Library Guides: Engineering Research Skills Guide: Search for resources

Searching within the library

Library search tools give you access to different kinds of information. Use the ones that best suit the type of sources you're looking for.

Primo Search

Primo Search is a good place to start as it allows you to use one search box to bring back results from our Library collection including books, eBooks, journal articles, newspaper articles and more. You may get a large number of results and some of these will be from outside your discipline area. Check the content is relevant to your assessment task before you use it.

Library databases

Databases will help you find academic resources and are often subject specific. You will get fewer results than Primo, but they will be more relevant to your discipline.

Try these recommended databases:

Engineering Source
An EBSCOhost database which covers all aspects of engineering research and practice and includes more than 2000 full-text journals.

Engineering Source indexes more than 3000 journals, and, of these, more than 2000 are available in full-text.

Subjects covered include aerospace, biomedical, civil, electrical, environmental, mechanical, software, and structural engineering.

Source documents includes journals, magazines, trade publications, books, conference papers, and proceedings.

This database is one of many available in EBSCOhost. Once on the EBSCOhost search screen, you can change databases by clicking on the Choose Databases link above the search boxes. All EBSCOhost databases can be searched individually or in any combination.
ProQuest SciTech Premium Collection
A comprehensive package of databases in the ProQuest platform, covering the natural and applied sciences.

ProQuest SciTech Premium Collection consists of three subsidiary collections which you can search individually if you wish. Two of these contain further collections/databases in the ProQuest hierarchy:
* Natural Science Collection - consisting of the Agricultural & Environmental Science Collection, the Biological Science Collection, and the Earth, Atmospheric & Aquatic Science Database
* Science Database
* Technology Collection - consisting of the Advanced Technologies & Aerospace Collection, and the Materials Science & Engineering Collection.

Content is sourced from scholarly journals, trade and industry journals, magazines, technical reports, conference proceedings, government publications, and more.

Topics include: advanced technologies; aerospace; agricultural science; aquatic science; atmospheric science; biological science; computer science; earth science; engineering; environmental science; materials science; polymer science.

The date range is from 1946 to current.

More information is available from ProQuest's SciTech Premium Collection LibGuide.

Once you are in the ProQuest platform, you can change to any other ProQuest database: click on the hamburger menu at the top left of any ProQuest screen, then click on Change databases. The databases are listed in a hierarchy. For another broad collection of databases in the science area, try ProQuest's subject package of Science & Technology Databases.
Engineering Collection
An Informit Australian database of entirely full-text content that covers all engineering disciplines. The link here will take you the Informit platform with Engineering Collection selected. See more ... below.

Content providers include Engineers Australia, the Australian Road Research Board, the Australian College of Physical Scientists and Engineers in Medicine, and the Royal Australian Chemical Institute.

Material includes journal articles, conference proceedings, working papers, and other grey literature, all provided in full-text.

Your searching from this link will be within the Engineering Collection database only. You can change the database(s) you are searching using the Change Databases button. Unless you have changed databases, you will continue to search in Engineering Collection. When you have run a search, your results list will include, at the top, which database(s) you have searched in.

You can use Simple Search or Advanced Search. Advanced Search offers more options for searching, and more limiters. When you have run a search, there are further options for filtering your results. For searching help, there is a useful set of Search Tips at the bottom of the Advanced Search Screen.

Coverage is from 1980 - present.

The Engineering list has more databases you can search.

Learn how to search efficiently in Primo and Library databases:

Create a search strategy

When using Primo Search or a library database, use the keywords you identified earlier to build your search. Combine them with search operators instead of typing full sentences or questions. Search operators help Primo or the database understand how to connect your keywords.

Search Operator	Example
Use AND to retrieve results that contain both of your search terms.	coastal AND erosion
Use OR to retrieve results that contain any or all of your search terms.	coastal OR shoreline
Using NOT to exclude irrelevant results.	shoreline NOT lake
Use quotation marks to search for a phrase.	"sea level"
Group terms or equivalent keywords with parentheses to create complex searches.	(coast OR shoreline) AND erosion
Search for terms with different word endings using an asterisk.	manag* = manage, managed, managing, management
A question mark can be used to replace a single letter within a word.	analy?e = analyse, analyze

For our example topic potential search strings could include:

seawall AND erosion
seawall* AND erosion
seawall* AND (coast OR coastal OR shoreline) AND erosion

Remember: you will need to try a range of searches. Don't stop after just one.

To understand how search operators work check out:

Filter your results

Primo Search and most databases also allow you to limit your search or refine your results using filters. The available options will depend on the specific database you are using. Common filters include:

date range
material or publication type
scholarly or peer reviewed articles
journal title
subject area or subject heading
geographical area
language

Use material or publication type filters to refine your search and focus on specific resource types, such as:

reviews
market and industry reports
government reports
conference papers
journal articles
trade publications
case studies
thesis