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Engineering Graduate Students - Library Resources

This guide provides resources of use to engineering graduate students who are developing as researchers, scholars and scientific communicators.

Databases to Search

Find Databases to Search

From the Library's Main page (boisestate.edu/library):

Click the  Articles and Databases Panel

Library's main page with Indexes and Databases panel circled

 

From the Databases page you can Search for Databases or Browse your choices using the Database Alphabet bar.

Search for databases by one or more of the following:

  • Typing words into the Database Title / Keyword box
  • Selecting a Subject using the dropdown arrow
  • Identify the Type of resource you need using the dropdown arrow.

Includes types such as journals, maps, data and statistics, newspapers, dissertations and theses, e-books, images, primary resources, and more

Database search page showing word search box and dop down menus for subject and resource type

 

Click the Search button. Database options will appear below the search box

Click on the name of the database you want to launch it

Click the Clear Filters link if you want to clear your search and start over. This link will only appear after you click the Search button.

Clear filters link next to Search button on database search page

 

Browse Database Titles using the alphabet bar

Database search alphabet bar

 

Having trouble accessing a particular database? Use the Report a Problem button prominently located under the Search button on the Database Search page

Report an e-resources problem box

Reviews, Technical Reports, Conference Papers

What Are Reviews?  How Do I Find Them?

Review Articles try to summarize the current state of research on a particular topic. Theoretically, the author(s) searches for everything relevant to the topic, and then sorts it all out into a coherent view of the “state of the art” as it stands at the time the article was written. Review Articles will teach you about::

  • The Main researchers working in a field
  • Major advances and discoveries
  • Gaps in the research
  • Current debates
  • Where research might go next

These articles are a great place to start as they contain the basic information and core articles on a given topic.

 

Find Review Articles:

Most article indexes and databases allow you to limit your search to include only review articles. This feature might be called "Review", "literature review", "State of the Art Review" or "Review Article". Set up your search like usual, then look for menu options that help you "Limit to", "Filter", or "Refine" your search to review articles, select it, and run your search.

Example:

If you open up PubMed, you can search for review articles on the drug Paxil by putting “Paxil” in the search bar, then clicking the "search" button. Look at the list of filters on the left-hand side of the page of search results. Under “Article Type” you’ll see a link labeled “Review”.

 

Annual Reviews of Scientific Literature
Annual Reviews - Annual Analysis of Scientific Literature is a database of publications that focus on reviews of specific topical areas in a range of disciplines. These Annual Reviews are indexed in article databases, but you can also search this source directly.  Search by topic. No need to add the word "review" to your search as that is the focus on this set of resources

 

Find Comprehensive Reviews

Depending on depth your research will entail into a topic, you may want to search for book-length reviews.  Go the the Library's website, Select Books, Videos and More (WorldCat Discovery), then search topics with the word Comprehensive.  For example:

  • Comprehensive and Biomaterials
  • Comprehensive and Nuclear Materials
  • Comprehensive and Superconductor
  • Comprehensive and Nanomaterials

What are Technical Reports?  How Do I Find Them?

Many engineering and science article databases include technical reports from professional associations. So for example, if you need a IEEE technical report, start with the IEEE Xplore database. The resources here cover Government sponsored or grant-funded research.

Typically, government sponsored or grant-funded research requires written reports of research findings. These technical reports often have a lot of detail including methodology, equipment used, and tables, charts and/or graphs of the results that may not be reported elsewhere. The sources here are good places to look for technical reports that originate out of federally funded research:

 

Historical Technical Reports

Looking for historical technical reports issued by the U.S. government?  Try the following resources:

Find Conference Papers

Conference proceedings and papers can be tricky.  Sometimes the Find It button works well, other times not. Conferences can also be called symposiums, meetings, congresses or conventions. Use the following strategies to find Conference papers:

STRATEGY 1 - What professional association or society hosted the conference?  If the Library has a database that covers that group's publications, search there.  For example:

  • Institute of Electronics and Electrical Engineers - Search IEEE Xplore
  • American Chemical Society - Search ACS Publications

STRATEGY 2 - Do a Journals search (Library's main page). Search by the conference name

STRATEGY 3 - Search WorldCat Discovery. Tips for Searching:

  • Search using the primary words from the conference name. For example to find the proceedings from the Symposium on VLSI Technology and Circuits, search: Symposium VLSI Circuits

If too many records appear, then do an

  • Advanced Search with the primary words from the conference name as an author search. On the Advanced Search page, use the drop-down menu to select an author search

WordCat Discovery Advanced Search template showing drop down menu and author search

 

STRATEGY 4 - Request the proceedings/paper through Interlibrary Loan

Books (WorldCat Discovery)

Books - WorldCat Advanced Search

Using the Advanced Search Feature of WorldCat Discovery

To Search for Books, documents, publications and more on your topic, start on Albertsons Library's main page and click the Books, Videos, and More box.

Library's main page with Books, Journals and more box circled

 

From here you can search WorldCat Discovery, which finds materials in Albertsons Library and from all over the world. If you just want to know what Albertsons Library has, scroll down and use the Albertsons Library's Catalog search box.

The Advanced WorldCat Discovery Search has a nice layout that will help you structure your search using the keywords you developed on your topic. Scroll down below the WorldCat Discovery search box to find the link to the Advanced Search feature.

WordCat Discovery Search box with arrow to Advanced Search Link

Using Filters to Refine your WorldCat Discovery Search

Once you've completed your initial search, use the Filters in the left navigation bar of the results page to refine your search. You can filter by:

  • Held By Library - The Library that has the item. This allows you to limit to books in Albertsons Library's Collection

Held By Library filter with BSU Albertsons Library circled

 

  • Format, including article, chapter, book, video, music recording, archival materials, audiobook, computer file, and more.

Format Filter showing filter by Article, Chapter and Book

 

  • Content Type, such as Open Access, Biography, Fiction, and Peer Reviewed
  • Publication Year, which allows you to filter by the last 5 years, the last 10 years, the last 25 years or by a custom date range

Publication Year Filter with options showing

 

  • Author or Creator
  • Subject
  • Language

Moving Beyond Your Initial Search

Once you've done an initial search with the keywords for your topic, take a look at the search results and use what you find to refine your search.

Did you find the perfect book or dissertation - exactly what you need?  Click on the title of the book then look closely at the record:

  • Scroll down - Are there subject headings that you could use to refine your search?
  • Consider search by the author(s) of the book
  • Get a copy of the book and look at the bibliography or list of references. Retrieve copies of the items that look relevant

Dissertations and Theses

Dissertations and theses are book-length documents reporting focused, original research written by graduate students seeking a PhD or Masters degree. They frequently contain extensive literature reviews which place the topic of the dissertation into a historical context and/or give the state of current research in the area.

Use these databases to find dissertations and theses: