Research Guides at CSU Pueblo Library: EN 593: Graduate Seminar: Finding Information

Engineering Research

Engineering research seeks to identify improvements in theory, practice, and production in fields such as automation, earthquake prediction, AI, combustion and energy systems, nanotechnology, construction and more. Major contributors to engineering research around the world include governments, private business, and academia. The results of this type of research might appear in peer-reviewed journal articles, conferences, or as new products on the market. Click the tabs on this page to access resources and information that will support your research in this field.

Finding Information

SuperSearch This link opens in a new window
The CSU Pueblo Library has electronic access to millions of scholarly articles, conference proceedings, technical reports, magazine and newspaper articles, streaming videos, ebooks, and primary sources. The Library also has a large collection of print books, journals, magazines, newspapers, and maps.
Google Scholar This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Save CSU-Pueblo as your library link in settings to guarantee the most full text when you search. Google Scholar includes scholarly output including articles, books, patents, and law.
ASTM Compass This link opens in a new window
A collection of industry-leading standards and technical engineering information, covering a broad range of engineering disciplines, including aerospace, biomedical, chemical, civil, environmental, geological, health and safety, industrial, materials science, mechanical, nuclear, petroleum, soil science, and solar engineering.
IEEE Xplore This link opens in a new window
Journals, transactions, letters, and magazines published by the IEEE and IET, with select content to 1872. Conference proceedings published by the IEEE, IET and VDE VERLAG back to 1988. IEEE technical standards and specifications, with active, revised, archived, and draft standards dating from 1948. And more...
SciFinder-n This link opens in a new window
Abstracts and articles from the Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) on biomedical sciences, chemistry, engineering, materials science, agricultural science, and more. Click here for New User Registration.
ScienceDirect This link opens in a new window
Comprehensive collection of articles and ebooks from across primarily science, medicine and technology, as well as social sciences, and humanities.
US Patent and Trademark Office This link opens in a new window
Full-text database for U.S. patents from 1790-present, searchable by patent number, issue date, current US classification. 1976-present text-searchable.

Keep track of your accounts!
A form to help keep your login information organized.

Research Strategies

Construct a search strategy

Define your topic
What question do you want to answer?
Identify key words and phrases that describe your answer
Brainstorm alternate spellings, related terms, broader concepts, and more specific concepts
Identify the subject area or areas which your topic may fall under

Select a database

Browse the A-Z List of Databases for your subject area
Pick 1-3 databases that look most relevant to your search

Test and refine your search

Test your keywords and phrases in each database
If you don't find what you're looking for right away, try some of the alternate terms you brainstormed earlier
Refine your search using the side menu options

Advanced search techniques

Phrase searching looks for the exact words in the exact order
- "sports injury" or "mass incarceration" or "solar power"
Truncation (*) and wildcards (?) search for words that contain the entered text, while also looking for alternates
- rob* searches for robotics, robbery, and Robespierre.
- *oxi* matches terms such as antioxidant, dioxide, and paradoxical.
- wom?n searches for woman, women, and womyn.
Combine search boxes using AND, OR, NOT. AND searches for both terms, OR searches for either term, NOT omits a term. Combining these operators with truncated and wildcard search strategies can enrich the results.
- ("solar power" AND nanocrystal) NOT chem*
- Na OR sodium
- (heart OR cardi*) AND treatment

Full-Text

Databases offer a large number of resources in full text, meaning that the article or book is available in its entirety (usually in .html or .pdf). If the resource is not available in full text, the database will provide a citation for the item, and maybe its abstract. This should be enough to help you decide whether you need to find the full text or move on to another resource.

If you can't find the full text for a resource, you can:

Check Find It @CSU-Pueblo for Full Text
This will search for the article in other library databases
Look for it in print
The library still subscribes to a handful of print journals, which can be found on the 3rd floor
Request it through Interlibrary Loan
Our library will request an electronic copy of the article from another library and email it to you.
Install LibKey Nomad on your browswer
A browswer Add-On that will try to connect any citation you see online to resources available from CSU Pueblo

LibKey Nomad
LibKey Nomad automatically provides instant links to full text content for articles and books accessible through CSU-PUEBLO University Library.
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To get started with LibKey Nomad:
Click on the LibKeyNomad.com link above
click on "Get LibKey Nomad Now"
Select your browser and follow the instructions to install Nomad from the App Store
After installation, select your institution - Colorado State University Pueblo