Welcome to the Engineering Subject Guide
Use this guide to help you make the most of the library and information resources and services.
Library Search will help you discover books, journals, articles, audio visual material and more on your chosen topic. This is a good place to start when you are beginning to research a topic as you can draw on content from a variety of different sources.
For more in depth research in databases and archives, use the A-Z Databases List.
These are the key Engineering collections for Engineering. They contain journal articles, books, conference proceedings and reports.
To explore other databases of relevance to Engineering research, take a look at the Engineering listing in the A-Z Databases list.
Theses are academic sources of information and the result of substantial primary research into specialised topics. They provide very detailed data and analysis, and can provide information that is unavailable elsewhere. Their bibliographies can be a useful source of wider reading on a topic. They are extremely valuable sources of information.
Search for University of Exeter, UK and international theses here: Theses LibGuide.
British Standards Online (BSOL) is the online standards database that makes using standards easier and more cost-effective. You can access a comprehensive library of over internationally recognised standards. It’s available 24/7 and revised every single day so you’ll always be up to date on the latest industry best practice.
You can find out more about Standards in general from the Standards LibGuide.
In addition to British Standards, you can also access a limited range of ASTM, ISO, CEN, CENELEC and IEC standards on BSOL.
Help can be found in the BSOL user guide and other guidance material online via the BSI website.
Find out more about standards in this short video.
This short video shows you how to get started.
Scientific and technical content published by the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) and its publishing partners.
Access to more than five million full-text documents from some of the world's most highly-cited publications in electrical engineering, computer science, and electronics.
The full range of IEEE Xplore training videos can be accessed here
This new video shows how you can use Knovel to design a bike.
For more detailed tutorials and webinars, visit the Knovel LibGuide.
Web of Science is a large bibliographic database. It's content is multidisciplinary and covers all subject areas, not just engineering, so can be useful for investigating subjects that span engineering and related areas.
A bibliographic index to the world’s leading scholarly literature in the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities, supporting comprehensive literature searching. NOTE: not all results will provide the full-text content. Use the "check for this at Exeter" option to find out if the Library provides access to the full text.
Use the Web of Science LibGuide for comprehensive support and training.
Box of Broadcasts (BoB) is an extensive archive of free-to-air TV programmes and radio shows
Your lecturers may have embedded clips in ELE or created playlists for you to watch as part of your course.
Click here to find videos on hoe to use BoB
There is a range of professional literature that can be accessed outside of the library collections. Some publications offer limited open-access content, while others offers full access if you become a student member of the organisation.
Click here to find out how to become a member for free and fully access this publication and others
Click here to become a member. Membership is free to full-time students.
Use the A-Z Database List to access the full list of databases the library subscribes to.
You can browse by subject e.g. Engineering or by type (e.g. maps, news etc.) or search to find your required resources.
Explore research materials available elsewhere
Library Hub Discover - Search the catalogues of over 100 major UK and Irish national, academic and specialist libraries to find books, journals and other materials
WorldCAT - Search the collections of over 10,000 worldwide libraries
The European Library - Access to the collections of the 48 National Libraries of Europe and leading European Research Libraries.
The Library of Congress - Catalogue records of the print and digital resources held in the Library of Congress collections (USA)
LibWeb - Find online library catalogues worldwide
CORE - Search the world's largest collection of open access research papers
It is important to plan your search strategy, and manage your search results so that you get the most from your online searching.
Keep a record of all the material you need to cite in your assignments, papers, projects etc.
Use the Search Techniques and Referencing guidance to assist you.
As you search you need to keep track of all the material you will be using in your academic work so that you can cite and reference it appropriately.
Always check your module handbook for specific departmental guidance on the style required for your assessed works and dissertations. Check with your personal tutor or dissertation supervisor if you need clarification.
For more guidance take a look at:
Linking the University of Exeter Library to Google Scholar
Google Scholar is an online, freely accessible search engine for locating scholarly literature from academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories, universities and other web sites. But not all full text content is free to access.
However, it is possible to link the University of Exeter online library to Google Scholar, making it quick to identify and access library full text content.
Just follow these instructions:
Click on Check for this @ Exeter or Access this @ Exeter options to view full text article:
Find out more here: Making the most of Google Scholar
Sage Research Methods Online (SRMO) is a great resource to use when you are planning and conducting your research.
It is targeted at social science researchers but is useful across all subject areas as it covers key research methodology topics that are applicable across the research spectrum.
Sage have produced a comprehensive LibGuide to help you get the best from the resource.
University of Exeter LibGuide is licensed under CC BY 4.0
