Holt Library: Civil Engineering Technology: How to Find Articles

Suggested Databases

Agricultural & Environmental Science This link opens in a new window
Articles plus searchable charts, figures, graphs, maps, photographs and tables representing all major environment topics, including outdoor recreation and planning.
Computer Science Database This link opens in a new window
Scholarly journals, trade publications, and consumer titles covering topics such as artificial intelligence, automation, gaming, graphics, networking, security, database management, systems administration, information science and hardware.
CQ Researcher This link opens in a new window
Reports on issues shaping our world, with in-depth coverage of political and social issues, such as health, education, the environment, technology, and the U.S. economy.
Engineering Database This link opens in a new window
Provides engineering discipline coverage spanning thousands of publications, many in full text in topics like automotive design and engineering, construction materials, civil engineering structural engineering and more.
Materials Science Databases This link opens in a new window
This database provides discipline-specific coverage spanning thousands of publications in subjects like aerospace and aircraft engineering, automotive engineering, civil engineering, mechanical engineering, nano-engineering and robots and automation.
Occupational Outlook Handbook This link opens in a new window
Profiles for hundreds of occupations including sections like What They Do, Work Environment, How to Become One, Pay, and more. Each profile also includes Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projections for the 2010-20 decade.
ProQuest Central This link opens in a new window
General reference database for over 175 subjects from magazines, journals and newspapers, including peer-reviewed and scholarly works.
Science Database This link opens in a new window
Applied and general science articles covering topics such as global warming, alternative energy sources, robotic engineering, genetically modified food, and more.
Wiley Online Library This link opens in a new window
Access to about 1500 journals from a broad multidisciplinary collection of online articles covering life, health and physical sciences, social science, and the humanities. If there is no "unlocked" icon visible on an article, the article/book chapter is not included in our subscription. Contact a Librarian for additional options.

NC LIVE
Search 89 databases at once for articles, e-books, videos, and more!

Peer review explained in 3 minutes

NCSU Libraries: Peer Review in 3 Minutes
How do articles get peer reviewed? What role does peer review play in scholarly research and publication?

Research databases

Research Database, or Google?

Research databases are more focused than what you can find with an Internet search engine, and include the full text of many magazines, journals, and newspapers that are otherwise only available through paid subscriptions.
Google searches result in popular sources that are not necessarily peer-reviewed or scholarly (ie., not always suitable as a source for research).

What does "peer reviewed" mean?

A peer-reviewed journal is one that uses a system of reviewers who are the professional equals of the principal author of an article or book. Many academic journals utilize the peer review process. Several databases carry peer-reviewed journals and allow you to limit your search to peer-reviewed titles.

"Scholarly":

Scholarly sources are written by subject experts for an audience of experts. They are not always peer-reviewed, but they are considered more credible than sources written by non-experts.

Databases provide:

citations
easy ways to save, print, or email items and links
test practice, learning opportunities, and study techniques
hints on items for further study or related topics