Related guides
- StandardsFind standards from a variety of organizations available via the University of Minnesota Libraries in print and online. If you are unable to find a standard you need, contact us! We may be able to get it for you.
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Engineering Librarian
Off-campus access to licensed library resources
There are three ways for current University affiliates to access library journals and databases from off campus.
- Search via the University of Minnesota library website. You will be asked to log in with you UMN Internet ID and password to access licensed resources.
- Login using the U of M Virtual Private Network (VPN) (you will need to download it to your computer)
- Save the Libraries' Proxy Bookmarklet to your browser and select it to reload the page with your U of M credentials
Find articles and technical reports
- AIAA Electronic Library (American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics)Includes journal articles and technical papers (including conference papers) of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Full text is available online for meeting papers from 1996 forward; full text journal coverage for most journals is 2003 forward. We also have access to the IAS/ARS eJournal Archive which includes access to content from 1930-1962.
- Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC)An extensive collection of controlled-unclassified Department of Defense technical reports and research projects.
- NASA Technical Reports ServerProvides citations with PDFs mostly to technical reports relating to aerospace research. Covers NASA documents published since 1962.
- ScopusSearch for information from scientific journals, books and conference proceedings. Covers the fields of science, technology, medicine, social sciences, and arts and humanities.
- 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.
- 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.
Find online books
Search MNCAT Discovery for other sources of background information.
- 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.
- Tutorial on using KnovelIf you’re learning about a topic for the first time, and you’re not familiar with the scientific literature about it, Knovel is a great place to start. You can also find data to answer specific questions about a range of materials
Patents: Introductory materials
- Tutorial: Patents and patentabilityIn this tutorial you will learn about the different types of patents, how patents relate to inventions, what makes an idea patentable, and the parts of a patent.
- Tutorial: Patent searchingThis tutorial explains the benefits of using patents in your research and how to search using Google Patents in conjunction with the USPTO Patent Database.
Patents: Search tools
- Derwent Innovations Index (Web of Science)Merges patent information from Derwent World Patents Index with the patent citation information from Derwent Patent Citation Index. Users can conduct patent and citation searches of inventions in chemical, electrical, electronic, and mechanical engineering.
- Patent Inspiration This link opens in a new windowPatent Inspiration is a fast and powerful interactive database that helps with the navigation and exploration of 69 million patents. The database contains full text (claims & descriptions) of the main searched authorities (WO, EP, US, CA,etc) and contains bibliographic data from over 90 countries. Interactive visualizations and text mining are just a few of the analysis tools available.
Current students, faculty, and staff must register and create personal accounts using University of Minnesota e-mail addresses to save reports, export all patents, make use of the briefcase and use the more advanced analyses tools. Please email ermumtc@umn.edu with a subject line "Request for Patent Inspiration personal account" to start the process of account creation.
- United State Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Patent Public SearchThe United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is the federal agency which grants U.S. patents. Their Patent Public Search has both Basic and Advanced Search options.
- The LensAn open global cyber infrastructure to make the innovation system more efficient and fair, more transparent and inclusive. It serves many of the patent documents in the world as open, annotatable digital public goods that are integrated with scholarly and technical literature along with regulatory and business data.
- Canadian Patents Database (CIPO)CIPO's Canadian Patent Database allows you access 150 years of patent descriptions and images.
- Espacenet: European Patent Office SearchSearches through patent documents filed with the European Patent Office, along with 81 other jurisdictions.
- WIPo PatentscopeSearches through international patent applications along with patent documents from a large number of national patent offices.
- Google Patent SearchAllows for full-text searching of patent grants and applications from the United States and several other major jurisdictions.
Standards tutorial
- Tutorial: Standards: what are they and how can I find them?Discover what standards are, why they exist, and identify major publishers of standards. Recognize where and how to get access to them.
Market research
- Mintel Market ResearchMintel reports provide market research on consumer products, services, and lifestyles to identify economic drivers, leading companies, market share, market size, trends, segmentation, and analysis of consumer attitudes and purchasing habits. Includes Mintel Trends to analyze consumer trends by sectors, demographics, themes and regions.
- Mintel Global New Products DatabaseMintel Global New Products Database (GNPD) is a source of new product information. GNPD includes new product launches since 1996, spans 86 countries in all CPG categories, including OTC healthcare and records image, product and package details.
- MarketResearch.com AcademicMarket research reports on service industries, consumer goods,food and beverage, heavy industry, life sciences, technology and media.
- Frost & Sullivan Market Research ReportsUse for business research and to find Frost & Sullivan's market and industry reports for over 300 markets and 250,000 companies for industrial markets organized into categories for Aerospace and Defense, Automotive and Transportation, Chemicals, Materials, Food; Electronics and Security, Energy and Power Systems, Environment and Building Technologies, Healthcare and Medical Devices, Measurement and Instrumentation, Information and Communication Technologies, and Industrial Automation and Process Control.
- EMIS ProfessionalFind company and industry information, reports, statistics, proprietary mergers and acquisitions, credit analytics, benchmark indicators and trend comparisons to help understand emerging markets.
- Market research databasesFind market research reports that provide research on on market size, share, and other emerging market trends along with consumer product intelligence, brand strategies, consumer demographics and surveys.
Industry reports
- IBIS World (Business)Search industry reports for the United States, Canada, China, and global topics. Each report provides an overall current picture of an industry, including overviews, leading companies, sales information, and authoritative sources for researching hundreds of industries. Includes Business Environmental Profiles that summarize key drivers for industries in the U.S.
- EMIS ProfessionalFind company and industry information, reports, statistics, proprietary mergers and acquisitions, credit analytics, benchmark indicators and trend comparisons to help understand emerging markets.
- FitchConnect (formerly BMI Research) This link opens in a new windowUMN affiliates: Please email busref@umn.edu to request an account.
Detailed reports on global industrial and municipal markets, companies and nonprofits, emphasizing emerging markets. Include extensive country risk and credit ratings, macroeconomic and financial analysis, and ESG scores. Find intra-daily alerts on economic, industrial, and political developments, business deals, multinational joint ventures, and regulatory changes. - BizminerFind industry financial analysis benchmarks of business and industry market trends, including market analysis reports at the national and local levels down to the zip code.
- Statista This link opens in a new windowStatista provides statistical data on many topics including media, business, politics, society, technology and education. Sources include market reports, trade publications, scientific journals, and government databases. Data can be accessed by searching or browsing by industry, topic, country, digital market or infographic. The Global Consumer Survey offers a global perspective on consumption and media usage, covering the offline and online world of the consumer. It is designed to help marketers, planners and product managers understand consumer behavior and consumer interactions with brands.
- Industry Information SourcesFind industry overviews and reports that include forecasts, market trends, key players, financial ratios and benchmarks, SWOT analysis, and information on industry conditions.
What is a citation manager?
A citation manager is a software tool used to create personalized databases of citation information and notes. They allow you to:
- import and organize citation information from article indexes and other sources,
- export your citations into Word documents or other types of publications,
- format citations for your papers and bibliographies using APA and many other styles, and
- include your own notes.
Choosing a citation manager
Citation managers
| Feature | Zotero | Mendeley (not recommended) | EndNote 20 | EndNote Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Free | Price options | Free |
| Styles | Many citation styles | Many citation styles | Many citation styles | Fewer citation styles |
| Plug-ins | Microsoft Word, Google Docs | Microsoft Word (not compatible with UMN Office 365) | Microsoft Word | Microsoft Word |
| Access | Desktop/Web | Desktop/Web | Desktop/Web | Web |
| Storage | 300MB free | 2GB free | Unlimited | 2GB free |
| PDF reader | yes | yes | yes | no |
| Editor integration | Word, Google Docs | Word | Word | Word |
| Sharing | Unlimited | Limited | Unlimited | Limited |
| Support | Zotero support | Mendeley support | EndNote 20 support | EndNote Online support |
Last Updated: Jan 10, 2025 4:53 PM
URL: https://libguides.umn.edu/course/AEM/4331