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Computer Engineering Research Guide

How to find conference proceedings

Conference proceedings and papers are vital resources in CSE. Their publication may be erratic, and may be found in separate, one-time publications, as serials, or as special issues in journals. In some cases, the full text of a proceeding can only be found by contacting the author or society. Occasionally, the papers are never published online but may be cited by authors who attended the meetings. As a result of these variations, locating conference proceedings can be complicated.

Within UC Library Search

In UC Library Search:

  1. Use the main search bar on the library homepage. Enter unique keywords from the conference name as your search.  Leave out common words like “proceedings”, “conference”, “symposium”, or “workshop”. Click "search."

  2. Add limits to your your search selecting "Conference Proceedings" under the Resource Type facet on the left-hand sidebar.
    Examples:
       european circuit theory design
       ieee decision control
       international joint artificial intelligence
       international solid-state sensors actuators

  3. View your search results, looking for the record that matches your conference.

  4. Click into the title of conference to find the library location, the call number, and the availability status. If the conference is available online, you will also find the link to the online version.

Too many results? Try these techniques for narrowing your search:

  • Put your keywords in quotation marks to search as a phrase (e.g., "European circuit theory design").
  • Add terms like conference, symposium, or workshop.
  • Include the conference date and/or conference location in your search.
  • Try using Advanced Search and search as a Title instead of Keywords 

Exception: A few conference proceedings are published within book series and contain volume numbers as part of their citations. Primary examples include the SPIE Proceedings, MRS Symposia Proceedings, ASTM Special Technical Publications (STP), and Water Science and Technology. Each conference within these series is cataloged under its own name.

If you have the specific conference name, simply follow the steps above. If you have the series name and volume number instead, try the following:

Choose "Articles, books, & more" as your search profile, then enter the series name and volume number.

Examples:
   spie 1435
   water science technology 27

Database Collections