Engineering : Start Here
Essential Resources
On this page you will find a starting point for a critical part of the engineering research process: searching the literature. Explore the rest of this guide for tips and tools specific to individual engineering disciplines. And remember – your WisCard is your library card, and your Net ID is your key to accessing online materials.
Searching the Engineering Literature
Core Engineering Databases
These databases will help you identify useful articles and other literature across all fields of engineering and technology.
- Engineering Database LibraryList of core databases providing broad coverage of research in all fields of engineering. Includes ebooks, patents, and tech reports. Selected resources from this list can be found on this guide.
- ScopusLarge, multidisciplinary database that covers science, technology, medicine, social sciences, and arts and humanities. Includes tools to track, analyze, and visualize research.
- Web of ScienceCollection of databases indexing scholarly literature in the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities, from journals, conference proceedings, symposia, and more. Includes citation network data.
- LensIncludes many patent data analysis and visualization tools, as well as the ability to map scholarly publishing output to patents and vice versa
- Google ScholarScholarly literature, including peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, preprints, abstracts and technical reports from all broad areas of research from a wide variety of sources.Google Scholar is proxied for off-campus use so that the FindIt button appears in results.|| If you go to 'My Library' and sign in, the proxying will no longer be present and off-campus the FindIt button will not appear.|| Off-campus go to Settings/Library Links and search for 'Madison' and select it to see FindIt links.
Biomedical Engineering Databases
These databases cover topics relating to biomedical engineering, including: medicine and public health, science and technology, engineering, and chemistry.
- PubMed/MedlineCovers the biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Also provides access to NCBI databases covering molecular biology. From the NIH's National Library of Medicine.
- Web of ScienceCollection of databases indexing scholarly literature in the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities, from journals, conference proceedings, symposia, and more. Includes citation network data.
- ScopusLarge, multidisciplinary database that covers science, technology, medicine, social sciences, and arts and humanities. Includes tools to track, analyze, and visualize research.
- SciFinder-nCore research tool for chemistry, biochemistry, chemical engineering, materials science, nanotechnology, physics, environmental science and other disciplines. Registration required.
- Technology CollectionFull text access to peer-reviewed journals, trade publications, books, conference proceedings, reports, videos in engineering, technology, materials science, computing, physics, and aerospace.
You can find many more databases that cover one or more aspects of biomedical engineering using the database library.
- Biomedical Engineering Database LibraryFull list of recommended databases for finding papers and other materials on biomedical engineering topics.
Chemical & Biological Engineering Databases
- SciFinder-nCore research tool for chemistry, biochemistry, chemical engineering, materials science, nanotechnology, physics, environmental science and other disciplines. Registration required.
- ReaxysSearch and retrieval system for chemical compounds, bibliographic data and chemical reactions; incorporates Beilstein and Gmelin data plus organic and organometallic patents from 1976 to the present.
- CRC Handbook of Chemistry and PhysicsBasic reference for chemical and physical data; covers basic constants, units conversion factors, mathematical tables, terminology, organic and inorganic compounds, biochemistry, and more.
- Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical TechnologyArticles on chemical substances and their properties, manufacturing and uses, industrial processes and unit operations in chemical engineering, and economic and market information for some compounds.
You can find many more databases that cover one or more aspects of chemical & biological engineering using the database library.
- Chemical Engineering Database LibraryFull list of recommended databases for finding papers and other materials on chemical engineering topics.
Civil & Environmental Engineering Databases
These databases cover topics relating to civil, environmental, and geological engineering, including: construction, structural design, transportation, environmental science, geology, and all aspects of engineering.
- ASCE Library (American Society of Civil Engineers)Multi-disciplinary engineering database with ASCE journals (1872-present) and proceedings (1983-present).
- ICE Virtual LibraryOnline content platform from the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) of their journals, papers, ebooks, and conference proceedings.
- TRIDTRID is a database indexing federal/state DOT reports, as well as journal articles, conference proceedings, etc. on the topic of transportation. Includes TRIS and ITRD.
- GeoRef (Geology)Geology database (ProQuest) that covers earth sciences literature. In addition to journal articles, includes conference papers, guidebooks, maps, reports, theses, and selected books.
You can find many more databases that cover one or more aspects of civil, environmental, and geological engineering using the database library.
- Civil Engineering Database LibraryFull list of recommended databases for finding papers and other materials on civil engineering topics.
- Environmental Engineering Database LibraryFull list of recommended databases for finding papers and other materials on environmental engineering topics.
- Geology Database LibraryRecommended databases for finding papers and other materials on geology and related topics.
Electrical & Computer Engineering Databases
- IEEE XploreTechnical literature in electrical engineering, computer science, electronics, and related disciplines, from journals, proceedings, letters, standards, from 1988 with select content back to 1913.
- INSPEC (via Web of Science)Scientific and technical literature database related to fields such as physics, engineering, computer science, environmental science, geophysics, biomedical technology and biophysics.
- ACM Digital Library (Association for Computing Machinery)Covers computing and information technology, including software, hardware, computational theory, artificial intelligence, information science, human-computer interaction, and instructional technology.
- Lecture Notes in Computer ScienceOnline book series on computer science and information technology, covering artificial intelligence, robotics, bioinformatics, software engineering, data encryption, database management, and more.
- Synthesis Collection of TechnologyCollection of 50- to 100-page e-books for the research, development, and educational community in engineering and computer science. These short e-books provide introductions to new areas for researchers, advanced developers, and students.
You can find many more databases that cover one or more aspects of electrical and computer engineering using the database library.
- Electrical & Computer Engineering Database LibraryFull list of recommended databases for finding papers and other materials on electrical and computer engineering topics.
Industrial & Systems Engineering Databases
- ScopusLarge, multidisciplinary database that covers science, technology, medicine, social sciences, and arts and humanities. Includes tools to track, analyze, and visualize research.
- Web of ScienceCollection of databases indexing scholarly literature in the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities, from journals, conference proceedings, symposia, and more. Includes citation network data.
- Technology CollectionFull text access to peer-reviewed journals, trade publications, books, conference proceedings, reports, videos in engineering, technology, materials science, computing, physics, and aerospace.
- PubMed/MedlineCovers the biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Also provides access to NCBI databases covering molecular biology. From the NIH's National Library of Medicine.
- APA PsycINFOLarge database covering the field of psychology, behavioral science and mental health, including the psychological aspects of medicine, nursing, education, physiology, business, law, and more.
You can find many more databases that cover one or more aspects of industrial and systems engineering using the database library.
- Industrial & Systems Engineering Database LibraryFull list of recommended databases for finding papers and other materials on industrial and systems engineering topics.
Materials Science & Engineering Databases
- SpringerMaterialsCurated data on over 3000 physical and chemical properties of hundreds of thousands of materials and chemical systems (mixtures, alloys, etc).
- SciFinder-nCore research tool for chemistry, biochemistry, chemical engineering, materials science, nanotechnology, physics, environmental science and other disciplines. Registration required.
- INSPEC (via Web of Science)Scientific and technical literature database related to fields such as physics, engineering, computer science, environmental science, geophysics, biomedical technology and biophysics.
- ASM Alloy Phase Diagrams Center (American Society for Metals)ASM Alloy Phase Diagrams Center allows you to explore, search and view more than 32,500 binary and ternary phase diagrams and associated data form over 6,000 systems.
- ASM Handbooks Online (American Society for Metals)Authoritative source of information on ferrous and non-ferrous metals and materials technologies (e.g., articles, tables, specifications, and practical examples in materials specialization).
You can find many more databases that cover one or more aspects of materials science and engineering using the database library.
- Materials Science & Engineering Database LibraryFull list of recommended databases for finding papers and other materials on materials science and engineering topics.
Mechanical Engineering Databases
- ScopusLarge, multidisciplinary database that covers science, technology, medicine, social sciences, and arts and humanities. Includes tools to track, analyze, and visualize research.
- ASME Digital CollectionAccess to journal articles and proceedings published by the American Society of Mechanical Engineering (ASME).
- INSPEC (via Web of Science)Scientific and technical literature database related to fields such as physics, engineering, computer science, environmental science, geophysics, biomedical technology and biophysics.
- ASTM CompassAccess to publications by the American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM), including Standards, Technical Publications, Symposia and Selected Technical Papers, Proceedings, and journals.
- SAE MobilusInformation platform of resources covering technologies in the aerospace, automotive, and commercial vehicle industries; includes access to standards, technical papers, journals and ebooks.
You can find many more databases that cover one or more aspects of mechanical engineering using the database library.
- Mechanical Engineering Database LibraryFull list of recommended databases for finding papers and other materials on mechanical engineering topics.
Nuclear Engineering & Engineering Physics Databases
- INSPEC (via Web of Science)Scientific and technical literature database related to fields such as physics, engineering, computer science, environmental science, geophysics, biomedical technology and biophysics.
- INIS: International Nuclear Information SystemDatabase of scientific literature related to the peaceful uses of nuclear science and technology.
- ScopusLarge, multidisciplinary database that covers science, technology, medicine, social sciences, and arts and humanities. Includes tools to track, analyze, and visualize research.
- ASME Digital CollectionAccess to journal articles and proceedings published by the American Society of Mechanical Engineering (ASME).
- AIP PublishingOnline platform for ebooks, journals, and conference proceedings from American Institute of Physics and publishing partners, covering a wide range of disciplines in the physical sciences.
You can find many more databases that cover one or more aspects of nuclear engineering and engineering physics using the database library.
- Nuclear Engineering Database LibraryFull list of recommended databases for finding papers and other materials on nuclear engineering topics.
Related Research Guides
Technical information is published in many formats, not all of which are easily findable with traditional scholarly databases. These guides will help you locate information in a variety of formats that may be harder to find.
Want Help? Just Ask!
Physical Science & Engineering Team | Science & Engineering Libraries
Email: pset@library.wisc.edu
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Dave Bloom | Steenbock Library
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Useful Tools
- Remote Access BookmarkletAccess library-licensed content with a click, skipping the library website.
- BrowzineBrowse, read, and monitor scholarly journals on your mobile device.
- Unpaywall Browser ExtensionFind free versions of paywalled papers.