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ECE 579: Intelligent Systems

Searching for Articles Using Research Databases

When looking for technical papers, journal articles, conference proceedings, or magazine articles, the first question is often, "Which database should I use?". Try starting with those listed below. If you are still having problems, go to the library's Computer Science databases page.

Tips for finding articles:

  • Use the right keywords! This can be the hardest part of finding articles. If you can find one article that supports your paper, use the keywords the article is using. Or, find synonyms.
  • Most databases allow you to restrict your search by time period. If, for example, you need information no more than 5 years old, you can restrict your search.
  • ProQuest, for example, contains scholarly journals, magazines, trade publications, newspapers, and theses. You can limit your search to each of these sources by clicking on the different tabs. Databases that are similar to ProQuest (are more general in scope rather than specific to engineering or computer science) include ABI/INFORM, Expanded Academic ASAP, LexisNexis Academic, and Wilson Select Plus. Other databases, such as IEEE Xplore, ScienceDirect, SpringerLink, and Wiley Interscience, are primarily scholarly journal articles.  ACM Digital Library consists of primarily conference proceedings
  • You can browse issues of journal articles.  To browse journals, go to the library's home page and click on "Find a journal". Type in the journal title and you will get a list of dates for which we have coverage as well as a link to that journal.

I found an article. How do I find more?

  • Check the article for keywords. There might be synonyms that will help you find more articles.  Keywords are usually found before or after the abstract.
  • Look through the article's references. You should be able to find citations to older, helpful articles there.
  • Search databases for more articles by the same author(s); the author probably has published many articles in the field.
  • Find articles that cite an article that you found. Scopus and Google Scholar are particularly good for this.
  • If you have a couple of weeks to a couple of months before your project is due, consider signing up for a search alerts or table of contents alerts. Many of the databases have them and you may be able to incorporate the latest research into your project!
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