Content last reviewed:
This guide is based on: Information Literacy Standards for Science and Engineering/Technology | Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) (ala.org) >Framework & standards - Science and Technology Section (STS): Information Literacy - LibGuides at ACRL
Library services
The research process
- Begin by defining exactly what you are searching for
- Get background information from handbooks, encyclopedias, dictionaries
- Be specific when determining search terms: synonyms/antonyms
- Use Boolean Operators to connect search terms by understanding how search engines operate
- Once your topic is narrowly defined, select databases to find specific articles that have been published in journals
- Use the advanced interface of electronic databases and Internet search engines to help narrow your search. Limit to: specific field (article, book, conference proceeding, newspapers, video); full-text or peer reviewed journals only
- Find books on your topic to gain greater depth and understanding
- Films and Videos and Images are non-literary forms of representation
- Take notes during your research to keep track of where you have been, keywords searched, what worked and what didn't, etc. You may consider using Microsoft OneNote or free software for note-taking such as Evernote
- Write down or store all the references you have consulted to include them in the bibliography of your research paper
Sources of information
Publication Cycle: to find primary and secondary sources of information, use tertiary sources of information: dictionaries, encyclopedias, handbooks. When a researcher publishes material, they follow the cycle clockwise. To find primary and secondary sources, follow the cycle anti clockwise.
FAQ
- Brainstorm for the Essay (UNC at Chapel Hill)
- Conducting a Literature Review (CUL) see rubric (internet)
- Google search secrets / Christa Burns and Michael P. Sauers (CUL electronic resource)
- Library research (CUL)
- Office of Student Affairs (Carleton University)
- Paul Menton Centre (Carleton University)
- Thesaurus (internet)
- Wellness - Current Students (Carleton University)
- Writing an Annotated Bibliography (CUL) see rubric (internet)
- Writing an Outline for your essay (CUL) see rubric (internet)
Online journals
- by 'Subject'
Databases
- tagged 'Architecture'
- tagged 'Engineering and Design'
- tagged 'GIS'
- tagged 'Information Technology'
- tagged 'Science'
- by 'Type'
- OMNI: the Carleton University Library search interface
Other recommended databases
- IEEE Xplore Digital Library: Provides access to the technical literature in electrical engineering, computer science, and electronics.
- MathScinet: Consists of reviews and citations to the literature in mathematics and related areas. PEER REVIEWED
- SAGE Journals Online: Provides online access to over 1000 journals across a broad range of disciplines.
- SAGE Research Methods: supports beginning and advanced researchers throughout a research project, from writing a research question, choosing a method, gathering and analyzing data, to writing up and publishing the findings
- Scopus: A multidisciplinary abstract and citation database of research literature and web sources.
- SpringerLink: A large collection of scientific eBooks and journals published by Springer on a broad range of subjects.
- Techstreet Enterprise: industry standards and technical books from many organizations.
- Web of Science Core Collection: A multidisciplinary index of citations to articles in the sciences, social sciences and humanities.
- Wiley Online Journals: Multidisciplinary Wiley journals (current issues and backfiles).
PrePrints
- arXiv: arXiv is a free distribution service and an open-access archive for 1,769,134 scholarly articles in the fields of physics, mathematics, computer science, quantitative biology, quantitative finance, statistics, electrical engineering and systems science, and economics. Materials on this site are not peer-reviewed by arXiv.
- Earth ArXiv: EarthArXiv.org is moving from the OSF Preprints platform to the Janeway preprint platform at the California Digital Library (CDL). In preparation for this move, EarthArXiv will stop accepting submissions on Friday August 21, 2020. EarthArXiv.org will redirect to the new service when it becomes public on October 1, 2020.
- TechRxiv: TechRxiv (pronounced "tech archive") is an open, moderated preprint server for unpublished research in electrical engineering, computer science, and related technology. By using TechRxiv, authors can quickly disseminate their work to a wide audience and gain community feedback on a draft version of their research. A preprint is a draft version of an article; final versions of published articles should not be submitted to TechRxiv.
Subject headings
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) use controlled vocabulary to access and express the subject content of documents. Controlled vocabulary is a standardized hierarchical system. When you search using subject headings, you are searching for matching content, rather than searching through the text. Engineering (General) has largely been divided into the following collections. This is a searchable index. Click on a link below to discover the Library's holdings in this area:
- Analysis
- Biology
- Chemistry
- Chemistry -- Food science -- General
- Computer science
- Condensed matter physics
- Electrical engineering -- Electronics -- Nuclear engineering
- Engineering
- Engineering -- General
- Engineering -- Multidisciplinary
- Engineering -- Civil engineering
- Geographic information systems/Global Positioning System
- Materials
- Materials science -- Multidisciplinary
- Mathematical models
- Mathematics
- Mathematics -- Interdisciplinary applications
- Mechanical engineering
- Microscopy
- Multidisciplinary sciences
- Nanotechnology
- Physics
- Physics -- Applied
- Physics -- General
- Technology
- Video/film
- Add keywords
- Use the filters on the left of the resulting screen.Typical filters are Available Online and Peer Reviewed Journals
Supplementary readings
- Google vs. the Library: Student Preferences and Perceptions When Doing Research Using Google and a Federated Search Tool
- Google vs. the Library (Part II): Student Search Patterns and Behaviors when Using Google and a Federated Search Tool
- Google vs. the Library (Part III): Assessing the Quality of Sources Found by Undergraduates
- How to Read a Book, v5.0 School of Information University of Michigan
- How to Read a Paragraph: The Art of Close Reading
- How to Read (and Understand) a Social Science Journal Article: Tips and tricks to make reading and understanding social science journal articles easier
- How to Read for Grad School Miriam E. Sweeney
- Read Like A Graduate Student, Not A Mystery Fan William Doane
Minecraft (Education Edition) is free for Carleton students
- Just download the installer: Download | Minecraft Education Edition
- After install, launch the game and log in using your Carleton email address (cmail) and password then you're good to go.
