Writing in Engineering
Science & Engineering Librarian
Lederle Graduate Research Center Lowrise
740 North Pleasant Street
Amherst, MA 01003
Science & Engineering Librarian
740 North Pleasant Street
Amherst, MA 01003-93006
Welcome and overview
Welcome to the Writing in Engineering research guide.
You can use this guide as a starting point in your research for writing in engineering. The tabs on the left have more information about the following topics:
- Choosing a topic and creating a search strategy
- Finding books & background Information
- Finding articles and news
- Patents
- Standards
- Technical Reports
For help with your research, please contact your librarian, Anne Graham.
Types of Information in Library Databases
|
Information Type |
Content and uses |
Authority |
Audience |
Example |
Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Books |
Technical information written by experts Learn about a topic, gather background information, historical and/or technical overviews |
Author's and publisher's scholarship and experience which build knowledge | Varies depending on author's intent |  |
|
| Newspaper and Trade Magazine Articles |
News and journalistic reporting on events, industry developments Follow events, industry trends |
Written & edited by journalists and industry experts | General public, scholars, and professionals |  |
|
| Scholarly Journal & Conference Proceedings Articles |
Research conducted by experts in a field Content is advanced & technical Read about primary research written by scholars |
Peer-reviewed, edited by experts | Scholars, researchers, and professionals |  |
|
| Patents |
Legal document disclosing a novel, useful invention Identify new research fronts or learn how something works |
Created by inventors, reviewed by government patent examiners | Innovators and scholars |  |
|
| Standards |
Requirements, specifications, and guidelines to ensure that materials, products, processes, & services are fit for their purpose Learn current "best way to do this" |
Created by teams of experts in professional societies such as ASTM & ASME | Engineers and scholars |  |
Requests to Engineering Librarian |
Store your citations and create a bibliography in many citation styles
Use this UMass Amherst Libraries Guide to managing citation information with two software packages we support: Zotero and Mendeley.
ENGIN 351 Library Workshop
- ENGIN 351 Library Workshop 2023Please contact your librarians Nicholas Dehler and/or Anne Graham, with any questions about finding and working with library information. Our contact information is below our pictures on the left side of this web page.
