Engineering & Technology: Technical Communications

Finding Magazine & Journal Articles

Academic OneFile (Gale) - Academic OneFile is the premier source for peer-reviewed, full-text articles from the world´s leading journals and reference sources. With extensive coverage of the physical sciences, technology, medicine, social sciences, the arts, theology, literature and other subjects, Academic OneFile is both authoritative and comprehensive. With millions of articles available in both PDF and HTML full-text with no restrictions, researchers are able to find accurate information quickly.

Academic Search Premier (EBSCO) - This multi-disciplinary database provides full text for nearly 4,500 journals, including full text for more than 3,600 peer-reviewed titles. PDF backfiles to 1975 or further are available for well over one hundred journals, and searchable cited references are provided for 1,000 titles. Academic Search Premier is updated on a daily basis.

ACM Portal (ACM Digital Library and Guide to Computing Literature)- Full text of every article ever published by ACM.

ComAbstracts (CIOS) - The ComAbstracts database contains abstracts of articles published in the primary professional literature of the communication(s) field.

Dissertations & Theses (Proquest) - Doctoral dissertations and master´s theses are a vital fund of scholarship for any discipline. The massive body of work available through ProQuest Dissertations & Theses (PQDT) represents the most comprehensive source of academic research in the world.

Ei Compendex (IOP) - The Ei Compendex database is the machine-readable version of the Engineering Index, which provides abstracted information from the world´s significant engineering and technological literature, some 2,600 international journals, conference papers and technical reports. Each year 220,000 new abstracts are added from 175 disciplines and major specialities within engineering. These include: civil, energy, environmental, geological, and biological engineering; electrical, electronics, and control engineering; chemical, mining, metals, and fuel engineering; mechanical, automotive, nuclear, and aerospace engineering; and computers, robotics, and industrial robots.

ERIC (CSA) - The ERIC (Educational Resources Information Center) database is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Education to provide extensive access to educational-related literature. The ERIC database corresponds to two printed journals: Resources in Education (RIE) and Current Index to Journals in Education (CIJE). Both journals provide access to some 14,000 documents and over 20,000 journal articles per year.

Expanded Academic ASAP (Gale) - From arts and the humanities to social sciences, science and technology, this database meets research needs across all academic disciplines. Access scholarly journals, news magazines, and newspapers - many with full text and images!

IEEE Xplore - Search or browse the complete IEEE/IET Electronic Library (IEL) of IEEE and IET journals, transactions, society publications, magazines, and conference papers.  AbstractPlus records and full text is provided for content published since 1988, and for select content published since 1913. 

IEEE Computer Society Digital Library - Provides full online content (current, plus complete archive) for the society's magazines, transactions, and extensive conference proceedings.

IET Journals page - Describes the IET journals, which can be accessed via IEEE Xplore.

Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts (LLBA) - Theoretical and applied linguistics, psycholinguistics, speech therapy.

MLA International Bibliography via InfoTrac (Gale) - Provides citations for articles on language, linguistics, literature, and folklore.

PsycINFO 1872-current (CSA) - PsycINFO provides access to international literature in psychology and related disciplines. Unrivaled in its depth of psychological coverage and respected worldwide for its high quality, the database is enriched with literature from an array of disciplines related to psychology such as psychiatry, education, business, medicine, nursing, pharmacology, law, linguistics, and social work. Nearly all records contain nonevaluative summaries, and all records from 1967 to the present are indexed using the Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms. Practitioners, researchers, and students working in all areas of psychology, the behavioral sciences, and other related disciplines. PsycINFO includes psychological research and its applications; the database is of prime relevance to many industries and research establishments worldwide. The sources include over 1,400 professional journals, chapters, books, reports, theses and dissertations, published internationally. PsycINFO is a department of the American Psychological Association (APA) dedicated to creating products that make it easier for researchers to locate psychological literature relevant to their research topics. PsycINFO staff members locate and summarize psychologically relevant documents from a wide range of disciplines, and disseminate these summaries in forms suited to easy access and retrieval.

Sociological Abstracts (CSA) - CSA Sociological Abstracts abstracts and indexes the international literature in sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. The database provides abstracts of journal articles and citations to book reviews drawn from over 1,700 serials publications, and also provides abstracts of books, book chapters, dissertations, and conference papers. Records added after 1974 contain in-depth and nonevaluative abstracts of journal articles.

Web of Science (ISI) - The ISI Web of Science provides seamless access to the Science Citation Expanded®, Social Sciences Citation Index®, and Arts & Humanities Citation Index™. It enables users to search current and r etrospective multidisciplinary information from approximately 8,500 of the most prestigious, high impact research journals in the world. ISI Web of Science also provides a unique search method, cited reference searching. With it, users can navigate forward, backward, and through the literature, searching all disciplines and time spans to uncover all the information relevant to their research. Users can also navigate to electronic full-text journal articles.

Reference Resources

The Business Style Handbook: an A-to-Z Guide for Writing on the Job with Tips from Communications Experts at the Fortune 500 by Helen Cunningham Call Number: REF HF5718.3 .C86 2002

This handbook includes and alphabetical listing of commonly used words and phrases that may appear in business writing. The text not only defines the terms, but also gives specific direction on how they may be used and abbreviated. The book also includes pointers on sending professional e-mails.

The Business Writer's Companion by Gerald J. Alred Call Number: REF HF5718.3 .B79 2002

The Business Writer's Companion includes information on all aspects of the writing process including style, word usage, grammar and punctuation. A frequently asked questions section is useful for jumping to specific topic areas. Examples of memos, resumes and other business writing samples are included. The text also covers oral communication, as well as the job application process.

The Skill and Art of Business Writing: an Everyday Guide and Reference by Harold E. Meyer Call Number: REF HF5718.3 .M48 2002

The Skill and Art of Buisness Writing covers a wide range of topics concerning how to construct clear sentences and paragraphs. In a special section, frequently misused words are clarified through definition and examples.

Form and Style: Research Papers, Reports, Theses by Carole Slade Call Number: REF LB2369 .C3 2003

This book covers the process of research and writing from selecting a topic to printing a final draft. The "Systems of Documentation" section includes information on the Chicago, MLA and APA formats, along with numerous examples of papers.

Writing the Modern Research Paper by Robert Dees Call Number: REF LB2369 .D44 2003

Writing the Modern Research Paper covers the process of writing a research paper step-by-step. The book includes detailed information on how to use the library for research, and features examples on how to locate journal articles using indexes. A section on evaluating Internet resources is also included. Many examples are given in a section on documentation; styles covered include MLA, APA, and Chicago.

The MLA Handbook for Writers fo Research Papers is a comprehensive style guide and manual for conducting research. Included in this book is a detailed section on research and writing that covers various types of sources and how to evaluate them, along with note taking, outlining, and writing drafts. Other sections cover plagiarism, the mechanics of writing, formatting, and citations.

Professional Organizations

American Society of Business Publication Editors

American Society of Indexers

Association for Computing Machinery - Special Interest Group on Design of Communication (SIGDOC)

Association for Computing Machinery - Special Interest Group for Graphics (SIGGRAPH)

National Writer's Union

Professional Communication Society (IEEE)

Society for Technical Communication

Internet Resources

Other Websites & Writing Labs (Centers)

Purdue On-Line Writing Lab (OWL) - The Purdue On-Line Writing Lab provides detailed information on all aspects of the writing process through various handouts, tutorials, and electronic persentations. Specific topics covered include: Writing Report Abstracts, Research and Documenting Sources, Memo Writing, Proofreading, Editing, and Revising.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Writing Center - The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's Writing Center is well-known for having numerous examples that assist individuals in improving their writing ability. The website features sections on topics such as writing in an active voice, varying sentence structure, and effective transitions.

The University of Toronto, Engineering Communication Centre - The Engineering Communication Centre at the University of Toronto provides interactive tutorials for a variety of documents and reports, as well as information on the documentation of sources. Included in the site is an online handbook with examples of memos, reports and proposals.

IUPUI Writing Center - The IUPUI Writing Center offers more than 40 handouts, written by faculty and undergraduate tutors, covering writing-related topics such as: pre-writing, grammar, documentation (MLA and APA), revision, synthesis, and much more. The website also includes links to other web resources that provide general information on writing.

MIT Online Writing Center - The Massachusetts Institute of Technology has some outstanding writing tutorials that include tips on writing academic papers, creative papers, technical reports, making oral reports and presentations, as well as points for job applications and cover letters. Some materials may only be accessed by students of MIT.

Citation & Writing Guides

Long Island University - This website is particularly useful for learning how to cite all types of sources, including books, journal articles, newspapers, encyclopedias, websites and more. Citation styles covered are APA, MLA, Turabian and Chicago.

APA Style for Electronic References

Chicago Style Guides for Internet and Electronic Sources

Citing Sources (Duke University)