SEE 410: 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 help you with your SEE 410 capstone project. You can also refer to the research guides for Engineering for general information. 

Background sources

Reference

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. Here are some online reference book collections that might include background information on your topic:

Books

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. 

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

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
  • ASME Digital Collections: Covers the journals from the ASME (American Society of Mechanical Engineers) in mechanical engineering and related engineering fields, such as energy resources
  • 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.

Patents

Also, see Patent Information Guide

Theses and dissertations 

Standards

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. 

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

  • R - 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?
  • A - 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?
  • D - 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?
  • A - 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?
  • R - 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.

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

SIFT

  • S - Stop: Before you read or share an article or video, STOP and consider: What you already know about the topic. What you know about the source. Do you know its reputation?
  • I - Investigate the Source: What can you find about the author or creator? What is their mission? Would their assessment be biased? Do they have authority in the area? You may conduct lateral reading or use the hovering technique. 
  • F - Find Better Coverage: What coverage is available on the topic?
  • T - Trace Claims, Quotes, and Media to their Original Context:  Is information being taken out of context?​ Does the extracted information support the original claims in the research?

M. Caulfield,  “SIFT (The Four Moves),”the June, 2019. [Online]. Available: https://hapgood.us/2019/06/19/sift-the-four-moves. [Accessed May 20, 2024].

Entrepreneurship

Citing sources

IEEE style guides:

Refer to the Engineering Citing+writing guide for more information

Owned by: Shiyi Xie
Last revised: 2025-01-16