Using Databases - ENGR 190W: Tateri - Spring 2025 - Research Guides at University of California Irvine

Liaison Librarian

Contact:

Office: Science Library 228

Phone: 949-824-4971

EMail: jgelfand@uci.edu

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

Finding Articles

Finding Articles, Papers, Proceedings, News by Using Databases

Depending on what you are researching or seeking, what the purpose of your query is and from what time period will determine where you go. There are many databases that cover different subjects, content, dates and are organized in multiple ways. Basically, you seek, find, discover, and refine your search strategy to increase the relevancy of the output. Licensed databases tend to contain the scholarly, scientific resources that are not freely available to everyone because they require a license. Access to this information is available to current UCI students and you must configure your computer to recognize and authenticate you if you are connecting from off-campus.

* denotes resources restricted to UCI affiliates. The following databases support different aspects of engineering, science and business information:

Academic Search Complete*
A lot of full-text (PDF, Web-based, or plain text with no images).
Access World News*
Access specifically to US Newspapers
ACM Digital Library*
Full text of ACM journals, magazines and conference proceedings
Additional Specialized Engineering & Related Databases
Noted on the Engineering Subject Guides and on Medicine and the GML Subject Page or on Business.
Agricultural & Environmental Sciences Database*
Covers environmental sciences, water sciences, agriculture, food sciences, sustainability and all related content, much of it available full-text.
AIAA (Aerospace Research Central)*
Indexes the journals (2000+ with older issues in the bound periodicals) and meeting papers (from 1964-2016) of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
Annual Reviews*
Annual Reviews offers comprehensive, timely collections of critical reviews written by leading scientists. Content spans disciplines within the biomedical/life sciences, physical sciences, engineering, social sciences, and economics. Heavy concentration on relevant references.
ASCE Digital Library*
Publications of the American Society of Civil Engineers - indexed in Web of Science and Compendex. Journals are fulltext.
ASME Digital Collection *
Publications of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Search journals via Compendex or on this site. Later in early 2014 access to the conference papers also will be available.
ASTM Standards & Engineering Digital Library*
Current fulltext standards and related engineering content from the ASTM. Also can access ISO standards on this platform.
BCC Research*
Marketing reports covering many industries over a 5 yr window with details about trends and global activities and demands for products and services.
BIOSIS*
(ISI)
Covers the life sciences, environmental sciences.
Business Source Complete*
Business/management databases.
Compendex*
Major source of coverage of Engineering Index from 1884 covering all areas of Engineering. For special content from the professional societies it would be best if you search the "digital or electronic libraries" of those products.
E&E databases*
Provides fulltext access to GreenWire, EnergyWire, ClimateWire and other current news information related to environmental developments.
E&E Publishing
Includes GreenWire, ClimateWire, EnergyWire and other news sources that track environmental activities at national & local levels. Now on the Politico database - go to E&E on the left sidebar and click through to the specific Wire you want to search.
efunda Engineering Research Library
A resource for freemium Engineering research, white papers, reports, case studies, magazines, and eBooks.
The Engineering ToolBox
Commercial website that provides access to resources, tools and basic information for engineering and design of technical applications. Searchable by category and although not comprehensive it will provide basic useful engineering information.
Ergonomics Abstracts
Covers technology, materials, processes, impacts. comfort, safety about many issues, objects and conditions.
Factiva*
Full-text coverage of business literature and trends as covered in the global trade literature representing many industries..
FAITS - Faulkner Advisory for IT (Information Technology) Studies*
Reports covering IT infrastructure, telecom, data networking, wireless communications, security, enterprise systems, the Internet and Web, as well as technology vendors. FAITS also links to technology and businessnews resources such as TechWeb, NewsFactor, CBS MarketWatch, and BBC.
Forrester*
Industry reports and analysis related to technology. You must register to use.
Frost & Sullivan*
In-depth market research and strategy reports with European and global coverage of the following areas: Aerospace & Defense; Automotive & Transportation; Chemicals, Materials and Food; Electronics & Security; Energy & Power Supplies; Environment & Building Technologies; Healthcare; Industrial Automation & Process Control; Information & Communication Technologies; Measurement & Instrumentation. Covers 2000 to present, updated as new reports are produced. Students must read online - can't copy or download.
Gale Opposing Viewpoints
Excellent source for writing advocacy papers, arguing a perspective, preparing for a debate. Indexes many different sources including journal literature, papers, opinions, videos, images.
Gartner Campus Access*
Web site provides access to the research and advisory firm's information technology news, research reports, and business and market analysis, and includes product descriptions and comparisons, information on trends, and a calendar of upcoming conferences and events for IT managers, specialists, and business interests using hype cycles and magic quadrants among other tools.
Global Think Tanks*
A database of reports, papers, and other resources published by NGOs, think tanks, IGOs and research centers from across the world. It also includes a directory of thousands of organizations involved in public and social policy in most subject area. A module in the Policy Commons database.
Google Scholar*
Has eLinks to UCI full-text. Also includes books and book chapters.
IEEE Xplore*
Full text of IEEE journals, conference proceedings, and standards.
IET (Institution of Engineering & Technology) Journals
Effective January 2021 are now all Open Access and available on the Wiley platform.
INSPEC*
Electrical engineering, computer science, physics. Make sure to revise the time parameters you want searched.
IWA (International Water Association) Journal Package
Comprehensive coverage of 12 journals in all areas of water resources with interdisciplinary coverage.
Knovel*
A very sophisticated database of nearly 1500 full-text resources in Engineering, Chemistry, Materials Science and Life Sciences - much more than just a bibliographic database - allows you to normalize data. This database also features Interactive Deeply Searchable (IDS) Graphs and Interactive Deeply Searchable (IDS) Equations with Plots, giving the researcher numbers for Real 'x' and 'y' values to go with the graphics.
Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS)*
This series is by Springer - well indexed in INSPEC but not always with eLinks - you can go directly to the Springer website and enter the volume # and scroll down to the particular paper, proceeding, chapter or lecture.
Materials Science & Engineering Database*
Covers a range of materials as treated in different applications and research scenarios, including a significant amount of nanotechnology. Contains a lot of fulltext content.
MRS Online Proceedings Library*
MRS (Materials Research Society)
Contains journals and conference proceedings.
Newsbank - America's News Magazines*
Nexis-Uni
Full-text database that covers News & Media and Legal information including case law, regulations and codes for US Federal & individual State's law.
PAIS - Public Affairs Information Service*
Philosophers' Index*
To support the study of ethics.
Plunkett Research Online*
Highly recommended coverage of research trends in several key areas of study for this class

PubMed@UCI This link opens in a new window
Provides access to millions of citations from MEDLINE and life science journals. Includes links to many sites providing full text articles and other related resources.

SAE Mobilus*
Licensed content from the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) and it contains a lot of mechanical engineering content related to aerospace and automotive design and manufacturing. Includes standards.
Scopus*
Elsevier's uber database with lots of new features highlighting science information now available.
SPIE Digital Library*
Covers different aspects of optics.
Statista
Statista is a global data and business intelligence platform with an extensive collection of statistics, reports, and insights on over 80,000 topics from 22,500 sources in 170 industries. Basically an index of statistical data points.
Sustainability Science Abstracts
This database explores all aspects of sustainable development, human population and demography topics, as well as societal issues involving natural resource management.
Synthesis Digital Library of Engineering and Computer Science*
Esp Synthesis Lectures on Engineering, Technology & Society (in particular). Short treatises and monographs by highly respected scientists and engineers.
Transport Database*
Major database covering all facets of transportation - after searching, you will have to consult Library Search. Remember that the database has different time segments to search. Restricted to one user at a time.
TRID: Transportation Research International Documentation"
TRID is an integrated database that combines the records from TRB's Transportation Research Information Services (TRIS) Database and the OECD's Joint Transport Research Centre's International Transport Research Documentation (ITRD) Database.
Urban Studies Abstracts
Covers interdisciplinary intersections about all things urban including smart cities, transportation, planning, sustainability, among many others.
Water Resources Abstracts*
Provides summaries of the world's technical and scientific literature on water-related topics covering the characteristics, conservation, control, pollution, treatment, use and management of water resources. Abstracts are drawn from journals, books, conference proceedings and technical reports in the physical and life sciences, as well as from engineering, legal and government publications.
Web of Science*
Science Citation Index going back to 1900 - no conference proceedings. Restrictions to specific coverage and time periods need to be selected under “Current Limits.”

* General search
* Forward searching
* Lateral searching via "Related Articles" feature
* Cited reference search engine– who is citing who. Unique feature