The first section lists a  selection of encyclopaedias and handbooks;  the second section covers tips on searching for relevant material on the Catalogue;  the third section explains index and database searching with a list of and links to some suitable indexes or databases and links to suggestions for improving searches in these databases.

Remember to contact your Lecturer if you need guidance on what you are writing.

Useful Shortcuts Library Catalogue Interpreting citations and references How a list of references should look Essay and report writing guides Indexes and databases Which library has this journal? Ask-a-librarian Intercampus Requests Interlibrary Loans Image and Copy Centre Library Homepage The Department of Mechanical Engineering

Getting some ideas If you need some information about aspects of a topic before you decide if the idea is suitable for an essay, try encyclopaedias and handbooks  or see if there is a book available through the Catalogue. Specialised encyclopaedias and handbooks are available for a wide range of subjects.  The following list can be used for a basic information about a particular development.  More extensive lists are available through the Library Guides for Resources by Subject. For science and technology McGraw-Hill encyclopedia of science and technology.  20 volumes.  9th ed.  2002. Reference collection  503  M14.9  Aimed at an undergraduate level; use the index in volume 20 to trace articles on a topic.  The supplementary Yearbooks are a handy source of information about new developments in science and engineering.  eg.  Aircraft engine performance; Alternative fuel  vehicle; Biodiesel fuel; Diesel engine; Generator; Internal combustion engine (including aircraft engine, automotive engine, electric vehicles); Transportation engineering. Encyclopedia of science, technology and society.  3 volumes.  1999. Reference collection  503  V937e  Articles explore the historical, cultural, economic, and sociological aspects of science and technology.  Use the index (which appears at the back of each volume) to trace articles. For aspects of engineering -  Encyclopedia of chemical technology.  2002. Ullmann's encyclopedia of industrial technology.  2002 Both sources are available in electronic form Encyclopedia of energy technology and the environment. 4 volumes.  1995. Reference collection  103  C886r Under Alternative fuels see sections 'for diesel vehicles'; 'for gasoline engines'.  Under Automobiles see references to Flexible-fueled vehicles; Hybrid-electric vehicles; Methanol vehicles; Transportation. Wiley encyclopedia of electrical and electronics engineering.  24 volumes.  1999. Reference collection  621.303  W381w Use the index in volume 24. Specialised handbooks include Bosch automotive handbook.  6th ed. 2004. Reference collection  629.20202  R642k.6 Use the 'Table of contents' to get an idea of the coverage of this valuable source.  Includes Materials science; Manufacturing processes; Alternative spark-ignition engine operation; Alternative drives; Emission-control and diagnosis legislation; Vehicle bodies; Motorsports. CRC handbook of mechanical engineering.  1997. Reference collection  621.02 K922c Section 7: Energy Resources: Section 8: Energy Conversion;  Section 10: Transportation;  Section 11: Engineering Design. Searching the Catalogue for a topic Choose Library Catalogue - all options   then from Search by:  select Keywords - use and, or, not, " ").  Using the  Boolean operators (and, or, not)  will enable you to make your search more effective.  The   AND   operator indicates that the words either side should be found somewhere in the text,    in the  Search for:  bar type words to describe your topic, then click on  Search, eg. engineering   AND   sustainability   finds 29 records which include both of these words somewhere in a record. Results The  Search Results:  report shows your search strategy (Search Request:) and the number of titles which match that search strategy (Search Results:), followed by a numbered list of the titles arranged alphabetically by title.  If you want to see the most recent publications first,  go to Sort by at the top or bottom of the titles list, and pull down to Date (latest first). Use the  previous  and  next  icons to move backwards or forwards through the list of titles. For a title that looks useful, click on the title, for the  Record view,  a full description of that item,  including the  Location:  Call Number: and Status:   (whether or not the item is on loan) for each copy.  A  Link to e-Resource:  is provided at the top of the Record View for books in electronic form.  Extending the search Look at the Subject Heading(s):  assigned to a useful-looking book, and click on a heading, eg.  Sustainable development,  to see a list of similar headings and links to books which are on the same topic.  Click on a Heading for a list of books on that topic.  Scroll up and down the list of Subject headings, and notice that there may be Headings with place names as well as sub-headings for 'Economic aspects', 'Environmental aspects', 'Government policy', 'History', or 'Social aspect's. Output Click in the check box from the column to the left of a title to mark that record to be saved in a set to  Print/Save or E-mail later. Important NOTE - if your search results in more than 50 titles and you want to mark titles from the second or subsequent screens, click on the  Retain Selected  button before going on to the  next  screen of results. Use  PrintSave Options   (at the bottom of the display) to save records to your    Bookbag  and/or  Print/Save or E-mail  results to your account. Improve your search strategy   Use the Boolean operator  OR  to search for alternative words for a concept.   Where you use the  OR  operator make sure that you put that part of the search strategy in round brackets   Use the truncation symbol  ?  at the end of a word stem to allow for different endings to the word, such as singular and plural. eg.          (engineer?  OR  technol?)  AND  sustain?   Other ways to use the Catalogue | advanced searches on a topic  | finding out if a book is in the Library  | finding an electronic database | finding out if a journal or conference proceedings is available in or through the Library  |    Searching for references in electronic databases Indexes and databases provide a list of articles available on  a topic with details of where to find the article.  Some databases also provide full text, these are useful while you are still seeking ideas.  Where you are looking for the impact of a topic,  the broad indexes are a useful starting point. Expanded Academic index A useful interdisciplinary index to journal articles, many at a tertiary level.   The default is a Keyword search, use the same principles as searching the Library Catalogue, but with a some different commands, eg. engineer*  AND  sustain* where the  *  asterisk is the truncation symbol, looking for both singular and plural. The default search is across all words in the text of an article, so often your result may be very large, with unexpected uses of the search terms.  To make the search more relevant click on  Back to Search  and restrict the   Search for words in title, citation, abstract. A useful feature of EAI is the ability to Limit the current search  to articles where the text is provided.  Click on Back to Search  and select from  "with text"  or to "refereed publications" or by "date".    Relevance Search offers another way of improving your search strategy.  Now try Academic search elite.   Another useful interdisciplinary database which includes academic journals as well as newspapers and general journals.  There is some overlap in the titles covered with Expanded academic index. At the Find: bar type the same Boolean search strategy as on Expanded academic index.  You will get different results because each database covers some different journal titles. Output Click on the envelope icon to the right of each title to select useful-looking articles.  Click on Folder has Items at the top of the list of titles, to bring up a set of the selected items, together with options for Print, E-mail and Save to Disk. Can I find this article in Adelaide? If you think you need an article listed in Expanded Academic Index or Academic search elite, but the full text is not provided, you should check our Library Catalogue under the title of the journal or newspaper in which the article appeared.  If the Barr Smith Library does not have the journal or newspaper, from the Library Catalogue click on the link to Other Catalogues (covering the three universities in Adelaide) and Other libraries.  To find out if a journal is available in any other library in Adelaide use Libraries Australia. More on indexes and databases Expanded Academic index   and  Academic search elite  are useful for their interdisciplinary coverage, but when you need information on a specific topic, try the links below for access to and notes on the major databases in some other disciplines.    Comment on sustainability and the impact of technology may be found in journals on | Agriculture Agricola  CAB  |  Business - Business Source Complete |  Engineering Compendex  INSPEC  ENGINE  TRIS Online-Transportation Research Information Service - Chemical - Civil CEDB - Electrical - Environmental - Mechanical - Petroleum | History - Historical abstracts   JSTOR   PCI  |  Law - AGIS  Index to Legal Periodicals | Philosophy |  Psychology | Society & Culture - GeoBase  Sociological abstracts  |  and for Australian topics see -    AGIS    APAIS   Australia/New Zealand Reference Centre   BUILD   elibrary    ENGINE   AHB    Streamline If you need more information from another discipline try these other Guides to Resources - Business  |  Environment  |  Government and Politics  |  Law  |  Philosophy and Ethics  |  Society and Culture A few reminders on Report Writing  and  Referencing  WHEN IN DOUBT  - ASK FOR HELP