Every year thousands of articles and papers are published in journals and conference proceedings. To find information in these articles and papers you need to use an Index. Luckily there is an index on almost every topic imaginable from architecture to zoology.
The following information may give you some insight into how to select an index that covers your topic.
What is an index anyway? -- [back to top]
The job of an index is to bring together references to scattered information. While books and individual journal issues generally have indexes, the kind of most interest to engineering students is a periodical index. A periodical index brings together in one place information (subject, author, title, keywords) found in many journals and conferences. Periodical indexes are produced by companies who hire people called indexers--good periodical indexes do not rely on machine indexing. These human indexers read each abstract and title as well as scan articles looking for relevant terms to add to the index. They will also add synonyms even if the text does not include them. Indexers also categorized each article and paper with subject headings. These subject headings place the articles in a larger framework. For example the subject fluid mechanics may be further categorized by words such as physics, hydrology, rheology and etc.Periodical indexes cost money--often upwards of $100k a year.
How do I select an index -- [back to top]
First think about:
Next select and index that covers this topic--you may need to use more than one. For example construction management has:
Select indexes that cover what you need.
What are the most important indexes in Engineering ? -- [back to top]
EI Compendex (Engineering Index) and INSPEC are the major indexes in engineering. They both provide excellent coverage of conference and journal papers from the major U.S. and European engineering, physics, and computer science societies, as well as journals from the major journal publishers.
While there is a fair amount of duplication it is not 100%. INSPEC provides more coverage of physics, computer science, and communications. Try your topic in both indexes and see which one provides better results.
Remember that neither cover theses, patents, government reports, standards, or books.
What specialty engineering indexes exist? -- [back to top]
You may find that neither EI nor INSPEC meets your needs. There are other large specialized indexes that cover primarily scholarly articles and conference papers--the most important to engineering are: Aerospace & High Technology Database, ChemAbstracts, Dissertation Abstracts, MedLine, and Science Citation Index.
Go To: Top 25 Indexes and Databases with Engineering Information for a more detailed list of indexes available.
What if my topic is interdisciplinary? -- [back to top]
Examine your topic. Depending on what you are looking for you may want to try one of these other indexes:
Where do I find these indexes? -- [back to top]
Those we pay for, go to: http://www.lib.utexas.edu, select Databases and Indexes to Articles and then select your index from the title list. Remember, because the library pays for these you must have a valid UT-Austin EID to use them remotely.
For more information on how to find U.S. government funded technical information see our guide to Locating Technical Reports
Why can't I just use a search engine? -- [back to top]
Search engines do not retrieve full-text articles in published journals or conference proceedings that require a paid subscription for access.
When should I use a search engine? -- [back to top]
Always try a search engine search even if you think that what you need will be found in an article. You might find a picture or something else you can use.
Search engines are particularly good at finding information on the web pages of companies, universities, and individuals. They are also a good places to find information that is for sale--just remember that the university libraries are buying lots of information for use by our students, faculty and staff.
What do I do if I can't find anything on my topic? -- [back to top]
This can be tricky--there can be many reasons why you don't find on your topic. The most common are:
If all else fails--call or email the library and ask for help. We can be very helpful.
