BME 185 Technical Writing for Biomolecular Engineers

Database Strategy

The databases on this page have peer reviewed articles, but not everything in the databases are peer reviewed. When in doubt, ask.
Find two or three databases that are best for your topic. More than one database is important.
- For example, Google Scholar and Inspec. One is big and multidisciplinary, the other is smaller and more focused on engineering.

PubMed This link opens in a new window
Peer-reviewed articles on a variety of biomedical topics, including medical research, genetics, bioinformatics, and more. Be sure to use THIS LINK (not the free version).
IEEE Xplore Digital Library This link opens in a new window
Full text access to computer science and engineering articles (from journals and conferences) published by IEEE. Note that "Early Access" articles are peer reviewed. Also includes other types of non-peer reviewed information such as standards, magazines and ebooks. 1872 to present. Good choice for BME students, but only searches this publisher.
ACM Digital Library This link opens in a new window
Contains both peer and non-peer reviewed articles and conference papers published by the ACM (Association for Computing Machinery.) 1947 to present. Good choice for BME students, but only searches this publisher.
INSPEC This link opens in a new window
Search for peer reviewed articles and conference papers on physics, electrical engineering, and computer engineering. Not publisher specific -- covers many publishers. Covers at least 22% BME articles NOT found in Google Scholar. 1969-present.
Google Scholar This link opens in a new window
Database covering many disciplines and sources both peer-reviewed and non-peer reviewed. Includes a patent search by default. Important to identify what type of information you've found (article? thesis? preprint?). Google Scholar works less well than Inspec, ACM DL, or IEEE Xplore for very new or very old papers.
Web of Science This link opens in a new window
Multidisciplinary database of peer-reviewed articles. Can sort by "times cited" and trace both references and cited-by papers. For BME students, use WOS if your topic is multidisciplinary outside engineering.

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.

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?

Connect From Your Computer

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

Use your Cruz ID when prompted
- You can login from the Access guide
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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