The purpose of a literature review is to familiarize yourself with existing research on a topic. You will acquire knowledge about your topic, and identify gaps that you can explore with your own research.
The following resources are designed to guide you in conducting a literature review in a structured and strategic way.
Focus on p. 2 for background research, concept mapping, and keyword generation.
Step-by-step guidance on identifying a research topic, conducting background research, concept mapping, identifying keywords, and articulating a research question. A fillable / printable PDF.
Step-by-step guidance on critically reading sources, identifying claims and supporting evidence, and synthesizing information from source materials to support your own analysis. A fillable / printable PDF.
Compendex is the most comprehensive interdisciplinary engineering database in the world with over 9 million records referencing 5,000 engineering journals and conference materials dating from 1884.
NTRL is the preeminent resource for accessing the latest US government sponsored research, and worldwide scientific, technical, and engineering information.
Society of Automotive Engineers' articles, ground vehicle standards, and aerospace standards.
Full-text of all Society of Automotive Engineers technical papers from 1906 - present, journal articles from 1998 - present, Aerospace Standards from 1942-present, and Ground Vehicle Standards from 1952-present.
American Society of Mechanical Engineers research and standards. Includes a topic collection for Automotive Systems.
ASME Digital Collection (mechanical engineering) contains full-text access to the American Society of Mechanical Engineer’s online journals since 1960 and conference papers since 2002.
American Society of Civil Engineers. Includes access to Journal of Highway and Transportation Research and Development, Journal of Transportation Engineering, Part B: Pavements, and more.
ASCE Library (civil engineering) Contains the full text of online journals since 1983, conference proceedings since 1996, eBooks from 1996-2015, and current standards as of 2015 published by the American Society of Civil Engineers.
ASTM (American Society of Testing Materials) and AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials) standards.
Provides full-text access to all current ASTM (American Society of Testing Materials) and AASHTO (American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials) standards. Content on the ASTM Compass platform to which we do NOT have access: ASTM Videos, AATCC, API, AWS and AWWA.
Special Access Notes: ASTM requires Chrome, Edge, or Firefox for remote access.
Medical literature for searching on biomechanics, injury prevention, and ergonomics.
PubMed is a web interface that allows you to search MEDLINE, the National Library of Medicine's premier database of citations and abstracts for biomedical research articles. The core subject is medicine, but subject coverage also includes bioethics, biology, chemistry, dentistry, environmental health, genetics, gerontology, health care planning and administration, history of medicine, hospital administration, microbiology, nutrition, nursing (International Nursing Index), physiology, pre-clinical sciences, public health, sports medicine, veterinary medicine and zoology. MEDLINE covers over 4,800 journals published in the United States and 70 other countries. The database contains over 15 million citations dating back to 1950. Coverage is worldwide and updated weekly. Learn more about PubMed at: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/factsheets/pubmed.html. or Try the Tutorial at: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/pubmed_tutorial/m1001.html
American Society of Mechanical Engineers research and standards. Includes a topic collection for Biomechanical Engineering.
ASME Digital Collection (mechanical engineering) contains full-text access to the American Society of Mechanical Engineer’s online journals since 1960 and conference papers since 2002.
American Society of Mechanical Engineers research and standards. Includes a topic collection for Robotics & Mechatronics.
ASME Digital Collection (mechanical engineering) contains full-text access to the American Society of Mechanical Engineer’s online journals since 1960 and conference papers since 2002.
American Society of Mechanical Engineers research and standards. Includes a topic collection for Manufacturing & Processing.
ASME Digital Collection (mechanical engineering) contains full-text access to the American Society of Mechanical Engineer’s online journals since 1960 and conference papers since 2002.