Background sources

Reference titles and e-book collections

You should begin your research by looking for background information on your topic.

This information is often found in reference books (e.g., dictionaries, encyclopedias, handbooks). The reference books that are useful to you will really depend on your topic.

Books and book chapters--especially their introductions--can be very useful as background sources.

Use the default search on the Library home page ("Catalogue Search") or Advanced search.

Tips on using Subject Headings: Check a book's subject headings (listed under Details) in the catalogue record that can be used to find books about your topic. For example, the book Handbook of Computer Networks and Cyber Security: Principles and Paradigms includes: Artificial Intelligence, Computer Security, Computer networks, Information Systems and Communication Service, etc. When you click on any subject heading, you can find more books on the specific topic.
See the SFU Library Catalogue Search Guide

Specific Titles: You may also wish to narrow your search to our technical e-book collections, such as:

Knovel : Collection of technical handbooks
SpringerLink: Publisher platform that includes books, handbooks, encyclopedias, and more
Access Engineering: McGraw Hill engineering reference and ebook platform, including Marks' Standard Handbook for Mechanical Engineers, Perry's Chemical Engineers Handbook, Standard Handbook for Electrical Engineers, Roark's Formulas for Stress and Strain
Taylor & Francis eBooks: Taylor and Francis platform for e-books and reference works
Wiley Online Library: Wiley's platform for e-books, reference works, and more
IEEE Xplore: E-book titles from IEEE and its partners
AccessScience: encyclopedia covering all major scientific disciplines

Review articles

Review articles are an important source of background information and can be helpful when starting with your topic. They synthesize key research and are typically written by experts in the field. The valuable bibliography included in a relevant review article can save you time in literature searching. You can find review articles in databases of journal records.

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)
PubMed: An open and free database from the National Center for Biotechnology Information at the U.S. National Library of Medicine, covering comprehensive biomedical and life sciences literature
Web of Science: Comprehensive, multidisciplinary database of journal and conference literature. Also used for citation analysis of research. Plus, allows for literature searching based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Scopus: Comprehensive, multidisciplinary database of journal and conference literature. Also used for citation analysis of research. Plus, allows for literature searching based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

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

Patents

Espacenet: The largest patent database by EPO collecting patents from over 100 countries (full-text coverage). Check the online tutorial site and the pocket guide as needed

Also, see Patent Information Guide

Theses and dissertations

Technical standards

Guide to Technical Standards

Data support

Information evaluation

Quality check for journals

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.

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
IEEE Mathematics Guide (17 pages): how mathematical equations should be rendered in a technical article

APA style guides:

Refer to the Engineering Citing+writing guide for more information, such as reference managers, avoiding plagiarism

ENSC 803: Library research guide

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