CSE 185 Technical Writing for Computer Science and Engineering

Database Strategy

The databases on this page have mostly peer reviewed articles, but not everything in the databases are peer reviewed (notes, book reviews, editorials are examples). When in doubt, ask.
Find two or three databases that are best for your topic. More than one database is important.
- For example, Web of Science and Inspec. One is big and multidisciplinary, the other is smaller and more focused on engineering.

IEEE Xplore Digital Library This link opens in a new window
Will only find information published by IEEE. Full-text access to IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) transactions, journals, magazines and conference proceedings published since 1988 and all current IEEE standards
ACM Digital Library This link opens in a new window
Will only have information published by ACM. Searchable database contains bibliographic information, abstracts, reviews, and the full text for articles published in Association for Computing Machinery periodicals and proceedings since 1947
INSPEC This link opens in a new window
Search for articles and conference papers on physics, electrical engineering, computer engineering, and information technology. Use UCeLinks to find full text.
Web of Science This link opens in a new window
Multidisciplinary database of scholarly articles. Includes "cited by" feature and allows sorting by citation count.
Google Scholar This link opens in a new window
Database covering many disciplines and sources: articles, theses, books, abstracts and court opinions, from academic publishers, professional societies, and online repositories. Use Eduroam (on campus), or the VPN (off-campus) to access full-text of UCSC subscribed content. Set settings > library links to University of California, Santa Cruz - Get It At UC.
UC Library Search This link opens in a new window
This searches across all 10 UC Library collections and beyond. Sign in using your CruzID Gold in order to find: books, e-books, articles, journals, films, maps, and more.

Citation Linker

Already know which article you need? Enter the citation in the Find Items by Citation form to access it.

Searching Tips

Database

How can you SORT your results? Look at the options!

Sort by TIMES CITED to find keystone / foundational papers for your topic.

How can you FILTER? Can you choose just the peer review articles? Or just review articles (easier to read)?

See what keywords are assigned to each search result. Use these to refine your search terms.

Papers

Use the references cited to find more relevant articles.

If you see the same author name over and over, search by that author name.

How do your search terms match the terms in the papers? Are there any changes you should make to your search terms?

Get It at UC

Displays in databases that only describe the sources (these usually only include citations and abstracts). Use it to find links to the full item or request it through interlibrary loan.

Connect From Your Computer

For access to e-books, online journals, databases:

Use your Cruz ID when prompted
- Easiest when starting from a UCSC Library webpage!
Use the Nomad extension for quick links to subscription-based full text.

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The land on which we gather is the unceded territory of the Awaswas-speaking Uypi Tribe. The Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, comprised of the descendants of indigenous people taken to missions Santa Cruz and San Juan Bautista during Spanish colonization of the Central Coast, is today working hard to restore traditional stewardship practices on these lands and heal from historical trauma.

The land acknowledgement used at UC Santa Cruz was developed in partnership with the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band Chairman and the Amah Mutsun Relearning Program at the UCSC Arboretum.

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