Engr185 Spring 2012
- 1. Locating Information: Strategies and Sources Elizabeth Cheney Science & Engineering Library echeneyl@library.ucla.edu Art of Engineering Endeavors/ Engr. 185 April 13th, 2012
- 2. Introduction Developing an efficient search strategy Locating books Locating journal articles Locating patents Locating pricing information in vendor catalogs
- 3. Side note: Economics of Information n Databases cost an arm and a leg n STEM journals and databases cost fingers and toes n Library pays now, you or your employer will have to pay later
- 4. What do you get? n Databases n Powerful search functionality n Quality controls on content n Indexing to improve searching n Abstracting to improve efficiency n Links to full-text n Journal n Credibility of author n Reputation of journal n Links to articles cited in bibliographies n The articles you cite improve the credibility of your article
- 5. Brainstorming with group Possible products - Similar existing products you can research and build upon, develop new applications for? – Terminology and vocabulary of the industry – Corporate players in the industry – Sense of the market for the product
- 6. Examples Tony Fadell’s Nest Thermostat - inspired by the iPod
- 7. Researchers at UC Berkeley studied African Rainbow lizards in building the “Tailbot”
- 8. Cat ears that respond to brainwaves by Neurowear company
- 9. Beginning your search n Internet - Google search – Gather vocabulary / lingo – Identify companies & key people – Design ideas – Materials ideas – Explore the market / consumers Remember ¾ of the internet is comprised of commercial or entertainment sites
- 10. Other places to begin For some products, an overview article from a newspaper, an encyclopedia, or a trade journal may be useful – Wikipedia – Reference Universe (online encyclopedias) – Business Source Complete (for trade journals) – Lexis-Nexis (for newspaper articles)
- 14. Searching the Internet Google searches a billion webpages The Invisible Web is 500 times bigger
- 15. Searching the Internet Google Proprietary databases; e.g., Travelocity; LA Times; Weather.com; Eddie Bauer Books, journals and databases that cost $$$$$ $$ Content you will only have access to if you pay or the library pays Government websites; e.g.,Patent office; NASA; Bureau of the Census
- 16. What does the library pay for? Books – Most new books are electronic right now UCLA Library Catalog Melvyl
- 22. To request materials from other libraries In Worldcat (and article databases), look for In Melvyl (and databases), look for When not in either of these databases go to the Interlibrary Loan form – Request an item using a UC blank form: – Book Request Form: this form can also be used to request videos, dissertations, scores, etc. – Article Request Form – Book Chapter Request Form It takes 3-10 days, so order items early!
- 23. Eng 185 Lib Guide
- 25. Controlled Vocabulary Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH) Each database has its own controlled vocabulary.
- 26. What is the subject heading for… http://authorities.loc.gov
- 27. Authorized Refs and Notes
- 29. The Library also pays for journals Elsevier Springer Wiley SIAM ACM ASME Taylor and Francis IEEE IET ASCE Sage
- 30. Looking for journal articles Compendex (All engineering disciplines) Inspec (Electrical engineering, computer science, physics, applied physics) IEEE Xplore (mostly EE) Web of Knowledge (Interdisciplinary) PubMed (some bioengineering/biotechnology) Aerospace and High Technology Academic Search Complete (Interdisciplinary)
- 33. What else do you get? Reliable information – articles have been reviewed by the authors’ peers Unbiased information – typically academic journals aren’t trying to sell you anything Detailed, subject-specific information Links to additional information in bibliographies or through database tools
- 37. Choosing a Database Not all databases are created equal Differ by subjects and years covered Different types of resources Multidisciplinary vs. specialized
- 38. Using Databases: Refining Your Search Search for “artificial intelligence” – too many results Search for “robotics” and “problem solving” – too few results
- 39. Using Databases: Basic Search Strategy Start with keyword (natural language) searches Find a relevant article Find the subject terms assigned to that article Search using the controlled vocabulary Use the search refinement features of each database
- 43. Patents Patents - No Cost Searching Web Sites European Patent Office Simple searches on bibliographic data in patent documents. You can download full text images as PDF files - page by page only - but they are free. Patents, U.S. (Google) About Google Patent search (U.S. Patents) Provides simple and advanced searches of U.S. Patents; PDF files USPTO (US Patent and Trademark Office) Database Good site to search for most recent US patents. Searches front page information in US patent starting from 1790. Searches full-text information in US patents issued starting 1976 to the Tuesday prior to today's date (US patents are issued every Tuesday). You can download the full text images as TIFF files - page by page only - but they are free. How to access and view U.S. Patent Full-Page Images Search Note: Patent images are only accessible from the full-text display of each patent. Patent images must be retrieved one page at a time. This is necessary since patents can be as long as 5,000 pages, and the resources required to download such "jumbo" patents are not available. FreepatentsOnline Millions of US patents searchable. One PDF per patent Future plans to add US applications. DEPATISnet information Database contains US (1790+), EP(1978+) and WO (1978+). Database also contains the following country patents: DE-1877+, DD-1946+, AT-1920+, CH-1888+, FR-1920+, GB-1920+, JP-1976+ Patents and Applications are in one site. Link to full text of patent. Website is available in English and German You can download the full text images as PDF files - page by page - but they are free SurfIP US-1790+, WO-97+, EP-97+, CH, CA, Taiwan and Singapore Patents and JP patent abstracts. Registration is required You may also combine the search with Internet Search Engines such as Google or Northern Light and Business Databases like Hoovers. You can download full text images as PDF files - page by page only - but they are free. International Patent Offices Patent Information Users Group (PIUG) US Patent and Trademark Office http://www.scitopia.org
- 48. Vendor catalogs – to price out costs of manufacturing Aldrich Catalog Search Allied Electronics Ben Meadows Company DesignInfo - Searchable Engineering Catalogs on the Net Digi-Key Electronic Components Edmund Scientific Global Spec Grainger catalog McMaster-Carr Supply Company Mouser Electronics Newark Electronics, Catalog Distributor of Electronic Components Rutland Tool & Supply Co., Inc. Sigma Catalog Search Building Materials by McGraw-Hill Sweets Thomas Register of American Manufacturers tile.net/vendors
- 50. Eng 185 Lib Guide
- 51. Need help – Ask a Librarian echeneyl@library.ucla.edu acolby@library.ucla.edu SEL Reference Desk 8270 Boelter Hall 10-12, 1-5, Mon - Fri
Editor's Notes
- #3: Today we’ll be talking about: locating books, locating journal articles, locating patents, l. pricing information in vendor catalogs.
- #24: Can get here bytyping in http://guides.library.ucla.edu/eng185
- #28: Can also find related topics in this way (see also: robotics: military applications).
- #30: So, in addition to books and e-books (which we’ve discussed so far), the library also…. You can search for a journal TITLE (like Nature) through the catalog, but for individual articles, use these databases or publisher websites.
- #32: Here’s one place to start when looking for journal articles: http://www.library.ucla.edu/libraries/sel/...you can also take advantage of the links on the SEL website for good places to look for journal articles/conference papers. Or if you know the name of a good journal, just search for the title.
- #33: So you access these journals through databases or sometimes through websites for the society that publishes the journal. Best accessed through library website. So, what are some of the things you think you get w/ databases that you don’t get with Google?
- #37: Search and Find tab>>>>Locate Article via Citation
- #41: - Can find databases under Search and Find>>>Databases. Can search by name of database, or browse by title or subject of database. - Compendex (again, for all engineering disciplines)…controlled vocab allows you to narrow down search results. Can also play around with the thesaurus button at the top to find the exact term you want.
- #42: Pubmed(bioengineering/biotechnology)…options for finding related articles.
- #43: Same with search results from Web of Knowledge (interdisciplinary) – see options for finding similar items?Also, notice tools at top for citing, e-mailing record to yourself, etc.Even though the interfaces for most databases look a little different, you’ll find that most of them have options like “view related records” and viewing the references if you look around a bit. Again, use UC e-links for tracking down copies of articles once you’ve identified one…Everyone know about the VPN/proxy server for remote access?
- #44: So, now that we’ve discussed finding books and articles, we’ll talk about looking for patents. Here’s a list of useful websites for finding these (same as on Patents tab of libguide). We’ll be taking a look at the U.S. Patent and Trade Office database, just to give you an idea.
- #45: Just like with journal databases, can combine searches for specificity (“beverage container” and “thermal”). Searches everything from 1976 to last week. Less detailed info available for older patents. Can also refine search on results screen.
- #46: Page for individual patent w/ identifying information. Image av. At the top.
- #47: Can scroll down for a more detailed description. Ok, any questions about patents?- For the most recent patents, you can search the Electronic Office Gazette website.
- #48: We also have a libguide devoted to patents – check it out for more information (url on libguide for 185)
- #49: Another important resource: vendor catalogs (also listed on the libguide for this class). Vendor catalogs can help you find out what companies manufacture or supply the components for your invention, the quantities and sizes in which they are sold, and what they will cost. You may also find out how long it takes to supply the component parts.
- #50: For instance: Grainger vendor catalog. Options at left to narrow your search by product category, brand, price, etc. “More info” option provides you with technical specifications like materials used, standards applying to the item, test conditions, etc. Similar options for other vendor catalogs.
- #51: Consult the libguide for a review of what we’ve gone over today, broken down by tab at the top. You can find this Powerpoint under the Home tab.
- #52: Can also use the instant messaging boxes on the libguide or the Ask a Librarian links at the top of the library webpage. Any questions? Thanks!