Your Local Library
Check your local school library and public library. The librarian can give you tips on how to search for information in the library catalog and other databases.
Can I Get Access?
This Guide focuses on openly available resources. You may see a graphic:
Open lock = Open Access content (OA)
If you see an image of a closed "lock"-- that item is only available if your library subscribes or if you pay.
Find STEM Information Resources
Successful scientists and engineers do research on their projects. Look at what others have done to: 
- Find out what's already been accomplished
- Get new ideas
- Learn things that will make your own project stronger
STEM information varies from basic to highly advanced reading. Nobody's an expert at everything--Try these strategies:
- Look for resources that match your understanding level. Many government sites have reliable accurate information aimed at the general public or non-experts.
- Use a dictionary or an open web browser to look up unfamiliar words.
- For journal articles aimed at experts, get an idea of the article's content first:
- Read the abstract--It's a short summary
- Look at the illustrations and their captions
- Read the conclusions at the end of the article
- Ask for help from your teacher, a librarian, or ASK A LIBRARIAN to find information that's right for you.
Image--Idea, Identify and Evaluate Research Ideas, Shengdong (Shen) Zhao (Creative Commons license CC BY-SA 3.0).
Free Stuff (in addition to your local library's resources)
NOTE -- It's a good idea to use a variety of different sources for your project, and not rely on just one source or one publication.
General, Multidisciplinary -- Look for your subject here too
- Wikipedia -- Focus on articles that list and are supported by citations to reliable sources.
- YouTube -- Experiments, scientific concepts, crazy ideas and more.
- DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals) -- Find articles and entire journals on your subject.
- Google Scholar -- Scholarly publications in many subjects. (Some articles are not accessible.)
Chemistry
- PubChem -- Chemistry database on molecules and chemical compound data
- Virtual Textbook of Organic Chemistry
- General & Introductory / Preparatory Chemistry
Biology, Life Sciences, Agriculture
- BioOne Complete -- Biology, ecology, habitats, agriculture
- Colorado State University Extension
Medicine & Health, Behavioral Sciences & Social Psychology
- PubMed -- Medicine, health care, human disease, physiology
- Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment
- Psychology Today Magazine
- American Journal of Psychiatry
Environment
- Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
US Forest Service
- US Bureau of Land Management
- Colorado Department of Natural Resources
Geology & Earth Sciences
- US Geological Survey
- Colorado Geological Survey
- Geological Society of America (GSA)
- National Oceanographic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
- National Weather Service
Energy
- Energy -- US Geological Survey
- US Energy Information Administration (EIA)
- National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL)
Physics
- Physics Open Access -- Collection of OA journals (SpringerOpen)
- Frontiers in Physics journal
Astronomy & Space Science
- NASA (National Aeronautic & Space Administration)
- Planetary Science -- US Geological Survey
- European Space Agency (EESA)
Engineering
- Engineering Open Access -- Collection of OA Journals (SpringerOpen)
- Advances in Mechanical Engineering journal (SAGE)
- efunda (Engineering Fundamentals) -- Full of advertising but has a lot of information on engineering properties, definitions, formula, etc.
Computing, Mathematics
- Open Computer Science -- Open journal covering networking, programming, bioinfomatics and more
- Frontiers in Computer Science journal
- Open Mathematics journal
- Frontiers in Applied Mathematics & Statistics journal
Images --
- Negative image of what i did in lab.jpg, Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons license CC BY 4.0.
- Mother Child free stock images, stocksnap.io, Creative Commons license CC 0 1.0.
- Fountain Valley Trail, Greg Willis, Wikimedia Commons, Creative Commons license CC BY-SA 2.0.
- Travers Solar Project, Vulcan, Alberta Canada. David Dodge, GreenEnergyFutures.ca, Creative Commons license CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.
- James Webb Space Telescope (artist's concept), NASA.
- Student engineers working on a project, Dept. of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines.