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This guide covers search tools for introductory research in topics related to Mechanical Engineering. It is aimed at undegraduate researchers.
Getting Started
Off-campus access to library resources
Current University students, staff and faculty should be able to get full text and online access to the University Libraries from anywhere. Here are three ways to access the library full text from off campus.
- Search the University of Minnesota library website. Log in with your UMN Internet ID and password to access resources.
- Log in using the U of M Virtual Private Network (VPN). You will need to download it VPN software to your computer from campus OIT (Office of Information Technology).
- Install the Libraries' Proxy Bookmarklet to your browser and click it to reload the page with your U of M login to get access to full text. Watch a proxy bookmarklet video (3 min) to learn more.
View examples and learn more on our How to get to full text from on and off campus Guide.
Creating a search query
For most databases and even Google you can combine search terms to write a search query that databases understand. A good search query will give you a good selection of highly relevant results. Below are a few examples of how to build a search string using climate change as a topic:
- Use quotation marks to search words as a phrase, e.g., "climate change"
- Use an asterisk with a word stem to search for variations on a term, e.g., sustain* for sustain, sustainability, sustaining
- Use the word AND to link together concepts, e.g., "climate change" AND sustain*
- Use the word OR to search for synonyms, e.g., "climate change" OR "global warming"
- Use parentheses to group terms, e.g., "climate change" AND (policy OR law
Remember that searching is an iterative process—as you search and learn more about a topic, you will be able to refine your strategy.
Start with:
- KnovelOnline access to books, databases, and conference proceedings from a number of publishers that cover all areas of engineering and includes content relevant to related sciences (e.g., chemistry and earth sciences). It includes interactive graphs and tables.
- Web of ScienceWeb of Science indexes a curated collection of 32,800 journals, plus books, proceedings, patents, and data sets. Use cited reference search to track prior research and monitor current developments in over 100 year's worth of content that is fully indexed, including 59 million records and backfiles dating back to 1898. Web of Science also provides access to the Derwent database of patent citation information.
Then try any of the following:
- ScopusSearch for information from scientific journals, books and conference proceedings. Covers the fields of science, technology, medicine, social sciences, and arts and humanities.
- American Society for Mechanical Engineers (ASME)Search ASME journals from 1959 - present, conference proceedings from 2000 - present plus select proceedings back to 1955, and ebooks from 1993 - present with select titles back to 1944.
- SAE MobilusThe SAE Mobilus platform provides access for the University Libraries subscriptions to the SAE Journals and the SAE Technical Papers from 1998 to present. The Technical papers portion of SAE Mobilus references thousands of SAE Technical Papers covering the latest advances and research in all areas of mobility engineering including ground vehicle, aerospace, off-highway, and manufacturing technology. SAE was previously known as the Society of Automotive Engineers.
Also check out:
- ASTM Standards and Engineering Digital LibraryProduced by the American Society for Testing and Materials, this resource provides instant access to the current digital edition of the Annual Book of ASTM Standards.
- American Society for Mechanical Engineers (ASME)Search ASME journals from 1959 - present, conference proceedings from 2000 - present plus select proceedings back to 1955, and ebooks from 1993 - present with select titles back to 1944.
Getting Started
Off-campus access to library resources
Current University students, staff and faculty should be able to get full text and online access to the University Libraries from anywhere. Here are three ways to access the library full text from off campus.
- Search the University of Minnesota library website. Log in with your UMN Internet ID and password to access resources.
- Log in using the U of M Virtual Private Network (VPN). You will need to download it VPN software to your computer from campus OIT (Office of Information Technology).
- Install the Libraries' Proxy Bookmarklet to your browser and click it to reload the page with your U of M login to get access to full text. Watch a proxy bookmarklet video (3 min) to learn more.
View examples and learn more on our How to get to full text from on and off campus Guide.
Creating a search query
For most databases and even Google you can combine search terms to write a search query that databases understand. A good search query will give you a good selection of highly relevant results. Below are a few examples of how to build a search string using climate change as a topic:
- Use quotation marks to search words as a phrase, e.g., "climate change"
- Use an asterisk with a word stem to search for variations on a term, e.g., sustain* for sustain, sustainability, sustaining
- Use the word AND to link together concepts, e.g., "climate change" AND sustain*
- Use the word OR to search for synonyms, e.g., "climate change" OR "global warming"
- Use parentheses to group terms, e.g., "climate change" AND (policy OR law
Remember that searching is an iterative process—as you search and learn more about a topic, you will be able to refine your strategy.
Start with:
- Business Source PremierFind business articles from journals and magazines in marketing, management, information technology, operations, human resources, accounting, finance and economics dating back to 1965.
Then try any of the following:
- Web of ScienceA comprehensive interdisciplinary collection of journal article citations. Subjects generally covered are within science and technology, arts and humanities, and social sciences. View this tutorial to learn how to go from a general idea to a very precise set of results of journal articles and scholarly materials.
- ScopusSearch for information from scientific journals, books and conference proceedings. Covers the fields of science, technology, medicine, social sciences, and arts and humanities.
- Google Scholar (Setup connection to get to PDFs)Use Google Scholar to find articles from academic publishers, professional societies, research institutes, and scholarly repositories from colleges and universities. If you are using from off-campus access, change the "Library Settings" to University of Minnesota Twin Cities. Look for the "FindIt@U of M Twin Cities" links in your Google Scholar search results to access full text and PDFs. View this tutorial to learn how to go from a general idea to a very precise set of results of journal articles and scholarly materials.
Also check out:
- INFORMS: Institute for Operations Research and Management ScienceThe Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) is an international society for practitioners in the fields of operations research, management science, and analytics. INFORMS publishes 16 highly-regarded, scholarly peer-reviewed journals.
- Sage Research MethodsSAGE Research Methods is a tool designed to help scholars of all levels create research projects in their specific discipline and understand the methods behind them.
Operations Research and Management Science by ISBN: 9780470400630Publication Date: 2011-02-15Overviews of theories and applications of operations research and management science. Topics include optimization, data mining, decision analysis, linear programming, financial applications, game theory, heuristics, industrial applications, health care, qualitative analysis, queueing theory, reliability, retail and service applications, risk analysis, simulation modeling, stochastic processes, supply chain management, transportation and warehousing systems.
Handbook of Global Supply Chain Management by ISBN: 1412918057Publication Date: 2006-09-14This state-of-the-art Handbook provides a comprehensive understanding and assessment of the field of global supply chain management (GSCM). Editors John T. Mentzer, Matthew B. Myers, and Theodore P. Stank bring together a distinguished group of contributors to describe and critically examine the key perspectives guiding GSCM, taking stock of what we know (and do not know) about them. Key Features: Identifies emerging developments and delineates their significance to the practice of GSCM Examines many methods and perspectives on GSCM that have emerged from logistics, operations, marketing, management, economics, sociology, personnel, information systems, and international relations Employs top flight international contributors from both academia and practice who share their unique perspectives and insights within the broad parameters of this volume Intended Audience: The Handbook is a valuable resource for graduate students, researchers, and parishioners alike, bringing clarity and comprehensive insight to the phenomenon of global supply chains and to their management.
Books on ethics
Weapons of math destruction : how big data increases inequality and threatens democracy by ISBN: 0553418823We live in the age of the algorithm. Increasingly, the decisions that affect our lives—where we go to school, whether we can get a job or a loan, how much we pay for health insurance—are being made not by humans, but by machines. In theory, this should lead to greater fairness: Everyone is judged according to the same rules. But as mathematician and data scientist Cathy O'Neil reveals, the mathematical models being used today are unregulated and uncontestable, even when they're wrong. Most troubling, they reinforce discrimination—propping up the lucky, punishing the downtrodden, and undermining our democracy in the process. Welcome to the dark side of Big Data.
Algorithms of Oppression by ISBN: 9781479837243Publication Date: 2018-02-20A revealing look at how negative biases against women of color are embedded in search engine results and algorithms Run a Google search for "black girls"--what will you find? "Big Booty" and other sexually explicit terms are likely to come up as top search terms. But, if you type in "white girls," the results are radically different. The suggested porn sites and un-moderated discussions about "why black women are so sassy" or "why black women are so angry" presents a disturbing portrait of black womanhood in modern society. In Algorithms of Oppression, Safiya Umoja Noble challenges the idea that search engines like Google offer an equal playing field for all forms of ideas, identities, and activities. Data discrimination is a real social problem; Noble argues that the combination of private interests in promoting certain sites, along with the monopoly status of a relatively small number of Internet search engines, leads to a biased set of search algorithms that privilege whiteness and discriminate against people of color, specifically women of color. Through an analysis of textual and media searches as well as extensive research on paid online advertising, Noble exposes a culture of racism and sexism in the way discoverability is created online. As search engines and their related companies grow in importance--operating as a source for email, a major vehicle for primary and secondary school learning, and beyond--understanding and reversing these disquieting trends and discriminatory practices is of utmost importance. An original, surprising and, at times, disturbing account of bias on the internet, Algorithms of Oppression contributes to our understanding of how racism is created, maintained, and disseminated in the 21st century.
Race after Technology by ISBN: 9781509526437Publication Date: 2019-07-09From everyday apps to complex algorithms, Ruha Benjamin cuts through tech-industry hype to understand how emerging technologies can reinforce White supremacy and deepen social inequity. Benjamin argues that automation, far from being a sinister story of racist programmers scheming on the dark web, has the potential to hide, speed up, and deepen discrimination while appearing neutral and even benevolent when compared to the racism of a previous era. Presenting the concept of the "New Jim Code," she shows how a range of discriminatory designs encode inequity by explicitly amplifying racial hierarchies; by ignoring but thereby replicating social divisions; or by aiming to fix racial bias but ultimately doing quite the opposite. Moreover, she makes a compelling case for race itself as a kind of technology, designed to stratify and sanctify social injustice in the architecture of everyday life. This illuminating guide provides conceptual tools for decoding tech promises with sociologically informed skepticism. In doing so, it challenges us to question not only the technologies we are sold but also the ones we ourselves manufacture. Visit the book's free Discussion Guide here.
AI Ethics by ISBN: 9780262538190Publication Date: 2020-04-07An accessible synthesis of ethical issues raised by artificial intelligence that moves beyond hype and nightmare scenarios to address concrete questions.Artificial intelligence powers Google's search engine, enables Facebook to target advertising, and allows Alexa and Siri to do their jobs. AI is also behind self-driving cars, predictive policing, and autonomous weapons that can kill without human intervention. These and other AI applications raise complex ethical issues that are the subject of ongoing debate. This volume in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series offers an accessible synthesis of these issues. Written by a philosopher of technology, AI Ethics goes beyond the usual hype and nightmare scenarios to address concrete questions. Mark Coeckelbergh describes influential AI narratives, ranging from Frankenstein's monster to transhumanism and the technological singularity. He surveys relevant philosophical discussions- questions about the fundamental differences between humans and machines and debates over the moral status of AI. He explains the technology of AI, describing different approaches and focusing on machine learning and data science. He offers an overview of important ethical issues, including privacy concerns, responsibility and the delegation of decision making, transparency, and bias as it arises at all stages of data science processes. He also considers the future of work in an AI economy. Finally, he analyzes a range of policy proposals and discusses challenges for policymakers. He argues for ethical practices that embed values in design, translate democratic values into practices and include a vision of the good life and the good society.
AI Ethics by ISBN: 9780262357067Publication Date: 2020-03-13An accessible synthesis of ethical issues raised by artificial intelligence that moves beyond hype and nightmare scenarios to address concrete questions. Artificial intelligence powers Google's search engine, enables Facebook to target advertising, and allows Alexa and Siri to do their jobs. AI is also behind self-driving cars, predictive policing, and autonomous weapons that can kill without human intervention. These and other AI applications raise complex ethical issues that are the subject of ongoing debate. This volume in the MIT Press Essential Knowledge series offers an accessible synthesis of these issues. Written by a philosopher of technology, AI Ethics goes beyond the usual hype and nightmare scenarios to address concrete questions. Mark Coeckelbergh describes influential AI narratives, ranging from Frankenstein's monster to transhumanism and the technological singularity. He surveys relevant philosophical discussions: questions about the fundamental differences between humans and machines and debates over the moral status of AI. He explains the technology of AI, describing different approaches and focusing on machine learning and data science. He offers an overview of important ethical issues, including privacy concerns, responsibility and the delegation of decision making, transparency, and bias as it arises at all stages of data science processes. He also considers the future of work in an AI economy. Finally, he analyzes a range of policy proposals and discusses challenges for policymakers. He argues for ethical practices that embed values in design, translate democratic values into practices and include a vision of the good life and the good society.
Last Updated: Aug 15, 2023 9:17 AM
URL: https://libguides.umn.edu/mecheng