ENSC 405/440: Library research guide

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If you need help, please contact Shiyi Xie, Liaison Librarian at 778-782-8023 or shiyi_xie@sfu.ca or Ask a librarian

This page is intended to assist you with your ENSC 405/440 Capstone project. You can also refer to the research guide for Engineering for additional general information. 

Primary sources

Research articles 

Selected databases for journal articles and conference papers. 

  • EI Compendex: Covers the core literature of engineering
  • IEEE Xplore: Covers full text journal and conference publications from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET, formerly the IEE)
  • Web of Science: Multidisciplinary database of journal and conference literature. Also used for citation analysis of research
  • Scopus: Multidisciplinary database of journal and conference literature. Also used for citation analysis of research

See SFU Library's Database page for a full list of SFU databases by discipline

**Although you are not required to use background information sources for your project paper, you may find it helpful to consult background materials to build your knowledge in the field you're working in. Books can be a useful resource for this. In addition, review articles in academic journal can be very helpful. To find relevant review articles, apply the filter for "review" or "literature review" when searching for your topic in databases**

Patents

Also, see Patent Information Guide

Theses and dissertations 

Technical standards

Business information

Statistics 

  • Statista:  Statistics portal that integrates statistics from thousands of sources, on topics related to business, media, public policy, health and others  
  • Statistics Canada - Data: Produces statistics about population, resources, economy, society, and culture

Refer to the Data & Statistics Information Guide for selected resources that are drawn from national agencies, intergovernmental organizations and other official sources of statistics. Also consult Finding Statistics on British Columbia for resources that provide statistics in BC.

Institutional repository

Data support

Information evaluation 

Quality check for journal articles

Many databases allow you to limit to peer-reviewed journal articles. We also use Ulrich's Periodical Directory to find out whether a journal is peer-reviewed.

Use the Journal Citation Report database to find a journal's Impact Factor (JIF) and the rankings of journals in many subject categories. Or, use SCImago Journal Rank, a publicly available database, to find journal rankings.

Find a group of publishers that agree to uphold ethical publishing standards via Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), and this website provides guidance for authors.

See the following guides as needed: 

Source evaluation frameworks

Many source evaluation frameworks are available, including RADAR and SIFT, which are introduced below. Each framework has its own strengths and weaknesses. Ask yourself relevant questions when evaluating a specific information source. 

RADAR method of evaluating sources

The RADAR framework is a system for heping students evaluate the relevance, reliability, and quality of any resource.

 Relevance

Does the source relate to your topic or answer your research question? Does it meet the requirements for the assignment? Have you looked at a variety of sources before determining this is the one you will use?

 Authority

Is the author known as an expert in the field? Does the author work for a reputable institution, e.g. a university, research center or government? Does anyone cite this author/work? Does the author rely on other well-cited works? Is there contact information, e.g. a publisher or email address?

 Date

Has the information been revised or updated? Does your topic require current information, or will older sources work as well? If older, is this a seminal or landmark work? Are the links functional?

 Appearance

Was the work published by a peer-reviewed journal, academic press or other reliable publisher? Was the information reviewed by an editor or a subject expert before it was published? Do the references support the author's argument? Are the references properly cited? Can you verify any of the information in another source? Does the source look professional? Are there advertisements, typographical errors, or biased language?

 Reason

Why was the information created? Appropriate information sources are created: to educate by spreading scholarly information; sometimes but not always to persuade the reader; never to entertain or sell something.

More about the RADAR method

See: J. Mandalios, “RADAR: An approach for helping students evaluate Internet sources,” J. Inf. Sci., Vol. 39, no. 4, pp. 470-478, 2013.

SIFT method: "Four Moves" for quickly assessing sources

This fact-checking method is about quickly assessing and evaluating information -- before you invest in reading or viewing a source. 

SIFT is made up of four "moves": 

  • Stop
  • Investigate the source
  • Find better coverage
  • Trace claims, quotes, and media to the original context.

 Tip: Remember your purpose. It's easy to spend a lot of time on fact-checking -- but depending on your goal, quick checks may be all you need.

 Stop

Before you read or share something, ask yourself:

  • Do you know the website or source of the information?
  • What is the reputation of the claim and the website?

If you don't know, use the other moves to learn more. 

 Investigate the source

Before you read or watch something, it's good to know where the information came from.

What's the creator's expertise, or agenda (or both)?

 Find better coverage

To find out if a claim is controversial or represents wide consensus, look for how the subject is covered by:

  • a trusted source, or:
  • multiple sources, to see if experts agree.

Understanding the context and history of a claim will give you a strong foundation for further investigation (if you choose to go further!).

 Trace claims, quotes, and media back to the original context 

What is the context? Did the original source make the same points? 

Trace the claim, quote, or media back to the original source to get the full picture.

More about the SIFT method

The brief summary here of the SIFT method was adapted from Michael Caulfield's SIFT (The Four Moves), under CC BY 4.0.

Citing sources

IEEE style guides:

  • IEEE Reference Guide (47 pages): how to cite a variety of references in IEEE style. Some style requirements include:
    • Reference ranges in the text will not include an en dash. All references should be written out individually. For example, “[1]–[4]” should now be written as “[1], [2], [3], [4].”
    • IEEE publications must list the names of all authors, up to a maximum of six authors. If there are more than six authors, list the primary author’s name followed by “et al.”
  • IEEE Mathematics Guide (17 pages): how mathematical equations should be rendered in a technical article
  • CAS Source Index (CASSI) Search Tool: a tool by CAS to find abbreviated journal titles

Refer to the Engineering Citing+writing guide for more information

Owned by: Shiyi Xie
Last revised: 2025-04-15