Research guides: Systems Design Engineering: Research Databases

Accessing Research

Research Databases:

During your coursework or capstone project, you may require background research to support your design decisions. Research databases are your best source for scholarly literature. They provide a collection of digital materials such as journal articles, theses, and patents that have been catalogued and professionally curated.

Choosing the correct database for your search is important, as they cover a wide variety of topics from psychology, education, clinical medicine, and more.

Remember, Google Scholar is not a research database; it is a web search engine.

Accessing Articles:

Many databases have a GetIt!@Waterloo button beside each abstract.

Get it at Waterloo image identifier

If the Library subscribes to that journal online, this link can be a quick way to connect to the article.

Off campus? Use this link to connect to Library resources:

Key Databases

Top Resources for Biomedical and Systems Design Engineering:

ACM Digital Library
Conference proceedings, books, articles, magazines, newsletters, and multimedia titles relating to computing and information technology.
Coverage: 1947 - present
ACM Digital Library contains bibliographic information on ACM publications since 1947 and includes full-text of documents where available. Works published by affiliated organizations are included on a selected basis.
IEEE Xplore Digital Library
Resources for computer science, electrical engineering, electronics engineering, and mechanical engineering.
Coverage: 1988 - present
IEEE Xplore provides access to journals, annual conference proceedings, and IEEE technical standards.
Scopus
Peer-reviewed literature from scientific journals, books and conference proceedings, covering the fields of science, technology, medicine, social sciences, and arts and humanities.
Coverage: 1966 - present
Web of Science
Articles and citations in the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities.
Coverage: Varies
Web of Science is comprised of several databases. The Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI) covers journals in the medical, physical and natural sciences, and engineering fields. The entire database extends back to 1899. The Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) covers journals in the social sciences. The entire database extends back to 1898. The Arts & Humanities Citation Index (AHCI) covers journals in the arts and humanities. It also selectively covers relevant items from science and technical journals. The entire database extends back to 1975.

General Resources:

Knovel
Provides data and technical references.
Coverage: n.a.
Materials Science & Engineering Database
Information on materials science, metallurgy, ceramics, polymers, and composites.
Coverage: 1966 - present
Materials Science & Engineering Database includes the following databases: Aluminium Industry Abstracts, Ceramic Abstracts, Copper Data Center Database, Corrosion Abstracts, Engineered Materials Abstracts, Materials Business File, and METADEX. It provides content on everything from raw materials and refining through processing, welding and fabrication to end uses, corrosion, performance and recycling.
SciFinder-n
Provides chemical information including physical and chemical properties, reactions, and patents.
Coverage: 1907 to present
Note: Access is restricted to current faculty, students and staff of the University. Account registration must be done using your Waterloo email address.
SpringerLink - eBooks
Ebooks, and book chapters from physical sciences, engineering, life sciences, health sciences, social sciences, humanities, business, and education.
Coverage: To current
SpringerMaterials
Covers multiple material classes, property types, and applications for identifying material properties.
Coverage: Current
The collections included in SpringerMaterials are: Landolt-Bornstein, Inorganic Solid Phases, MSI Eureka, Polymer Thermodynamics, Substance Profile, Thermophysical Properties.

Health and Biomedical Resources:

CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature)
Provides comprehensive coverage of the literature related to public health and allied health disciplines.
Coverage: 1981 - present
Offers complete coverage of English language nursing journals and publications from the National League for Nursing and the American Nurses' Association, this database covers nursing, biomedicine, health sciences librarianship, alternative complementary medicine, consumer health and 17 allied health disciplines. In addition, CINAHL offers access to health care books, nursing dissertations, selected conference proceedings, standards of practice, educational software, audiovisuals and book chapters.
EMBASE (OVID)
Indexes international biomedical and pharmaceutical journals.
Coverage: 1974 - present
EMBASE indexes international journals in the following fields: drug research, pharmacology, pharmaceutics, toxicology, clinical and experimental human medicine, health policy and management, public health, occupational health, environmental health, drug dependence and abuse, psychiatry, forensic medicine, and biomedical engineering/instrumentation. There is selective coverage for nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, psychology, and alternative medicine.

Note: Access A limited number of users may access this database simultaneously; if you are unable to connect, please try later.
Merck Index Online
Encyclopedia of chemicals, drugs and biologicals
PubMed
Articles in medicine, life sciences, animal sciences, plant sciences, biomedical research, medical devices, nursing, biotechnology, the healthcare system, and the preclinical sciences.
Coverage: 1950 - present
PubMed is comprised of citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include links to full-text content from PubMed Central and publisher websites.

News Sources and Business Reports:

ABI/INFORM
Articles on business and management from U.S. and international journals and trade magazines, including company histories, competitive intelligence, and product development.
Coverage: 1971 - present
Includes scholarly journals, trade magazines, working papers, market research, and company profiles.
Factiva
News, business magazines, trade journals, newsletters, and television and radio transcripts.
Coverage: 1970s - present. Varies by publication
Factiva forbids storing or using search results in research applications such as data mining or trend analysis.
Note: If you are at a public workstation you will be asked for your WatIAM (Quest) User ID and Password.
Frost & Sullivan
Provides market research and analysis.
Coverage: varies
Note: Users can view, but not download documents online. If you require PDFs, send your request to the Engineering Reference Team
IBISWorld
Provides market research reports for Canadian and US industries.
Coverage: current
Nexis Uni
News, legal, and business sources from around the world, Find news, legislation, case law, statutes, company profiles, market & industry reports.
Coverage: 1970s - present
Note: If you are at a public workstation you will be asked for your WatIAM (Quest) User ID and Password.
Statista
Provides over 1 million statistics, data, and facts from over 600 industries and 50+ countries.
Coverage:Varies

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