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Engineering 100 Section 400

Course guide used for Engineering 100 Section 400: Self-Driving Cars, Drones, and Beyond

Library Contact

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Paul Grochowski
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2321A Duderstadt Center

About This Guide

This guide will direct you to some Library resources that will be useful to you in the literature search portion of your project for Engineering 100.  Use the tabs to the left to learn about:

  • Types of sources. Is the information source you are using a primary, secondary, or tertiary source? This page will help you to learn the difference between these information types and will give examples of each. 
  • Background Information.  Background Information is important because it is important to have a basic understanding of a technology before diving into the literature on the latest development. The Background Information page has links to engineering encyclopedias, handbooks, and reference collections that you can use to find good overviews of almost any topic related to engineering.  These resources typically include both short introductions to the topics of your research and bibliographies suggesting further reading on the topics.
  • Engineering Literature.  The Engineering Literature Databases page has links to index and abstract databases that will allow you to find journal articles, or, in many cases, Primary Sources, on engineering topics.  
  • Plagiarism and Academic Integrity.  The Academic Integrity page will provide some guidance on what plagiarism is and how to avoid it.
  • Citation Help.  When you write your final report, you must cite your sources. This page will help you to manage your sources and to cite sources properly.

The "other resources" box in the left column of this page will point you toward other research guides and library tools that may be helpful in your research.

 

Some Tips on Library Searches

  • A well-planned and executed literature search takes time, but it will also save time.  Engineers can build off of others' successes and failures by reviewing publications and learning something about solutions to problems that have already been tried before beginning experimentation in the lab.
  • Engineering research is not a simple Google search.  Google cannot give you access to materials behind paywalls.  The Library makes these materials available to you through subscriptions to resources such as the Engineering Index.
  • Ask for help early in your process.  A good search strategy is more efficient than a poor one, and will help you avoid spending time looking in the wrong place or looking at material that is too challenging to interpret.
  • Ask the subject librarians for help!  Librarians can help you to find the right resources for your research, help you construct search strategies, and help you locate the materials that you have selected from your search results.  We are here to help you!