ME Graduate Seminar Information Sheet (MECH 9022)
Library and Information Resources
Jim Clasper, Assistant Engineering & Applied Science Librarian, x61452
October 5, 2012

 

 

 

 

Important basics:

• CEAS Library web site at www.libraries.uc.edu/libraries/ceas
• Twitter @UCEngrLib and #CEASLibrary, Facebook www.facebook.com/CEASLibrary
• 850 Baldwin Hall -- Floor Plan  http://www.libraries.uc.edu/libraries/ceas/plan/plan.html
• Jim Clasper is Assistant Engineering & Applied Science Librarian at x61452
• Ted Baldwin is Head, CEAS Library x64211
• 10 things for CEAS graduate students to know
• Finding out about journal titles, conference proceedings, and books: use UC Library Catalog, Books Online, and Proceedings Online
• Finding out about journal articles, conference papers, technical reports, patents, theses: use Engineering Databases and Full Text Journals
• Engineering Reference Guides http://www.libraries.uc.edu/libraries/ceas/resources/resources.html (also other guides for specific applications)
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Patents
  • Standards, Specifications and Codes

Defining a topic:

• Look at theses at UC, in OhioLINK (keyword search and limit material type to thesis)
• Look at books, reviews, encyclopedias and handbooks to get background information
• Check out faculty or researchers whose names you know and see what they are doing in databases and web sites
• Use the funnel approach
  • name a broad area name a subarea name a specific topic within the subarea
  • what aspect to look at: theory, application, design, material, construction process, function, use data
  • what are your independent variables? your dependent variables.

Search tips:

• For successful searching ...
  • Select relevant databases and/or other information sources.
  • Understand the purpose, content and coverage of each.
  • Remember that no source is comprehensive.
• For author searching, beware varying forms of name.
  • In Science Citation Index, only initials are used, e.g. Anand, S. Try their new Author Finder!
  • Within a database, browse author name index if not sure of the form, or to pull up variants of same author's name and even misspellings!
  • There can be many researchers with the same name. Verify person by topic of research and institution, keeping in mind where they were working at the time an article was written.
• For subject searching, start with keyword
  • Know how to use truncation, wild cards, and proximity operators in the database
  • Combine synonyms (OR words together) to create a set of terms for a concept
  • Combine sets with AND to limit search to the intersection
  • Use search history to combine search statements
  • Examine records in search results to see what subjects (controlled vocabulary) have been assigned (if any) to the record. These subjects may be used to expand to all records on the same subject.
  • Expand to related articles (references), if opportunity exists (usually based on common references)
  • Use citing features, if any
• To narrow your results
  • use advanced searching capability
  • use " " or ( ) to identify a phrase unless database automatically does it
  • use limit features such as date, material type (journals only, conferences only, patents only, theses only, online only), or treatment (theoretical, applied, historical, scholarly, review, etc)
  • search your topic in title only (this works great in internet searches)

Where to look (see Reference Guides):

• UC Library Catalog and Books Online and OhioLINK ETD Center (electronic theses and dissertations from Ohio)
• General indexes
  • COMPENDEX (oldest engineering index back to 1884)
  • SCOPUS (also does patents)
  • Science Citation Index Expanded (ISI Web of Science)
  • Academic Search Complete
• Specialized indexes
  • INSPEC for electrical, electronics, computer, control, physics
  • IEEExplore for full-text of all IEEE and IET
  • Materials Research Databases (now part of Proquest Technology Research database)
  • Mechanical and Transportation Engineering Abstracts for mechanical engineering (now part of Proquest Technology Research database)
  • Proquest Dissertations and Theses
  • NTIS for government-funded technical reports
  • Aerospace & High Technology Database (now part of Proquest Technology Research database)
  • USPTO Patent Databases (better for searching)
  • Freepatentsonline (register; establish accounts; PDFs)
  • Standards

Web searching:

• Engines
  • SCOPUS has web component
  • Google Scholar
  • Google Patent Search - Good for viewing/printing patents, but not as current
• Tips
  • Use advanced searching to control words, where it searches, domains
  • Limit to title to reduce results

What's cool:

• Knovel for full-text books such as ASHRAE Handbook, ASM Handbook, Heat Transfer Handbook, Machinery's Handbook, Mechanical Engineers' Handbook, and Mechanical Vibration and Analysis .  Some of the Knovel books are interactive, meaning you can put your own values in the tables.
• CRCnetBASE for full-text books online such as the Handbook of Turbomachinery, Vehicle Crash Mechanics, Vibration and Shock Handbook, and Fuel Cell Technology Handbook.

Retrieving the material:

• If it's online, follow the links such as or to the full-text.
• If a journal title is not in the UC Library Catalog, try Full Text Journals for items we own but are not represented in catalog.
• If it's not owned by UC, use ILLIAD to acquire through Interlibrary Loan. Register first!!

Presenting your work:

• RefWorks for Citing References
• Top Ten Hints for Formatting Citations Properly
• How to Submit a Paper for Publication and Format a Citation in Engineering
• ASME Styling of References
• Copyright Tutorial (UC Libraries)
• Plagiarism Tutorial (UC Libraries)
• Plagiarism Intro (CoE, .ppt)

 

created: dfb 9/26/07

last revised: jwc 10/4/12