Engineering

Facts and Background Information
Selected print and electronic encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, etc.
Books
Locate items in the library catalog and other libraries.
Articles
Use indexes to search for articles in journals, proceedings, etc.
Other Data Resources for Engineers
Locate additional information and types of data of interest to engineers.
Websites
Recommended academic, professional, and learned societies sites, and more.
Contact a Librarian

Below are a few major, frequently used sources for the study of various engineering disciplines. Engineering topics are also covered in a number of specialized indexes located in the Tisch Reference Indexes [SCI] area, mainly in the T classification.

See also other research guides in the Science and Engineering group. Please consult with a reference librarian for directions to more sources on your topic. Internet resources require a Tufts I.D. number for off-campus access (authorized users statement).

 

Facts and Background Information     [back to top]

Guides to the Literature

Lord, Charles R.
Guide to Information Sources in Engineering
[PRINT. Tisch Reference T10.7.L67]

Mildren, K. W.
Information Sources in Engineering
[PRINT. Tisch Reference T10.5.I49]

Encyclopedias

Use encyclopedias to get background information or a general introduction to a topic. They can also be used to find more extended definitions of technical terms than dictionaries have.

McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology
[PRINT. Tisch Reference Q121.M3]
Access Science is the web version of this encyclopedia.

Encyclopedia of Physical Science and Technology
[PRINT. Tisch Reference Q123.E497]

Wiley Encyclopedia of Electrical and Electronics Engineering
[PRINT. Tisch Reference TK9.E53]

Encyclopedia of Chemical Processing and Design
[PRINT. Tisch Reference TP9.E66]

Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology
[PRINT. Tisch Reference TP9.E685]

Dictionaries

To locate definitions of technical terms, it is usually necessary to consult a technical dictionary. These words are often poorly defined in or missing from standard dictionaries. General technical dictionaries are located in the Tisch reference collection under the call numbers Q123 (scientific) or T8 through T11 (technical). Some dictionaries are multilingual. For more subject specific dictionaries, look in the same call number ranges as subject handbooks, listed below.

Handbooks

Handbooks are an important source both of specific pieces of data and of brief descriptions and explanations of many basic and advanced engineering topics. There are many similar handbook titles, and it may be necessary to consult several to locate the exact piece of information sought. Following are call numbers for handbooks on some general subjects. Important handbooks are located in Tisch Reference, but there are many more in the circulating collection on the lower level.

Chemical Engineering TP151
Chemistry/Physics QD65
Civil Engineering TA151
Computer Science QA76
Electrical Engineering TK151
Electronics Engineering TK7800 to TK7899
Energy TJ163
Environment TD100 to TD400
Internet TK5105.85
Materials Science/Engineering TA403
Metals TA459 and TN671
Mechanical Engineering TJ151
Mathematical Tables QA47 to QA55

To search the library catalog for additional handbooks, do a keyword search for the topic of interest with the phrase "and su handbooks" added, e.g., "fasteners and su handbooks." Try to use as general a topic as possible.

Find Books     [back to top]

To locate books in the Tufts Libraries, use the library catalog. You can search for a title, an author (last name first), or a subject. You can also do a keyword search, connecting search terms with ands, ors, and nots. Tisch Library uses the Library of Congress classification system. The classification system brings similar books together on the shelves, which facilitates browsing. Engineering books are mainly in the T classification, but important information can be found in other parts of the collection as well.

If you have difficulty locating books using subjects, please consult a reference librarian, as subject headings can be difficult to use. Also try doing a keyword search instead.

To find a book in Tisch that you have located in the catalog, note both the location and the call number at the bottom of the catalog record and consult a plan (see "Floor Plans") of the library or ask at the reference desk.

To locate books in other Boston Library Consortium libraries use the Boston Library Consortium Catalogs. You can request to borrow books directly from this catalog or you can apply for a consortium borrowing card at the Tisch circulation desk and go to any of these libraries.

To locate books in many libraries throughout the world, use WorldCat.

To determine if a book is available to purchase or is still in print, use Books in Print, Barnes and Noble, or Amazon.com.

Find Articles     [back to top]

To locate articles or research papers within periodicals and journals, it is necessary to use specialized databases known as indexing services. Some of these databases are broad in scope and others cover more specialized subjects. The ones listed here are of particular interest to engineers. Like the library catalog, most of them can be searched by author, title, subject, or keyword. As well as citations to papers, they may also have abstracts or in some cases direct links to the full text of the papers. If they do not have a link to a web version of the paper, search for the title of the periodical in the Tufts library catalog to determine if we have a copy.

Most periodicals held by Tufts are listed in the library catalog. Holdings in all formats are unified in one record, and most entries for journals held in electronic format contain a hyperlink to the source; search in the web-based catalog enable one to follow these links directly. A supplementary list of electronic journals is on the Tisch homepage under Electronic journals.

General Indexes

Current Contents Connect How To Use
This service allows you to search the tables of contents of the current and recent issues of over 8,000 sci/tech and other journals.

Ei Compendex 1970-
Access is via Engineering Village 2. Choose Compendex in the "Select Database" box on the EV2 homepage. Compendex covers all areas of engineering, but is especially strong in civil, chemical, and mechanical engineering. For electrical, electronics, and computer engineering, try INSPEC first. The print version, is called Engineering Index (1884-1999) [PRINT. Tisch Reference Indexes [SCI] Z5851.E62].

INSPEC 1960-
INSPEC covers all areas of engineering, but is especially strong in electrical, electronics, and computer engineering (and physics). For other areas of engineering, try Ei Compendex first. INSPEC is the web version of three print titles, Electrical & Electronics Abstracts (1908-1991) [PRINT. Tisch Reference Indexes [SCI] TK1.E5], Computer & Control Abstracts (1969-1991) [PRINT. Tisch Reference Indexes [SCI] TJ212.C6], and Physics Abstracts (1906- ) [PRINT. Tisch Reference Indexes [SCI] QC1.P47].

Scientific and Technical Aerospace Reports 1963-
This NASA publication is an index to its own published literature, but it covers a very wide range of topics, not just aeronautics and astronautics.
[PRINT. Tisch Reference Indexes [SCI] TL500.S35].

Web of Science How To Use
Web of Science is a gateway to a number of different services including Science Citation Index. Although it is more heavily science than engineering, it does contain a great deal of engineering-related material.
Unlike most indexing services, it allows you to determine how a particular paper was cited after it was published.

The indexes listed below have a narrower focus than the ones above. In most cases, the names are self-explanatory.

Subject Specific Indexes

Agriculture and Environmental Biotechnology Abstracts 1993- How To Use

Applied Mechanics Reviews 2001-
The print version (1948-June 2001) is located at [PRINT. Tisch Reference Indexes [SCI] TA1.A63953].

BioEngineering Abstracts 1993- How To Use

Chemical Abstracts 1907-
Chemical Abstracts covers the literature of chemistry and chemical engineering including patents. The print version is located at [PRINT. Tisch Reference Indexes [SCI] QD1.A51]. The web version is available using a special piece of client software called SciFinder Scholar. Tisch computer terminals have this software on them. If you wish to use Chemical Abstracts from your office, you can download and install SciFinder Scholar on your computer. At this time, home use is not supported by Tufts.

Computer Abstracts International 1993- How To Use

Environmental Engineering Abstracts 1990- How To Use

Medical & Pharmaceutical Biotechnology Abstracts 1993- How To Use

Pollution Abstracts 1981- How To Use

Risk Abstracts 1990- How To Use

Water Resources Abstracts 1967- How To Use

Professional societies and commercial publishers often offer all of their web journal titles through a common interface. The ones below have engineering journals but may also have other journals in them. All of them have search engines that allow you to search for articles like the indexes listed above. Be aware, though, that you are searching through only the publications of a particular publisher, not all of the relevant literature.

Collections of Electronic Journals

ACM Digital Library
You can search for all of the publications of the Association for Computing Machinery since the founding of the Association. Full-text online is available from 1985- for journals and from 1991- for conference proceedings.

American Chemical Society Publications 1879-

American Society of Civil Engineers Journals 1996-
Information about all ASCE publications is available from 1976, but full text is available only from 1996.

American Society of Mechanical Engineers Journals 2000-
You can search tables of contents back to 1996, but full text is available only from 2000.

IEEExplore 1998-
IEEEXplore provides full-text access to all IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) journals and conferences published since 1988, all current IEEE standards, and all IEE (Institution of Electrical Engineers) journals and conferences published since 1988, as well as selected IEEE journals published since 1950.

ScienceDirect. Elsevier.
A database of over 1,700 journal titles covering the life, physical, technical and social sciences. Titles start with the initial volume of publication; all titles have tables of contents and abstracts, and most have full text articles. Tufts has access to approximately 800 titles from 1995 to date. The titles formerly published by Academic Press commence with 1993. Green boxes indicate subscribed titles; white boxes are for non-subscribed titles. Please note: ScienceDirect no longer provides access to non-subscribed titles. Articles from non-subscribed titles must be obtained from Tisch Document Delivery or purchased directly from ScienceDirect.

Springer LINK. Springer Verlag.
Provides access to 460+ electronic journals with full-text and some book series. The focus is on science and technology. To gain access to the Springer A-Z journal list, pull down the top right hand bar.

Wiley Interscience
Provides full-text access to 300+ journals published by John Wiley & Sons. Subjects covered are: Business, Finance & Management, Chemistry, Computer Science, Earth Science, Education, Engineering, Law, Life & Medical Science, Mathematics & Statistics, Physics and Psychology. Online publication date varies by title but most start with 1997.

Other Data Resources for Engineers     [back to top]

Thomas Register
[PRINT. Tisch Reference T12.T6]
Thomas Register is a catalog of over 189,000 U.S. and Canadian manufacturers. If you are looking for a product or a particular part for a project, you can locate manufacturers via the Thomas Register. There is also a web version that is free but requires user registration.

Annual State Water-Data Reports
[CD-ROM - Request at Tisch circulation desk]
Data from the open-file report series, which contains hydrologic records for the U.S. on a state-by-state basis.

Annual Book of ASTM Standards
[PRINT. Tisch Reference TA401.A64]
Tisch has a complete, current set of testing standards published by the American Society for Testing and Materials. The set is updated continually throughout the year, so there are usually two different years on the spines of various volumes, but all are the latest available. The library does not keep old standards. The library does not collect other standards (ANSI, ISO, DIN, etc.), but we may have some that were published in books or periodicals. Please consult a librarian for help.

Sax's Dangerous Properties of Industrial Materials
[PRINT. Tisch Reference T55.3 .H353]
The first place to look for toxicological data.

Patents Indexes

Derwent Innovations Index How To Use
This is a resource for patent literature from 40 patent issuing authorities. It has forward links to citing patents and backward links to cited patents. The coverage for some source patents begins in 1963.

European Patent Office
This database for European patent information has links to the patent offices of individual countries.

IBM Intellectual Property Network
This site contains 27 years of U.S. patent and trademark descriptions and numerous European and World Intellectual Property Office patents.

USPTO
The United States Patent and Trademark Office website provides searchable full text of all U.S. patents since 1976 and pages images since 1790. It also has information on applying for patents and trademarks.

Websites     [back to top]

Tufts University School of Engineering
You can get to all of the departmental and program websites in the School of Engineering from here.

The following two websites are meta sites that provide links to a large number of engineering related websites in all fields.

The Virtual Library: Engineering
A compilation of engineering related links in all fields, it is maintained by various groups and organizations, so the quality varies somewhat from section to section.

WWW Virtual Library: Engineering
The WWW Virtual Library: Engineering is provided by EEVL (Enhanced and Evaluated Virtual Library): the internet guide to engineering, mathematics, and computing.

These websites cover specific topics that might be of interest to engineers:

Abledata
A national database of information on assistive technology and rehabilitation equipment available from domestic and international sources. Produced by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, U. S. Dept. of Education.

ComputeNano.com
ComputeNano.com is an information resource for computer-aided nanodesign (CAN), the field of using modeling, simulation, and informatics software to accelerate R&D in nano-manufacturing. This approach builds bridges between chemistry, biology, and engineering by scaling up precise nanoscale methods from the lab to the industrial manufacturing scale. Registration (free) is required.

GlobalSpec
Find information about products, materials, and services from over 14,000 suppliers and service providers. This is an excellent source for information if you are doing a design project. Technical specs are readily available but you will usually have to contact a supplier about costs. Contact information is supplied. Registration (free) is required.

Guided Tour on Wind Energy
An excellent overview of all aspects of wind power.

Greatest Engineering Achievements of the 20th Century
This is a project of the National Academy of Engineering and 29 other professional societies and groups. It contains brief histories and timelines of what they consider the 20 most notable engineering achievements of the 20th century.

Linear Algebra Toolkit
Not only does it have applications that solve systems of linear equations, but it also shows you how to do it, step by step.

Math2.org
A site with math tables and formulas, it starts with addition and subtraction and goes on to more interesting topics like vectors, series expansions, and transforms, but with lots of elementary material, it's good when you've forgotten some simple formula you're supposed to know from memory.

RadWaste.org
This site provides links to everything you wanted to know about radioactive waste.

Contact a Librarian     [back to top]

Miriam Allman: Science and Engineering Bibliographer

Karen Vagts: Engineering/Business Reference Librarian

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