Literature Review:

Mechanical Engineering
Masters Project
powerpoint:
http://ewp.rpi.edu/hartford/library/MEMasters.pdf

Linda Knaack
Instructional
Services Librarian
lib-info@ewp.rpi.edu
860-548-2490

Have you identified and

included a selected list
of prior published work
directly related and
relevant to the topic of
your proposed project?

How Did/Do You Find

A Topic?

Previous
Engineering
Project Papers
In the library (some
on Ernestos site)
Cant check out
Search catalog:

9/17/2009

advanced keyword
search on your keyword
and thesis in Material Type

To search for theses on a specific

topic, start from library home page:
http://ewp.rpi.edu/hartford/library

Go to Advanced Keyword
Search

Enter keywords and select

THESIS in Material Type
drop down menu

The Open Web

Intute
Scirus
Scitation
Scitopia
Google scholar
Google

In Google, enter
engineering topic

 Login reminder
Engineering Village
Science Direct

Try a Database or Two

If unsure of your terms,

try a thesaurus search

Topic (in 1 phrase, sentence,

etc.):
Design guidelines for optimized
end-loaded cantilever beams

Generic Search Strategy

design

design
structural design

cantilever beam

end-loaded

cantilever beam

end NEAR load

?

structural loads
stress analysis
structural
analysis

(design OR structural design OR structural

loads OR structural analysis) AND (end
NEAR load) AND cantilever beam*

Article Databases
Online access to full-text American Society of Mechanical
Engineers' (ASME) journals.
CSA - Citations and abstracts in mechanical engineering,
materials science and aerospace.
Engineering Village 2 (Inspec, Compendex) Citations and
abstracts (no full text) in physics and engineering.
Comprehensive engineering coverage.
Wide range of journals published by the Institute of Physics
(IOP). Included are current issues and archives.
Comprehensive coverage of literature across all fields of
science.
Scientific, technical and medical information.
Full text articles and abstracts.

You can just type your terms as

keywords

Keep refining your search, using field

searches & referring to the search
tips for more precision

The Open Web

Intute
Scirus
Scitation
Scitopia
Google scholar
Google

Source Documentation
Cite sources whenever you are quoting,
paraphrasing, or summarizing work that is not
your own
Why References?

Source
Documentation
Citing:

plagiarist by the mad LOLscientist,facebook.com

Shows your credibility

as a researcher
Gives proper credit to
authors and
researchers
Protects you from
accusations of
plagiarism

Make sure you have at least one

reference in your paper to each
item in your reference list

Source Documentation
Use Chicago Style or other specified
format for documentation
Check online for style guides

Library Contact Information

Fifth floor
Website:
www.ewp.rpi.edu/hartford/library
Reference: lib-info@ewp.rpi.edu
Telephone: 860-548-2490
Toll-free: 1-800-433-4723 ext.2490

Questions?
Evaluations