Using University Libraries

The University Libraries website will serve as the main portal for most of your research.  From the main website, you will be able to 

• take the Newman Library Tour
• access Addison (the library catalog)
• sign in from off campus to use restricted resources
• locate subject guides for help on researching various topics
• order books and articles through Interlibrary Loan
• find more helpful tutorials for conducting research

Recommended CS Databases

• ACM Digital Library | ACM Digital Library Help
• Engineering Village (Compendex, INSPEC, NTIS) | Engineering Village Tutorials
• IEEE Xplore | IEEE Xplore Tutorials
• ISI Web of Science | Web of Science Tutorials

Relevant E-Book Databases

• CRCnetBASE | CRCnetBASE Tutorials
• Knovel Online Books | Knovel Tutorials
• Safari Books Online | Safari Books Help
• SpringerLink Ebooks | SpringerLink Ebooks Help

Locating Other Information

• Conference Proceedings
• Dissertations & Theses
• Technical Papers & Standards
• Other Special Materials

Managing Incoming Information (new research)

• Take advantage of alerting services
• Use RSS feed alerts
• Set up a personal profile in databases you use often (for example:  My Library Account in Addison)

Evaluating Information

Regardless of the type of information that you are using, you always need to consider the authority, coverage, objectivity, accuracy, and currency of the information.  University Libraries offers several guides on evaluating information:

• Evaluating Information, in general
• Information Skills Modules:  Evaluating Information
• Evaluating Internet information

Citation & Style Guides

University Libraries offers a comprehensive web page relating to citation and style manuals.  This page will guide you to both print and electronic resources.  

Managing Your Research

Citation, or reference, managers are very helpful when you are collecting, organizing, and retrieving large amounts of research.  At University Libraries, we recommend the following tools for research management.  Although we only "officially" support EndNote, we are more than willing to talk about the other tools, as well.  

• BibTeX | How to use BibTeX
• EndNote | EndNote Support | EndNote Tutorials
• Mendeley | Mendeley Getting Started Guide
• Zotero | Zotero Support | Zotero Tutorials

Questions?

Schedule a one-on-one appointment with your subject librarian if you have any other questions or concerns. Information for all College Librarians can be found here.  Additionally, the 4th floor reference desk (Science & Technology Reference Desk) is staffed during normal library hours, if you have a question that needs immediate assistance.  You can drop in, or use our Ask a Librarian system for virtual service.  We look forward to seeing you in the library!   

Tags

• Engineering