LibGuides: Civil, Architectural and Environmental Engineering: CE 333T

Course Guide for CE 333T

Finding Articles - Recommended Databases
Background Information
Sample Search
Cite Your Sources
Additional Information
Talk to a Librarian!
How to Spot Fake News

To find the complete list of all our Databases go to www.lib.utexas.edu > Research Tools > Find Articles Using Databases

Academic Search Complete
A comprehensive and scholarly database containing magazine, newspaper, and journal articles from across disciplines.

Updated daily. A comprehensive scholarly, multi-disciplinary full text database, with more than 5,300 full text periodicals, including 4,400 peer-reviewed journals. Offers indexing and abstracts for more than 9,300 journals and a total of 10,900 publications including monographs, reports, conference proceedings, etc.
Features PDF content going back as far as 1865, with the majority of full text titles in native (searchable) PDF format. Searchable cited references are provided for 1,000 journals.
ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers) Research Library
Provide full text access to publications of the ASCE including journals, conference proceedings, magazines, and newsletters.

Updated weekly. Provide full text access to all publications of the ASCE (American Society of Civil Engineers), including all the journals, conference proceedings, books, standards, manuals, magazines, and newsletters.
Provides full text access to all 30 journals published by the ASCE. Represents a premier source of technical information for the civil engineering profession and form the core collection in the field.
IEEE Xplore
full-text access to IEEE & IET journals, conference proceedings, & current IEEE standards.

Updated daily. Provides full-text access to IEEE and IET (formerly IEE) journal articles and conference proceedings. Also includes IEEE technical standards and conference proceedings from VDE Verlag. Coverage is the research literature of electrical and computer engineering, electronics, computer science, aerospace engineering, biomedical engineering, and transportation. Contains over three million records, with some content back to 1872. Also contains indexing from partner groups.
To see the publications to which UT-Austin has access, sign in and click in the navigation bar.
In search results, the subscription identifier icon indicates documents where the UT-Austin subscription enables full-text access.
ICE Virtual Library
The ICE Proceedings, comprised of 18 parts (and growing), covers a wide range of civil engineering topics including geotechnics, construction, infrastructure, and materials. ICE also publishes Géotechnique and Magazine of Concrete Research.

The ICE Proceedings, comprised of 18 parts (and growing), covers a wide range of civil engineering topics including geotechnics, construction, infrastructure, and materials. ICE also publishes Géotechnique and Magazine of Concrete Research.
Compendex
Contains more than 11 million citations with abstracts from more than 5,600 journals, reports and conference proceedings covering fields of engineering and technology.

Updated weekly. Ei Compendex indexes the research literature of the field of engineering. The product contains more than 17 million total records. Over a million new records, with abstracts, are added per year. More than 3,600 journals and 4,100 conference publications and trade magazines are currently indexed. Customizable e-mail or RSS alerts are available.

Reference sources can help you find and develop a research topic by providing background information, facts, statistics, dates and other general information on most topics.

Recommended Library Databases:

Gale Virtual Reference Library is database of encyclopedias, almanacs, and specialized reference sources to help find background information and define your topic.
CQ Researcher explores a single "hot" issue in the news in depth each week. Topics range from social and teen issues to environment, health, education and science and technology. Examples include: Robotic Warfare, Managing Nuclear Waste, Domestic Drones, BP Oil Spill, Genetically Modified Food, Fracking, Synthetic Biology, 3D Printing, Organ Donations, Wind Power, Modernizing the Grid, Energy Policy, Nuclear Power, Managing Nuclear Waste, High Speed Trains, and more.

Books can provide a very comprehensive view of a topic; see Find Books for more information.

Wikipedia can be helpful in finding background information, keywords and major concepts. Check out this quick video on Using Wikipedia for Academic Research. This is another great (and quick) video on Credible Websites.

Government websites are a wealth of information and can include technical reports, statistics, data, legal cases, patents, case studies, and much more.

Tip: Search Google and filter your results by .gov (or .mil).

1. Background information

Wikipedia - encyclopedia (authors are anonymous, vetted (maybe) by the public)
Gale Virtual Reference Library (written by experts, vetted by editors)
Books - Check out Find Books for more information
Government websites

2. Find articles using the library's amazing databases:

www.lib.utexas.edu > Research Tools > Find Articles Using Databases

Academic Search Complete - multidisciplinary
ASCE- Civil engineering
ICE - Civil engineering
More engineering databases

Searching Tips:

Use keywords and synonyms

Think of the official or scientific terms for common words e.g. "unmanned aircraft" for drones or "hydraulic fracturing" for fracking.

Add additional terms to refine your results
- fracking AND wastewater
Try to avoid generic words like pros and cons

If you need articles related to GMOs and their benefit to society consider using terms like “agricultural productivity” or hunger. If you are lacking information on the negative side try adding terms like “health risks" or environmental.

Example search results:

gmo = 2,829
(gmo OR genetically modified organism) = 4,234
(gmo OR genetically modified organism) AND hunger = 35
(gmo OR genetically modified organism) AND (hunger OR famine) = 41
(gmo OR genetically modified organism) AND (hunger OR famine OR droughts) = 87

There is no one “right” way to search. These are just a few tips and suggestions, if you are having trouble finding information – email me! I can help with choosing keywords or recommend databases and other resources.

Ask for help if you

can't finding enough material on your topic
can't locate the full text of an article
can't find a book or are having problems with an e-book

Cite Your Sources is a guide to help you:

understand what a citation is
avoid plagiarizing
properly cite a source using a style manual
- APA Style Guide for Electronic References - UT access; limited to UT students, faculty and staff
- APA Documentation Guide - The Writing Center at The University of Wisconsin - Madison

What is Peer Review?

Scholarly vs. Popular Publications

Architecture and Planning Library

Talk to a Librarian!

If you need help please contact an Engineering Librarian!

Call: 512-495-4511
Mail: englib@lib.utexas.edu
Ask a Librarian

How to Spot Fake News - International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA)
Ten Questions for Fake News Detection - The News Literacy Project

Popular fact-checking sites:

When in doubt . . . ask a librarian!