Choosing a topic

When choosing a topic for your research paper, think about the following:

• Unless your instructor assigns a topic, try to select a topic that interests you.
• Make sure your topic is not too broad, or too narrow. You will find too much information when searching for a broad topic; and not enough information when searching for a narrow topic.
• If you already have a general topic, try searching the library's catalog or the library's databases for ideas on how to narrow that topic down.
• Visit the library's Reference Desk and request to view the following book: 10,000 ideas for term papers, projects, reports and speeches: Intriguing, original research topics for every student's need.
• For current events and issues in the news, try searching the library's database: CQ Researcher.
• For debatable or controversial issues, ask one of the librarians about the Opposing Viewpoints Series, the Taking Sides Series, Issues in Focus Series and/or the Current Controversies Series.
• Visit the Social Issues Research Guide. There you will find a list of current social issues to choose from.

Book Collections

Books will provide an excellent starting point for your research in the field of Engineering & Technology. Reference books often give you background information and a general overview on your topic so that you can proceed with greater understanding to a more detailed treatment of your subject in other books and periodicals. Reference books may include specialized dictionaries, encyclopedias, handbooks, almanacs, atlases and/or statistical reports. The librarian at the Reference Desk can help in locating an appropriate source. Listed below are the titles and call numbers of some of the Engineering & Technology books in the library's reference collection. The reference collection is located on the main level of the library. Books with a location of Reference cannot be checked out of the library. The Circulating Collection is on the second floor of the library. Books with a location of Circulating may be checked out.

Library Catalog

The library catalog is used to locate books both at RVCC, as well as from other libraries in the Somerset County Library System. Books will provide in-depth information not found in reference sources.

Quick Tips:

• Start with a Keyword search. Once you find one or two books about your topic, check the book's record to see what Subjects are being used. Once you find the appropriate Subject Heading, repeat your search using those headings. Generally, the results from a Subject search will always be more accurate than the results from a Keyword search.
• If you know the title of the book you are looking for, do a Title search.
• If you are looking for a book with a specific author, do an Author search (last name first).

Suggested Subject Headings for Engineering & Technology:

Click a subject heading below to use it as the search term for a Subject Search in the catalog.

Consult with the reference librarian to find the term best suited to your needs.

Browse the Collection:

Most of the books can be found in the following areas:

• Q -- Science (General)
• QA -- Mathematics
• QA75.5-76.95 -- Computer Science
• T -- Technology (General)
• TA -- Engineering (General) Civil engineering
• TC -- Hyraulic engineering. Ocean engineering
• TD -- Environmental technology. Sanitary engineering
• TE -- Highway engineering. Roads and pavements
• TF -- Railroad engineering and operation
• TG -- Bridge engineering
• TH -- Building construction
• TJ -- Mechanical engineering and machinery
• TK -- Electrical engineering. Electrionics. Nuclear engineering
• TL -- Motor vehicles. Aeronautics. Astronautics
• TN -- Mining engineering. Metallurgy
• TP -- Chemical technology

All of the library's circulating books are located on the upper level of the library.

For additional library catalogs, including libraries in Hunterdon and Middlesex counties, consult the Additional Library Catalogs page. If you find a book in one of these catalogs that the library does not own, request the book using the library's Interlibrary Loan Service.

Research Databases - Finding Articles

The Evelyn S. Field Library has access to thousands of periodicals. (Periodicals can be magazines, scholarly journals, or newspapers.) Some periodicals are in the library's print (or hard copy) collection. However, the majority of periodicals are available in the Research Databases. These databases provide access to articles. This information is generally more current than material found in books.

Search for periodical articles on Engineering & Technology using the databases listed below. They can be accessed from the Library Database Page. (If you are using these databases from an off-campus location, you will be asked to identify yourself by logging in with your Username and Password. This is the same login you use on campus. The Research Databases are available only to registered RVCC students.)

• Access Science
  

  The core of this database is a continually updated online version of the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. It is a good place to start a science research project. The browse function should help if you are having trouble deciding on a topic. It also includes a science dictionary.

• Credo Reference
  

  A full-text online reference service that includes encyclopedias, dictionaries, bilingual dictionaries, quotations, and many other sources of factual information. Use Credo to get background information on a research topic or become familiar with a new subject. Subjects covered include art, business, food and beverage, geography, history, language, law, literature, medicine, music, philosophy, psychology, religion, science, social sciences, and technology.

• ScienceDirect
  

  Our current subscription includes the "Social & Behavioral Sciences" and the "Health & Life Sciences." Be sure to select "group-wide login.

After finding an article on your research topic, the database will either provide a citation and summary of the article, or it will provide the full-text (the complete article). If you are only given a citation and summary of the article, you can check the Periodical Locator to determine if the periodical you are looking for is available in another database. (The Periodical Locator is an alphabetical list of all the journals the library has access to. Feel free to talk with a librarian for assistance.) If the article is not available in any of the library's research databases, request the article using the library's Interlibrary Loan Service.

If, for your assignment, you are required to have sources from scholarly journals, use the Identifying Scholarly Articles guide to help you determine if your source is a magazine article or a scholarly article.

Professional Organizations

• American Association for Artificial Intelligence
  http://www.aaai.org/
• American Chemical Society
  http://www.chemistry.org/
• American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
  http://www.aiaa.org/
• American Institute of Chemical Engineers
  http://www.aiche.org/
• American Society for Engineering Education
  http://www.asee.org/
• American Society of Civil Engineers
  http://www.asce.org/
• American Society of Mechanical Engineers
  http://www.asme.org/
• ASME: Bioengineering Division
  http://www.asce.org/
• Association for Computing Machinery
  http://www.acm.org/
• Association of Consulting Chemists and Chemical Engineers
  http://www.chemconsult.org/
• Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
  http://www.hfes.org/web/
• Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers
  http://www.ieee.org/
• Institute of Industrial Engineers
  http://www.iienet.org/
• Institution of Electrical Engineers
  http://www.iee.org/
• International Organization for Biotechnology and Bioengineering
  http://www.iobbnet.org/
• New Jersey Society of Professional Engineers
  http://www.njspe.org/
• Society of Automotive Engineers
  http://www.sae.org/
• Society of Women Engineers
  http://www.swe.org/
• State Board of Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors
  http://www.state.nj.us/lps/ca/nonmedical/pels.htm
• Women in Computer Science
  http://women.cs.uiuc.edu/

Internet Resources

• American National Standards Institute (ANSI)
  http://www.ansi.org/
• American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM)
  http://www.astm.org/cgi-bin/SoftCart.exe/index.shtml?E+mystore
• Construction Web Links
  http://www.constructionweblinks.com/
• Department of Defense Specifications and Standards
  http://assist.daps.dla.mil/quicksearch/
• GE Industrial Systems Technical Documents
  http://pm.geindustrial.com/faq/FAQ.asp
• Global Electronic Components Datasheet Locator
  http://www.datasheetlocator.com/
• Greatest Engineering Achievements of the Twentieth Century
  http://www.greatachievements.org/
• iCivilEngineer
  http://www.icivilengineer.com/
• Internet Guide to Engineering, Mathematics and Computing
  http://www.eevl.ac.uk/engineering/index.htm
• Inventors
  http://inventors.about.com/
• National Institute for Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering
  http://www.nibib1.nih.gov/
• NSSN: A National Resource for Global Standards
  http://www.nssn.org/
• Online Ethics Center for Engineering and Science
  http://onlineethics.org/
• Yahoo! - Science: Engineering
  http://dir.yahoo.com/Science/engineering/

Additional Help

• Call or visit the Reference Desk to speak to one of the librarians. The Reference Desk is located on the main floor of the library. The phone number is 908-526-1200 x8350.
• Email your question to one of the librarians using the Ask-A-Librarian Service.
• For further information about this guide, please contact Robert Egan

Last Updated - 24 January 2008