Library resources
1. Identify at least one index to the periodical literature in your major field (either print or
electronic version). Do first
Electronic Periodical Index for Engineering
Engineering Village http://www.engineeringvillage2.org/controller/servlet/Controller?CID=quickSearch&database=3
Why use this reference?
Engineering Village allows you to search Compendex and/or Inspec. Both allow you to refine
the search by different criteria, such as author, title, document types, language, and dates.
Description
Engineering Village contains two sources, Compendex and Inspec. Compendex allows you to
search for topics in any Engineering Science field, while Inspec provides a narrower search.
Compendex provides the most extensive research materials for a broad scope of engineering and
applied sciences. The site offers over 10 million references, with more than 650,000 being added
each year, from 6000 journals, since 1970 through the present. Inspec, on the other hand is a
bibliographic database which focuses mainly on electrical engineering, physics, computers,
materials science, and nanotechnology. It too adds around 600,000 new records each year, with
over 11.2 million journals already in the database. It provides content from 1969 through the
present. Since many of the focus areas in this major are new to the Science and Engineering
world, it is beneficial to search for existing technologies to enhance or improve your own
research.
Tips
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There are three main ways to search: Easy Search, Quick Search and Expert Search.
o Easy Search has no controls or ways to refine the search
o Quick Search allows you to search by title, author, date, etc.
o Expert Search allows you to use special codes to help refine the search
o Quick Search is the easiest to use, and the one I recommend
If your search is not coming up with any results, you can use the thesaurus to help find
similar words
Use Include/Exclude buttons on the right of your search to help refine your search
Catalog of US Government Publications
http://catalog.gpo.gov/F
Why use this site?
This site allows you to search many government publications and find direct links to those
publications online. These are projects and research that is government-funded in many different
fields and can be used to locate ones in your field.
Description
The CGP provides historical and up to date records from the federal government. It currently
contains over 500,000 records from 1976 forward. Older publications, as far back as the late
1800’s can be found in the print version, the Monthly Catalog of United States Government
Publications. CGP allows users to search by keywords, subject, title, or author, as well as an
advanced search option. Once a search has been made, results can be sorted many different ways
such as by title or year. The results can also be revised or refined after a search has been made.
Once a publication has been found, several options are available. Publications can be saved or
emailed. A URL may be provided with a link to the specific publication, or if a hard copy is
desired, use the Locate in a Library function.
Tips
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Boolean operators are supported by this catalog
Quotes allow you to search a specific phrase
When searching for a range, use -> (hyphen, greater than sign) between the range to
distinguish from one to the other.
Statistical Abstract of the United States
http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/
Why use this site?
The Statistical Abstracts allow you to search for statistics on social and economic conditions of
the United States. You can use this to find current and relevant statistics to your field of study
and to establish what impact different research will have on society.
Description
The Statistical Abstract of the United States is a publication from the United States Census
Bureau and has been published since 1878. It includes data reports from both private and public
sources. You can find in depth discussions about statistics, definitions and concepts in your field
to help with research. You may be able to find regional data, however this site mostly provides
national data. The left side of the site has topical searches such as agriculture, business,
education, energy and population. The right side includes popular sections, summary statistics
and other resources that may be desired. The articles and data reports included in these abstracts
contain numerous tables and charts that can help you with your research.
Sample Search
I wanted to find statistics on wage and employment for material engineers I also wanted to find
out more about what material engineers do and how they become one. First, I searched ‘materials
engineer’ in the search bar and 1580 matches came up. To narrow this search down, I refined my
search to include the year: ‘materials engineer 2012,’ since I wanted the most up to date
information. The new search resulted in 202 matches. The first result was the article on
“Materials Engineers:” Occupational Outlook Handbook. This looked up to date, since in the
description it states ‘2012-13 Edition.’ The Handbook includes tabs at the top which provide
many useful areas to explore. For instance, if you wanted discover the different types of
materials engineering or tasks they perform, you could click on the “What They Do” tab. There
are also tabs on Pay, Job Outlook, and Work Environment. After looking through this article, I
determined this result is what I was looking for.
Tips:
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When trying to search within the Abstract make sure to enter your search in the
search bar directly across from “What is the Statistical Abstract,” not in the search bar
at the top of the page. That bar gives access to the entire United States Census
Bureau.
You do not need to use “and” between words, as it automatically searches for all
terms in the search bar
Professional Journal
Journal of Materials Engineering http://alias.libraries.psu.edu/ERESOURCES/SCIENCEDIRECT
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/09215093
http://www.journals.elsevier.com/materials-science-and-engineering-a/#description
Why use this Journal?
Description