UCL Library Services provides several resources for civil and environmental engineering students and researchers. The Science Library Engineering collection on the 4th floor contains many relevant books and journals that can be accessed through the library catalog. Databases like Compendex and Knovel index journal articles and reference books. The library also subscribes to standards databases and provides guides for citing sources, searching patents, and contacting subject librarians for additional help with research.

1. Library Resources for Civil &
Environmental Engineering
UCL Library Services, Gower St., London WC1E 6BT
 020 7679 2634
E-mail: lib-sciteam@ucl.ac.uk
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Library/
http://delicious.com/LynneMeehan/CEGE
1. LIBRARIES
UCL Library Services is made up of several different sites and collections. The library you will use most
often is the Science Library, particularly the Engineering collection which is located on the 4th floor. You
may also find useful material in the Bartlett Library which houses collections relating to architecture and
town planning and is located on the 5th floor of Wates House at 22 Gordon Street. You will need your UCL
ID card to access all UCL libraries. For further information on the various UCL libraries see
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Library/sites.shtml.
To find relevant books and journals in the Library, search eUCLid, the UCL Library Services catalogue, at
http://library.ucl.ac.uk. The UCL Library Services leaflets “How to find a book” and “How to find printed &
electronic journals & journal articles” will help you with this: both are available to download from
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/library/prints.shtml.
The Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) Library is the largest civil engineering library in the UK and is open
to all members of the Engineering Faculty at UCL. The Library is based at the ICE Headquarters: see
http://www.ice.org.uk/knowledge/index.asp for further information. To find out about accessing other
Libraries, such as Imperial College and the British Library, go to http://www.ucl.ac.uk/library/otherlib.shtml.
Further information: go to http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Library/wise.shtml and click on WISE for Engineering and
the Built Environment.
2. FINDING JOURNAL ARTICLES
Finding references: Compendex
Compendex is an interdisciplinary engineering database referencing engineering journals and conference
materials dating from 1970. Select Compendex from the Library’s databases list:
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Library/database/index.shtml.
Use quick search to start your search. Enter each of your search terms into a separate box.
Some search hints:
• Use * at the end of words to search for all words beginning with the same letters
• Use quotation marks to search for an exact phrase.
• You can link your search terms and phrases using AND, OR & NOT from the drop down menus.
To broaden your search and allow for variant spellings and terms use OR, to narrow your search
use AND, and to eliminate specific terms from your search use NOT.
• Break your searches into smaller sets and recombine using the search history option.
Break complex searches into smaller sets and recombine them using “search history”: this will make your
search easier to handle.

2. Examples:
#1 “water quality” [quotation marks are used so that this specific phrase is sought]
#2 pollut* [using the * means we search for all words beginning with “pollut” so pollution,
pollutant, polluted etc.]
#3 sewer* OR drain* [Giving two examples of similar search terms separated by “OR” will expand your
` search]
For further help with searching see Section 3 of WISE: go to http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Library/wise.shtml and
click on WISE for Engineering and the Built Environment.
Finding journal articles: Compendex
A successful search in Compendex will give you a list of references to relevant papers, with abstracts.
You can find the full text of papers which interest you using SFX.
If you click on the SFX button (in the search results list next to each reference), a new window will open
with links. If UCL Library Services subscribes to the electronic version of the article, you will be given a link
to the full-text from this window; otherwise use the links to locate a print version at UCL or various other
libraries. Visit http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Library/sfx.shtml for more detailed information about SFX.
You can also see if a journal is available electronically at http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Library/ejournal/index.shtml
by browsing the A-Z list of titles and following links. Some journals, especially if you are using a computer
away from UCL, will ask you for your username and password. To access journals and other electronic
material from a non-UCL computer you will need to use your UCL computing username and password. For
further information on accessing our electronic resources see http://www.ucl.ac.uk/library/e-res.shtml.
If the journal you want is not listed on the Library Services’ electronic journals pages, check eUCLid to see
if there is a print copy in the Library. For help you can consult the UCL Library Services leaflet “How to find
printed & electronic journals & journal articles” – or use WISE http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Library/wise.shtml.
3. OTHER ELECTRONIC RESOURCES
A complete list of databases is available at http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Library/database/index.shtml.
Knovel
Knovel is an interactive e-book and database package which gives searchable access to the full text of a
range of text and reference books. It covers all aspects of engineering and applied science. Select Knovel
from the Library’s databases list: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Library/database/index.shtml.
 You can search for terms within all of the titles or browse the available resources by navigating
through the subject areas.
 You can use advanced search to search in for particular properties of materials (for example, hazard-
related properties, material composition and so on.)
For help with Knovel see our online tutorial http://www.informs.intute.ac.uk/informs_perl/jump.pl?345-4814.
Construction Information Service
The Construction Information Service (CIS) is an index of standards, regulatory and advisory documents
for the UK construction industry. It includes full-text images of these documents on topics across the
construction industry, and also offers briefings on news and events, and links to related knowledge
resources. For an interactive tutorial to using the CIS go here:
http://www.informs.intute.ac.uk/informs_perl/jump.pl?345-4742

3. ICONDA
ICONDA is an index of literature on all aspects of planning, building, civil & construction engineering and
architecture. http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Library/database/index.shtml.
Search for e.g. “thermal comfort” AND cool* AND ventilation [cool* finds cool, cools, cooling, cooled etc.]
Construction & Building Abstracts (CBA)
CBA is an index of literature on engineering, building, architecture, planning, materials and energy. http://
www.ucl.ac.uk/Library/database/index.shtml. For instructions see the library’s WISE Moodle module.
RIBA British Architectural Catalogue
The RIBA catalogue is the best place to start searching for information in the fields of architecture and
construction. It contains much more detailed information than you would normally expect in a library
catalogue:
 references to individual articles from more than 300 architectural periodicals held in the RIBA
Library, dating back to the 1970s
 references to 30,000+ books, audiovisual materials and technical reports
 details of 23,000 photographs, drawings, and manuscripts
 details of 13,000+ architects' biographies
Web of Science (Science Citation Index)
The Science Citation Index is part of the ISI Web of Knowledge. It holds 17 million records, covering all
natural, physical and biomedical sciences. To access the Web of Science go to
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Library/database/index.shtml or to use our interactive guide to Web of Science go
here: http://www.informs.intute.ac.uk/informs_perl/jump.pl?345-3773.
4. METALIB – gateway to electronic resources
MetaLib is a gateway to a range of electronic resources relevant to users of UCL Library Services. It can
be used to identify resources relevant to a particular area of research or study, and it can be used to
"cross-search" groups of these resources. For information see http://www.ucl.ac.uk/library/metalib.shtml or
go to our online tutorial at http://www.informs.intute.ac.uk/informs_perl/jump.pl?345-4732.
Use MetaLib when you want a quick overview of a subject or to conduct an introductory search of one or
more electronic resources. It can also help you to identify relevant resources in specific subject areas. For
more complex searches use the individual resources (as mentioned above).
5. WEB GATEWAYS
There are plenty of web sites to choose from, but quality can be an issue. Take particular note of the
authority and reputation of the source before using any information found on the web. Using resources
collated by reputable authorities is a good start. For example:
• To find quality web sites in engineering, Intute: Science, Engineering & Technology:
http://www.intute.ac.uk
• You will find a useful set of web links at the BUBL LINK Catalogue of internet resources : Civil
Engineering http://bubl.ac.uk/link/c/civilengineering.htm.
• Also try the iCivilEngineer gateway to quality internet resources for civil engineers at
http://www.icivilengineer.com.

4. 6. CITING SOURCES
It is important to include references in your work, to show that you have used relevant resources, to avoid
plagiarism and to allow readers of your work to be able to find your sources for themselves.
 For help with citing sources, see section 5 of WISE for Engineering and the Built Environment
(Working with information): http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Library/wise.shtml.
7. STANDARDS
Detailed instructions about how something is to be manufactured, managed, or designed.
The Library subscribes to British Standards Online, which contains 39,000 standards. Access the British
Standards Online database from the A-Z list of databases at
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Library/database/index.shtml.
 For further information, consult the technical databases guides in section 3.6 of WISE: go to
http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Library/wise.shtml and click the link to WISE for Engineering and the Built
Environment then login to Moodle using your UCL userid to access the module.
8. PATENTS
Granted to give an inventor the right to stop others from making, using or selling an invention (whether a
product or a process) for a limited period. Patents usually involve incremental improvements in known
technology. You can check patents servers for the very latest technological developments.
esp@cenet - http://ep.espacenet.com - is a patents database supported by the European Patents Office.
From here you can carry out a worldwide search, which covers 70 countries and 30 million patents.
Descriptions, drawings and other information are all available on-line. To find US patents, use the US
Patent and Trademark Office server at http://www.uspto.gov/.
 For help, see the library guide to finding patent information
(http://www.ucl.ac.uk/library/FindingPatentInformation.doc) or go here:
http://www.informs.intute.ac.uk/informs_perl/jump.pl?345-4737 for an interactive tutorial on
esp@cenet.
9. FURTHER HELP FROM LIBRARY SERVICES
All the websites mentioned in this handout and in the presentation can be found at
http://delicious.com/LynneMeehan/CEGE.
WISE: go to http://www.ucl.ac.uk/Library/wise.shtml and click the link to WISE for Engineering and the
Built Environment then login to Moodle using your UCL userid to access the module.
The Science Enquiry Desk is located on the ground floor of the Science Library. It is staffed from
09:30-18:00, Monday, Wednesday and Friday and 09:30-17:30 Tuesday and Thursday. Telephone on ext.
37789 or 020 7679 7789.
For further help contact a member of the Science Subject team:
Lynne Meehan, Rachel Nelligan, Ruth Russell or Gavin Beattie
Room 314, 3rd floor Science Library
020 7679 2634
lib-sciteam@ucl.ac.uk
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