This document provides guidance on conducting a literature review for an engineering project. It outlines the research process, including defining the topic, gathering background information from sources like textbooks and experts, and evaluating sources for relevance, reliability, and whether they are up-to-date. The document recommends databases and subject guides for finding scholarly articles and standards. It also provides instruction on citing sources using EndNote or alternative tools and requesting materials through interlibrary loan.

1. How not to reinvent the wheel
or Literature Searching for ENCH400
2010

2. Our assignment is…
 Research project
 Literature review
 Presentation
 Reading past research – journals etc, company
reports, wikipedia, textbooks
 Citing sources – APA style
 Design project
 All of the above and
 Make decisions based on research

3. We need to know…
 More information sources
 How to read quickly – and find the good parts
 Which ones to read and which not to
 How to work out what’s reliable
 How to check what’s up-to-date
 How to get journals without paying online

4. The Research Process
Define your topic
Gather background information
What information do you need?
Who would have written about it? Where?
Find information
Judge it – is it relevant? reliable?
– does it point in new directions?
– is it enough? or do you still need more?
Write up your results
Cite all sources!

5. Background
 Wikipedia
 Textbooks
 People – lecturers, PhDs
 Encyclopedias
 Ullmann’s and Kirk-Othmer (linked from subject
guide)
 ChemSpider.com
 lots of chemical data
 search by name or structure

6. More questions
How do the
varieties differ?
Is any resistance
forming?
What is the biological
mechanism at work?
Are there any health
effects on humans?

7. Where next?
 Journals
 Conference papers
 Previous research reports – theses
 Standards
 Patents
 Check subject guide to find these

8. Subject guide

9. Evaluating Resources
accurate? relevant?
Is it…
up-to-date? basic/advanced?

10. Citing

11. Using Endnote - 1

12. Using Endnote - 2

13. Using Endnote - 3
My Grand Chemical Engineering Research Project Thing

14. Summary
 Everything you need is at:
Library site -> Subject Guides -> Chem Eng -> How
do I find…
 Endnote – Library site -> Quicklinks -> Endnote wiki
 or Zotero – plugs in to Firefox
 on Linux use BibTex
 Interloans
 can borrow books/articles from other libraries

15. Slides and tips
http://library.canterbury.ac.nz/ench

16. Contact me
 Chat
 Visit
 Phone
 Email See you
around!