Research guides: Mathematics: Find papers

Mathematics research databases

Find mathematical research and papers using these research databases.

MathSciNet
Articles in mathematics, computer science, statistics, and econometrics, as well as applications to science and engineering.
Coverage: 1940 - present
Produced by the American Mathematical Society, MathSciNet provides reviews, with abstracts, to the world's literature in mathematics and related areas. MathSciNet is compiled from the print equivalents, Mathematical Reviews and Current Mathematical Publications. Reviews are classified according to the Mathematics Subject Classification.

MathSciNet QuickStart Guide

zbMATH Open
zbMATH Open (formerly known as Zentralblatt MATH) indexes research in pure
and applied mathematics.
From the European Mathematical Society (EMS), the Heidelberg Academy of
Sciences and Humanities, and FIZ Karlsruhe, zbMATH Open contains around 4.2
million bibliographic entries with reviews or abstracts drawn from more than
3,000 journals and book series, and some 190,000 books. Coverage starts in
the 18th century, is complete from 1868 to the present day, due to the
integration of the "Jahrbuch über die Fortschritte der Mathematik" database.
zbMATH Open has been available as an open access database since January 2021.

HAL: Hyper Articles en Ligne
"HAL is a multidisciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research papers, whether they are published or not, and for PhD dissertations. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers."

These databases have research and papers relating to more specific areas within mathematics.

Cryptology ePrint Archive
"The Cryptology ePrint Archive provides rapid access to recent research in cryptology. Papers have been placed here by the authors and did not undergo any refereeing process other than verifying that the work seems to be within the scope of cryptology and meets some minimal acceptance criteria and publishing conditions."
Database of Actuarial Research Enquiry
"The Database of Actuarial Research (DARE) contains over 5,000 records, including full-text journal articles and book citations, on actuarial science research in the property-casualty fields. Everything that CAS has published appears here plus more from outside organizations."
Optimization Online
"A repository of e-prints about optimization and related topics."
Risk.net
This resource has risk management articles relating to the measurement, modelling and management of financial risks; in-depth coverage of the markets across the derivative, interest rate, credit, foreign exchange and structured products asset classes; and news and analysis on the content and implications of regulation.

SAGE Research Methods
Find books, encyclopedia and dictionaries about research methods.
Coverage: varies
SAGE Research Methods provides a tool called Method Maps, which visualizes relationships among more than 700 unique methods terms, concepts and people. Method List can be used to compile selected books, book chapters and journal articles for later review or sharing with colleagues.

Note: Waterloo only gets the text (read: eBook/reference work) content from Sage Research Methods. Waterloo subscription to SAGE Research Methods doesn't include SAGE videos.

Multidisciplinary research databases

Not sure where to start? The databases below cover many disciplines including math, business, economics, health, life science, physical science, and technology.

Scopus
Peer-reviewed literature from scientific journals, books and conference proceedings, covering the fields of science, technology, medicine, social sciences, and arts and humanities.
Coverage: 1966 - present
Web of Science
Articles and citations in the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities.
Coverage: Varies
Web of Science is comprised of several databases. The Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI) covers journals in the medical, physical and natural sciences, and engineering fields. The entire database extends back to 1899. The Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) covers journals in the social sciences. The entire database extends back to 1898. The Arts & Humanities Citation Index (AHCI) covers journals in the arts and humanities. It also selectively covers relevant items from science and technical journals. The entire database extends back to 1975.
Google Scholar
Google Scholar is a search engine finds scholarly information from many sources (however, not everything in Google Scholar is scholarly). To access materials paid for by your library, go to Google Scholar, then choose Settings and click "Library Links" to add the University of Waterloo.
Google Scholar is a search engine that emphasizes scholarly information, particularly in the sciences and technology. It draws from academic publishers, professional societies, preprint repositories and universities.

Note: Access To access materials paid for by your library, go to Google Scholar, then choose Settings and click "Library Links." The off-campus user will first need to login via "Get access from anywhere."
arXiv
A pre-print server which hosts papers (that have not been peer reviewed) relating to physics, mathematics, computer science, nonlinear sciences, qualitative biology and statistics
Coverage: 1991 - present
JSTOR
Provides access to back issues of journals in the humanities, social sciences, and physical sciences, many of which date from the 1800s.
Coverage: varies (excludes current 3 to 5 years)
ProQuest
A platform with many databases of journal indexes and abstracts, as well as some with full text
Coverage: Varies
This online platform hosts multiple resources.
EBSCOhost
A platform with many databases of journal indexes and abstracts, as well as some with full text
Coverage: varies
This online platform hosts multiple resources.

Note: Offline digital lending: Requires Adobe Digital Editions.

AI tools for research

Academic Integrity tips for students
Guidance from the Office of Academic Integrity on using generative AI ethically.
GenAI and discovery: Important considerations
A short introduction to the issues that have been noted when using generative AI to find information.
Comparison of AI tools for research
An incomplete list of tools, their functionality, and limitations.
Microsoft Copilot from the University of Waterloo
IST recommends Microsoft Copilot because of the personal and company data protection it provides.

Finding research databases for other disciplines

Research guides at Waterloo
Guides are created for each department on campus and list subject resources for each discipline. Find research in Computer Science, Engineering, Physics, Biology, Business, Psychology, Education, and more.