want you to pay for access to recent articles, you will only be able to read recent papers when you're connecting from a university internet domain such as caltech.edu (although your local public library might also have access).
SIMBAD (http://simbad.u-strasbg.fr/simbad/sim-fid) is a slightly different database, with different strengths, weaknesses, and tools than ADS. Try searching there too; you might find different information than at ADS. Note that there are links between the two databases, such that you can move between them and take advantage of both resources. (Note too that SIMBAD is based in France, and thus might be down for maintenance during their evening hours -- which is our middle of the day.)
Questions to think about and things to try with literature searching
Try these examples below to be sure you understand how to use this form. All of these are relevant to the IC 2118 project, but similar searches can be done for any topic. Come up with your own answers and then you can discuss literature searching with others on this wiki.
- Find all papers by Maria Kun. Which are refereed, and which are conference proceedings?
- Find all papers involving IC 2118. What is the most recent one?
- Find all the previously known objects in IC 2118 or Lynds 1688 or a region of your choice (probably easiest to do in SIMBAD).
