Home - CBE 250 - Winter Quarter 2025 - Research Guides at University of California Irvine

Using VPN

Connecting from Off-Campus - Using VPN

You can download VPN on up to 5 devices: laptops, desktops, tablets, phones, etc. For any problems related to VPN & Connectivity, please contact OIT (949-824-2222)

Bibliographic Management Software

There are many products to use and several of them are listed on this site with a comparison. Additional products include:

ReadCube Papers

Introduction

This Course Guide will direct you to research information strategies and resources that will guide you to finding appropriate and relevant information in the field of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering. Obviously, there are overlaps with other disciplines such as Chemistry, Materials Science, Molecular Biology, Nanotechnology, Environmental Sciences & Engineering and the subject will continue to expand and converge with other areas. This guide builds on several goals:

how to conduct a literature search
how to stay informed and updated about new outputs in various topical areas - register for new releases and alert services
citation options
citation managers (bibliographic management systems)
how to share information with colleagues and collaborators
authenticating yourself - ORCID ID
publishing trends & opportunities in field
getting ready for thesis or dissertation research
summary of library services is in this powerpoint presentation

The textbook for this course, Alley, M. The Craft of Scientific Writing (4th ed, 2018.), Springer. Freely available here from UCI Libraries as an e-book.

Fundamentals

The Library website is a good point of departure to find almost anything. Research Guides prepared at UCI are good jumping off points for more specific resources and include:

Trends in Scholarly Communication

Scholarly publishing is constantly changing due to the "open movements" including Open Access, institutional repositories and directives, data management compliance, peer review practices, and other aspects that are responding to new demands in scholarly communication.

Following and tracking these issues is important.

Creating Academic Profile

There are many options for creating and enhancing your academic profile. Some hints include keeping information professional & do not share too many personal details through social media and if you post any documents make sure that they are in PDF and can't be altered. Sources that may be useful include:

Google Scholar Profile
Follow these steps:
1. Step 1: Create your basic profile. Log on to scholar.google.com and click the “My Profile” link at the top of the page to get your account setup started. ...
2. Step 2: Add publications. ...
3. Step 3: Make your profile public.
LinkedIn
Academia.edu
ResearchGate
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Leading social networking site for scientists and an increasing number of scholars outside. can share publications, get statistics about your views and downloads of your research, collaboration.
Mendeley
is a social reference management site with more than 5 million users. You may already be using it to store your citations and help keep track of your research, but it also has some great social features. You can list or upload your research publications, provide a brief academic CV, biographical information, and participate in a group. Mendeley groups allow you to share and discover new research in your field.
Overleaf
Even though LaTeX usage is the foundation of Overleaf it can be used to share and collaborate on other projects. UCI offers the Professional account here.

Things To Do & Things To Know

Welcome to UCI Libraries.

These services and resources will help you efficiently organize your studies and work as a graduate student.

Organized in several categories, please take the time to scroll through all of these options:

General Library Access Points & Services

Meet your subject librarian
Every School, Department or Program has an assigned Subject Librarian to support you through your studies.
Meet with Applied Sciences & Engineering Librarian, Julia Gelfand
Julia is the Liaison Librarian for SSOE, ICS, UPPP & SE, and DASA. Her eMail address is jgelfand@uci.edu
Keep UCI Libraries Informed of Your Current Contact Information
Make sure that the UCI Libraries have current contact information for you so that we can inform you about any of your library transactions or information needs. Email circadm@uci.edu or text 949-303-7535
My Library Account
To manage your personal library transactions.
UCI Library Website
Point of departure for all library announcements, exhibits, services, and links to staff and resources. Feel free to use this source for Virtual Tours (https://www.lib.uci.edu/visit-libraries) or various Subject Guides (https://guides.lib.uci.edu/soceco_ppd).
Connect from Off-Campus - VPN, DUO & OIT HelpDesk
Get help with UCI-related technologies, connecting to the VPN or campus available software. Configure up to 5 devices including cell phone, tablet, laptop, desktop so that you can access licensed content when off-campus. Test VPN regularly and follow instructions to install. Make sure you have a way to access DUO as many resources require it. Contact OIT at 949-824-2222 for any assistance - open extended hours or contact Help Desk at https://www.oit.uci.edu/helpdesk
Install DUO - Multifactor Authentication Requirement
Follow instructions to install on your cell phone so you can access the tools & resources that require it.
Borrowing
Learn how to use self-checkout and other borrowing functions. As graduate students you have a full quarter borrowing period.
Recreational Reading
Check out the Overdrive tab for fiction & non-fiction. Also visit the Langson Library New Book Lobby for recent releases of fiction & non-fiction in print.
Enjoy a film or other Streaming Media
Watch a film, documentary, play a game or enjoy other streaming media
Subscriptions to Free Online National Newspapers
The UCI Libraries provide free access to UCI affiliates to the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, Orange County Register and Financial Times for these papers on your preferred device from the attached tabs.
Copying & Printing
There are no cash transactions for copying - you can pay with credit/debit cards or deposit funds with Venmo, PayPal or ApplePay and Print on the go by downloading the Wepa Print App, available from the App Store or Google pay. UCI Photo-ID for copying/xeroxing and printing at any of the UCI Libraries - Costs noted at https://www.lib.uci.edu/printing-copying-scanning).
Study Rooms
You are able to review what space is available for any given time slot & reserve space for single occupancy or group use.
MRC (Media Resource Center)
Includes Film/CD Collection, Makerspace/3D Printing, AV/computer equipment; Software; One Button/Presentation Studio, & other services/resources.
Software - UCI Office of Information Technology
Find & download software at no cost on your personal devices, including MS Office 365, Matlab ArcGIS, Mathematica, JMP, Stata and other research software, sometimes at a reduced price when acquired through OIT. Software typically must be renewed annually at the end of June.
Virtual Labs
The Virtual Lab (powered by Apporto) allows UCI affiliates to run specialized software within an internet browser.
1Password Manager
Recommended to secure stored passwords across your devices. UCI also has an Enterprise* account, which includes 1GB of encrypted file storage at no cost (*note that access ends one year after graduation, so back up your data if you decide to utilize the 1Password account!)
Table Games
Take a break from studying, come to the library and play a game or check one out.
Safety Escorts
As a safe alternative to walking alone at night, the CSO Safety Escort program is a 24-hour complimentary service for members of the UCI community.
UCI Campus Safety Escort
(949) 824-7233 (SAFE)

UCI Health Safety Escort at UCIMC
(714) 456-5493

Conducting Research - Finding Journals/Using Databases
A directory of all databases at UCI is found in the A-Z list. Browzine is also available to find tables of contents for most issues.
Conducting Research - Finding Books/Chapters
Use the UCLS, the catalog for the UC campuses and use the Advanced Search for restricting to UCI plus the left side-bar to refine searches. Will retrieve books, documents, journals, articles, data, videos, etc, and you can restrict by format.
Scholarly Communications
Learn about protecting your work, copyright & Fair Use, publishing open access, making research data available and tracking research impact.
InterLibrary Loan
For resources that are not available at UCI, please check UC Library Search, click on the "External" link on Left Side Bar and find what you need to borrow from Worldcat and submit ILL requests within that framework. If item is in circulation, available at another UC, you can request it via UCLS catalog. Outside of a textbook for a course, please contact us before you purchase anything in order to determine if we can obtain it for you. For more information consult this notice https://www.lib.uci.edu/interlibrary-loan
Graduate & Post-Doctoral Resource Center
Variety of services to enhance graduate student & research/writing experience.
Graduate & Post-Doc Writing Specialist
Dr. Hosna Sheikholesami is assigned to working with graduate students & post-docs at the DUE Center for Excellence & Writing and can be reached at sheikhoh@uci.edu
List of Upcoming Workshops: Register Now
A wide variety of workshops on Zotero, Overleaf, Open Science, Data Management, and other topics. They are either online or hybrid format & fill up fast so please register ASAP. Also noted are links to recordings of previous workshops.
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Research, Writing & Publishing

3 Workshops Offered in Fall 2024 part of the "Read to Write: Your Grad Success Starter Series

Workshop 1 - Reading Smart: Seamlessly Manage Your PDFs and Notes with Zotero

October 18: 1-2:30pm - Langson Library 570 (5th floor of Langson) - Register here
October 24: 4-5:30pm - Virtual - Register here

Get ahead from the start by mastering the ultimate organizational tool—Zotero! In this workshop tailored specifically for first-year graduate students, you’ll learn how to efficiently manage your readings, organize your notes, and streamline your workflow. Explore effective note-taking techniques, the art of tagging, and organizing with folders. end with a hands-on Zotero setup session to ensure you’re ready to hit the ground running. This workshop is open to all graduate students and postdocs

Workshop 2 - Read to Succeed: Strategic Reading Techniques for Grad School Writing

November 1: 1-2:30pm - Langson Library 228 (2nd floor of Langson) - Register here
November 7: 4-5:30pm - Virtual - Register here

Start your grad school journey with smart reading strategies that will amplify your writing prowess. In this session, we’ll explore effective digital tools, such as Zotero, Scrivener and Notability as well as timeless methods like note cards to enhance your reading efficiency. Gain actionable tips for both skimming and deep reading in order to set yourself up for successful writing practices in graduate school! This workshop is open to all graduate students and postdocs.

Workshop 3 - The Art of the Lit Review: Approaching LIterature Reviews with Confidence

November 15 - 1-2:30pm - Langson Library 228 (2nd floor of Langson) Register here
November 19: 4-5:30pm - Virtual Register here

Demystify literature reviews and set a solid foundation for your academic writing. This workshop breaks down essential best practices, helping you understand what a literature review is—and what it isn’t. Learn to identify seminal works and essential tools, and how to structure your review to tell a compelling story. Through hands-on activities, you'll gain confidence in building, complicating, and questioning the academic conversation. This workshop is open to all graduate students and postdocs.
DSS Programming Workshops
Learn about courses to master R, Python, Unix, GitHub, OpenRefine - they fill up fast so register early! There is a special workshop for Social Sciences and Geospatial workshops.
Digital Scholarship
Stay in tune with the program announcements.
Systematic Reviews
Submit the form if you are need to explore conducting a systematic review - there are many kinds of literature reviews but this will help you identify what may be appropriate for your needs.
Research Grant Resources
If you need to apply for special funding for conference attendance, or for a research grant this guide will offer many resources.
eScholarship Repository
The Repository for open access content produced at all 10 UC campuses by faculty, researchers and students. Also source of OA publishing across the UC.
Transformative Agreements: UC Publishing Discounts for Open Access
Publishers and professional societies offer discounts reducing Article Processing Charges (APCs) to UC authors.
Bibliographic Management Software
Consider adopting & learning some method of BMS to use for organizing information retrieved from literature searches, to take notes. Use the Comparison chart, take a tutorial & determine if it fits in to your workstyle. Will format outputs according to different style manuals. There is definitely a learning curve so allow time. The free or open source products are Mendeley, Zotero & EndNote Basic. In addition you may want to consider ReadCube/Papers which has a modest student fee (https://support.papersapp.com/support/solutions/30000035227)
Zotero Workshop
Reading Smart: Seamlessly Manage Your PDFs and Notes with Zotero
October 18: 1-2:30pm - Langson Library 570 (5th floor of Langson) Register at https://campusgroups.uci.edu/CEWC/rsvp_boot?id=1935487
October 24: 4-5:30pm - Virtual Register at https://campusgroups.uci.edu/CEWC/rsvp_boot?id=1935490
Get ahead from the start by mastering the ultimate organizational tool—Zotero! In this workshop tailored specifically for first-year graduate students, you’ll learn how to efficiently manage your readings, organize your notes, and streamline your workflow. Explore effective note-taking techniques, the art of tagging, and organizing with folders. end with a hands-on Zotero setup session to ensure you’re ready to hit the ground running. This workshop is open to all graduate students and postdocs.
Overleaf - Collaborative Software
A collaborative, cloud-based LaTeX editor for the writing, editing, compiling and publishing of scientific documents. Integrated directly with Bibliographic Management Software packages. Requires registration and can be used with collaborators at other institutions.
Overleaf LibGuide
Collabratec
IEEE platform that is free for sign-up. Think of it as LinkedIn for Engineers. Very international in scope. Active discussion for authors.
Data Curation
Data curation includes data management plans for grant submissions and how to effectively organize data for access, documenting context for reproducibility, and securely preserving the physical integrity of the work.
Dryad
A data sharing solution.
UCI Libraries Presentation Studio
Located at MRC 168 at the Science Library, this room can be reserved to rehearse and perfect the delivery of presentations. Can record and replay presentations. Can accommodate 10 persons, set up theatre style.
ORCID ID
Register for this unique & persistent digital identifier to disambiguate you from other authors with the same name. Stays with you as you move on from UCI. Is used to track your publishing output. Increasingly added to all signature lines & placed on resumes/CVs,
Serving as a TA
As a TA serve as intermediary between faculty and librarian by syllabus, assignments, seek contributions to support class to promote information literacy to jgelfand@uci.edu.
Consider joining professional societies
It demonstrates commitment to your professional goals to identify with the professional society that best meets your current interests. Registering as a student offers cost savings. Once you graduate such membership bridges you to retaining access to publications issued by the society.

UCI Libraries Research Guides and other Information Sources

List of Subject Guides & Course Guides at UCI - can be searched & sorted by librarian, topic, academic unit

Liaison Librarian

Julia Gelfand

Contact:

Office: Science Library 228

Phone: 949-824-4971

EMail: jgelfand@uci.edu

Subjects: Computer Science, Engineering, Environmental Sciences, Informatics, Public Policy, Urban Planning