2012 fall eng 185

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Strategies and Sources for Locating Engineering Information Elizabeth Cheney Science & Engineering Library [email protected] Art of Engineering Endeavors/ Engr. 185W October 12, 2012

Transcript of 2012 fall eng 185

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Strategies and Sources for

Locating Engineering

Information

Elizabeth Cheney

Science & Engineering Library

[email protected]

Art of Engineering Endeavors/ Engr. 185W

October 12, 2012

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Introduction

How to save time while looking for:

Books

Journal articles

Patents

Pricing information in vendor catalogs

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Brainstorming with group

n Possible products

- Similar existing products you can research

and build upon, develop new applications

for?

– Terminology and vocabulary of the industry

– Corporate players in the industry

– Sense of the market for the product

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Examples

Tony Fadell’s Nest Thermostat - inspired by the iPod

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Researchers at UC Berkeley studied African Rainbow

lizards in building the “Tailbot”

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Cat ears that respond to brainwaves by Neurowear

company

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Beginning your search

n Just Google It

– Gather vocabulary / lingo

– Identify companies & key people

– Design ideas

– Materials ideas

– Explore the market / consumers

Remember ¾ of the internet is comprised of commercial or entertainment sites

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Other places to begin

For some products, an overview article from a newspaper, an encyclopedia, or a trade journal may be useful

– Wikipedia

– Reference Universe (online encyclopedias)

– Business Source Complete (for trade journals)

– Lexis-Nexis (for newspaper articles)

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Searching the Internet

Google searches a billion webpages

The Invisible Web is 500 times bigger

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Searching the Internet

Google

Proprietary databases; e.g.,

Travelocity; LA Times;

Weather.com; Eddie Bauer

Books, journals

and databases

that cost $$$$$$$

Content you will only have

access to if you pay or the library

pays

Government

websites;e.g.,Patent

office; NASA;

Bureau of the

Census

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What does the library pay for?

Books – Including many electronic items

UCLA Library Catalog

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To request materials from other libraries

In Worldcat (and article databases), look for

In Melvyl (and databases), look for

When not in either of these databases go to the Interlibrary Loan form– Request an item using a UC blank form:

– Book Request Form: this form can also be used to request videos, dissertations, scores, etc.

– Article Request Form

– Book Chapter Request Form

It takes 3-10 days, so order items early!

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Eng 185 Lib Guide

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http://www.library.ucla.edu/sel

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Controlled Vocabulary

Library of Congress

Subject Headings

(LCSH)Each database has its own

controlled vocabulary.

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http://authorities.loc.gov

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Authorized Refs and Notes

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The Library also pays for journals

Elsevier

Springer

Wiley

SIAM

ACM

ASME

Taylor and Francis

IEEE

IET

ASCE

Sage

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Side note:

Economics of Information

STEM journals and databases = cost of

your firstborn child

Library pays now, you or your employer

will have to pay later

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Looking for journal articles Compendex (All engineering disciplines)

Inspec (Electrical engineering, computer science, physics, applied physics)

IEEE Xplore (mostly EE)

Web of Knowledge (Interdisciplinary)

PubMed (some bioengineering/biotechnology)

Aerospace and High Technology

Academic Search Complete (Interdisciplinary)

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What do you get?

Databases

Powerful search

functionality

Quality controls on content

Indexing to improve

searching

Abstracting to improve

efficiency

Links to full-text

Journal

Credibility of author

Reputation of journal

Links to articles cited in

bibliographies

The articles you cite

improve the credibility of

your article

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What else do you get?

Reliable information – articles have been reviewed by the authors’ peers

Unbiased information – typically academic journals aren’t trying to sell you anything

Detailed, subject-specific information

Links to additional information in bibliographies or through database tools

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Choosing a Database

Not all databases are created equal

Differ by subjects and years covered

Different types of resources

Multidisciplinary vs. specialized

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Using Databases:

Refining Your Search

Search for “artificial intelligence” – too many results

Search for “robotics” and “problem solving” – too few results

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Using Databases:

Basic Search Strategy

Start with keyword (natural language) searches

Find a relevant article

Find the subject terms assigned to that article

Search using the controlled vocabulary

Use the search refinement features of each database

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Patents Patents - No Cost Searching Web Sites

European Patent Office

Patents, U.S. (Google)

USPTO (US Patent and Trademark Office) Database Searches front page information in US patent starting from 1790.

FreepatentsOnline

DEPATISnet information

SurfIP

International Patent Offices

Patent Information Users Group (PIUG)

US Patent and Trademark Office

http://www.scitopia.org

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Vendor catalogs –

to price out costs of manufacturing

Aldrich Catalog Search

Allied Electronics

Ben Meadows Company

DesignInfo - Searchable Engineering Catalogs on the Net

Digi-Key Electronic Components

Edmund Scientific

Global Spec

Grainger catalog

McMaster-Carr Supply Company

Mouser Electronics

Newark Electronics, Catalog Distributor of Electronic Components

Rutland Tool & Supply Co., Inc.

Sigma Catalog Search

Building Materials by McGraw-Hill Sweets

Thomas Register of American Manufacturers

tile.net/vendors

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Eng 185 Lib Guide

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Need help –

Ask a Librarian

[email protected]

(310)825-3398

IM: cheneyucla

SEL Reference Desk

8270 Boelter Hall

10-12, 1-5, Mon - Fri