INSPEC
The IET's index for physics, engineering, and computing.
At a Glance
- Publisher
- IET (Institution of Engineering and Technology)
- Coverage
20M+ records across physics, electrical and electronic engineering, computing, control, and information technology
- Access
institutional subscription (via EBSCO, Ovid, Web of Science, etc.)
- Free alternative
- OpenAlex, arXiv (physics)
- Regional
global
Our Take
INSPEC is a deep, long-established index for the physical sciences and engineering, with controlled-vocabulary indexing (including numerical and chemical data indexing) that supports very precise technical searches across physics, EE, and computing. It overlaps with IEEE Xplore and Compendex but reaches a broader journal set and back-file. It’s subscription-only and best used through its thesaurus. Use it for comprehensive, precise searching in physics and engineering; pair with IEEE Xplore for full text and arXiv for preprints.
Power Tips
- Exploit the INSPEC Thesaurus and its specialized indexing for precise physics/engineering searches that keyword-only tools can’t match
- run INSPEC alongside IEEE Xplore and Compendex to close journal-coverage gaps in a thorough engineering review.
Alternatives & Complements
IEEE Xplore · Compendex · Scopus · arXiv.
Figures last verified: August 16, 2026