1. Introduction

2. Why use the Library?

3. Library Password

4. Boolean Searching

5. Library Catalog
  • How to Find Books
  • How to Find Journals

6. Databases
  • Search for Articles
  • Find Articles

7. Discipline Specific Resources

8. Web Resources

9. How to Get Help

10. Library Exercise

Databases are tools for finding journal articles, reports, standards, and other publications. The Cal Poly Pomona Library subscribes to over 100 databases. For this tutorial we're going to focus on databases for finding articles articles in engineering journals.

The Databases & Article Search page is your starting point for finding journal articles. You'll find links to this page in the banner of most Library webpages.

You have several options for selecting databases.

1. Select ENGINEERING (or another topic) in the drop-down menu under Databases by Subject.
    
2. Use the Database by Title list if you already know the name of the database you want to use.
    
3. The Databases under "Not Sure Where to Start?" cover journals in all academic disciplines. The two databases listed here are useful if you want your search to include popular and general journals and magazines such as Time or Newsweek.

To find articles on Engineering topics however, it's best to start with a database focused on engineering journals. Start with Databases by Subject - Engineering.

The database list includes collections of ejournals from engineering societies and commercial publishers. Encyclopedias and ebook collections are also available.

The two databases listed below cover a wide range of engineering journals. Start with one of these databases to find articles in engineering journals:

Applied Science Full Text
This is the best database for beginning engineering students. It covers several hundred journals encompassing all of engineering and the applied sciences. The database covers professional issues (ethics, salaries, employment, etc.) as well as technical topics.

Compendex
This database covers over 2500 journals, plus conference proceedings, reports, and other types of documents. It's focus is engineering research and it does not cover many articles on professional issues.

Next: Searching for Articles

Back to top