CICS 305 Social Issues in Computing
- Hello!
- Get Ready to Research
- Anatomy of a Research Paper
- Lateral Reading
- Search Strategy
- Helpful Databases to Search
- Document Your Research Process
- Frequently Asked!
Indexes to Computing Reseach
- ACM Digital Library This link opens in a new windowIncludes the ACM Guide to Computing Machinery, a bibliographic index of computing literature.Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.
- Google Scholar This link opens in a new windowUse to access many UMass online journal subscriptions.Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.
You can access Google Scholar with UMLinks buttons from outside the UMass Amherst IP range ("off campus") by two methods:
1. Access Google Scholar through the Library web site by using this link.
2. Go to generic Google Scholar.
a. Click on "Settings."
b. Click on Library links.
c. Type in "University of Massachusetts" or "UMass Amherst" (or a few other variations).
d. Check "University of Massachusetts Amherst - UMass Check for Full Text" and Save.
e. You will be asked to authenticate somewhere along the way to full text.
ACM and GS Advanced Searching
Try Your Search in Multiple Databases
Using your concepts and keywords -- try a couple of different databases and resources!
- ACM Digital Library
- Discovery Search (UMass Libraries' catalog)
- Scopus
- Google Scholar (use advanced search to refine your concept combinations)
Look critically at your results: How are they different or similar between platforms? How does the search function of each impact your results?
ACM Digital Library
- ACM Digital Library This link opens in a new windowJournals of the Association for Computing Machinery, its conference proceedings, magazines, technical reports, and more, 1954-present. Includes some works published by affiliated organizations. Covers the fields of computing and information technology.Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password.
Search Tips:
- Basic search default assumes AND between terms; use " " for phrase searching, or an AND relationship will be assumed.
- Advanced search default assumes AND between "Search Within" fields as well as AND within "Search Within" fields.
- Use the "Edit Query" option in advanced search to specify different combinations of terms (AND/OR/NOT).
- Use wildcards for truncation: * will look for multiple unspecified characters; ? will look for a single unspecified character.
Register for a free account to:
- Save your searches
- Create binders
- Share binders
- Create alerts
IEEE Xplore
- IEEE Xplore This link opens in a new windowAll IEEE journals (including Spectrum), standards, transactions, and major conference proceedings since 1988, plus some content since 1952, to present.Available on campus to all, or off-campus to UMass Amherst students, staff and faculty with an UMass Amherst IT NetID (user name) and password. As of May 2022, IEEE no longer supports Internet Explorer, please use another browser for the best experience.
Search Tips:
- There are 4 types of search functions in IEEE Xplore: Global, Advanced, Command, and Citation. Use Global and Advanced for keyword searching.
- Global (default) search assumes AND between terms; use " " for phrase searching, or an AND relationship will be assumed.
- Advance Search can use AND/OR/NOT between and within search fields.
- Use wildcards for truncation: * will look for multiple unspecified characters at the end, beginning, or middle of a word; ? will look for a single unspecified character. Terms must have at least 3 characters to use wildcards.
- Search within results to narrow your results set.
Register for a personal (free) IEEE Xplore Account to:
- Set search preferences
- Save and manage research projects
- Save searches and search history
- Get email or RSS alerts
Choose an Appropriate Database
The Libraries pay for subscriptions to many journals and databases, which gives you access to many resources that are otherwise behind a paywall for folks without access to a major research library. When you start your research with the Library, you are also starting in the right place, which saves you time!
Multidisciplinary and Computer Science-focused databases are excellent sources of articles to support your assignment. Try these databases first.
Multidisciplinary:
- Academic Search Premier
Great starting point! Includes a variety of different resource types across disciplines, including newspapers, trade magazines, popular magazines, and videos, as well as academic peer-reviewed scholarship. Indexes 160 publications in Computer Science. - Web of Science
Index of peer-reviewed articles across disciplines, including 120 publications and proceedings in Computer Science. - Scopus
Index of peer-reviewed literature across disciplines, including book chapters, journals, and conference proceedings in Computer Science.
Computer Science:
- Association for Computing Machinery Digital Library (ACM Digital Library)
★ One of the main venues for current research in Computer Science ★ Includes both the ACM Full Text Collection (all association-published books, peer-reviewed journals, and conference proceedings) and the ACM Guide to Computing Literature. - IEEE Xplore
From the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, with access to publications and conference proceedings in computer science, electrical engineering, and electronics. - Engineering Village
Comprehensive engineering database, includes articles and proceedings in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, and more. - ArXiv
Open access pre-prints in Physics, Math, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering and more. Not peer-reviewed!
For this Social Issues class, if you want to explore different perspectives on a topic in computer science, the following discipline specific databases may be useful:
Business:
- Business Source Complete
Peer-reviewed journals, trade journals, and business magazines, including the Harvard Business Review.
Communication:
- Communication and Mass Media Complete
Communication scholarly journals and trade journals, plus articles on communication topics from related disciplines, 1915-present. - ComAbstracts
Abstracts of articles and books on communication theory, interpersonal communication, mass communication, advertising and marketing, broadcasting, journalism, public opinion, and public relations. Coverage varies - earliest is 1915-present.
Current events:
- Science Daily - Computers & Math Section
★ A great resource to explore if you are still trying to define a research topic! ★ Current events in computer science. Will often point you to the original paper or source of information.
Education:
- ERIC (Education Resource Information Center)
Education journal articles (EJ references) and ERIC documents (ED references), 1967-present.
Environmental Science:
- GreenFile
Scholarly, government, and general-interest articles on climate change, renewable energy, green building, sustainable agriculture, green building, pollution, recycling, education, law, health, and technology. Covers 1973-current.
Legislation and Public Policy:
- Congressional Research Service Reports (CRS Reports)
Search legislative and executive publications. Great if you're looking for policy. - PAIS International
Articles, government documents and reports covering political science, public and social policy, and international relations. - Policy File
Full-text policy papers from think tanks, research institutes, and agencies.
Philosophy and Ethics:
- PhilPapers
Comprehensive index of research in philosophy, including an open access archive. The largest bibliographic index of the field.
Psychology/Public Health:
- PsychINFO
Published by the American Psychological Association (APA), PsycINFO is the largest resource devoted to peer-reviewed journal literature in psychology, behavioral science and mental health - 2,500 journal titles indexed - 2.8 million records - 1887 to present.
Reference (background information):
- AccessScience
★ Highly recommended! ★ - Synthesis Digital Library of Engineering and Computer Science
Peer-reviewed, expert reports on research and development topics in engineering and computer science - Wiley Encyclopedia of Electrical and Electronics Engineering
Wiley reference encyclopedia.
- Last Updated: Apr 9, 2025 12:15 PM
- URL: https://guides.library.umass.edu/cics305
- Print Page