Research Guides: Research Starter: Civil Engineering: Home

Nathanael Davis | STEM/Business Librarian

EMAIL ME

Need Assistance?

Find Your Librarian

Schedule a Research Appointment

Today's Hours:

Databases

For Civil Engineering Articles:

ASCE Books This link opens in a new window
ASCE e-books provide state-of-the-practice information and guidance on today’s engineering methods and technologies, from design and planning through application in the field.
The collection includes ASCE Standards, Manuals and Reports on Engineering Practice, Committee Technical Reports, and ASCE Press titles. ASCE e-books offer no restrictive DRM (digital rights management).
Compendex This link opens in a new window
Index and abstracts to engineering literature from international journals, conferences, and reports.
Compendex is a comprehensive interdisciplinary engineering database, the electronic equivalent of the print Engineering Index. Compendex covers the entire spectrum of engineering, in depth, with abstracts from over 2,600 international journals, conference papers and proceedings, and technical reports.

Each year, over 220,000 new abstracts are added from 175 disciplines and major specialties. Besides applied engineering, coverage also extends to manufacturing, quality control, and engineering management issues.

Subject keywords: Mechanical engineering. Civil engineering. Environmental engineering. Computer and Electrical engineering. Structural engineering. Process engineering. Materials science. Solid state physics and superconductivity. Bioengineering. Energy. Chemical engineering. Optics. Air and water pollution. Solid waste management. Hazardous waste. Road transportation. Transportation safety.
EI Engineering Village This link opens in a new window
Includes cross database searching of the Compendex, EI Patents, GeoBase, NTIS and Referex engineering and applied science databases.
EI Engineering Village is a cross database searching service offering a wide range of resources covering applied science and engineering. Databases include: Compendex, EI Patents, GeoBase, NTIS and Referex. Compendex contains references and abstracts from some 5,000 engineering journals, conferences and technical reports covering all engineering disciplines. Online coverage is from 1884 to date. Ei Patents comprises millions of patents from the US Patent and Trademark Office and European Patent Office. GeoBase is a multidisciplinary database of indexed research literature on the earth sciences, including geology, human and physical geography, environmental sciences, oceanography, geomechanics, alternative energy sources, pollution, waste management and nature conservation. NTIS (National Technical Information Service) database contains citations to unclassified reports from U.S. and international government agencies such as NASA, the U.S. Department of Energy, and the U.S. Department of Defense. Materials cited date from 1899 to the present. Referex Engineering is comprised of six collections of full-text searchable engineering reference e-books.
IEEE Xplore This link opens in a new window
The IEEE Xplore digital library is a powerful resource for discovery of scientific and technical content published by the IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) and its publishing partners. It provides web access to more than five million full-text documents from some of the world's most highly-cited publications in electrical engineering, computer science, and electronics.

IEEE Journal Databases
IEEE is the world's largest technical engineering professional organization dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity.

For Background Research

AccessScience This link opens in a new window
Contains the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology, and The McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific & Technical Terms. Includes or has links to full text.
AccessScience is an online encyclopedia of science and technology. AccessScience contains encyclopedia articles, dictionary terms, biographies, research updates, and science news.

Subject keywords: Agriculture, Forestry and Soils. Anthropology and Archaeology. Astronomy and Space Science. Biological and Biomedical Science. Chemistry. Computing and Information Technology. Data, Tables, and Tools. Earth Science. Engineering and Materials. Environmental Science. Food Science and Technology. General Science and Technology. Mathematics. Medicine. Military Science. Navigation. Paleontology. Physics. Psychiatry and Psychology. Veterinary Medicine.
Knovel This link opens in a new window
Knovel is an engineering decision-support solution enabling engineers to solve problems faster.
Knovel is an engineering decision-support solution enabling engineers to solve problems faster. With powerful search and interactive analytical tools, engineers can confidently find answers to technical questions through best practice insights, validated equations and materials and substances data from more than 120 providers. For more than 15 years, Knovel has helped thousands of engineers and researchers from leading companies and institutions around the world enhance research and productivity, achieve operational excellence, reduce costs and time to market and build expertise.
Home Improvement Reference Center This link opens in a new window
A collection of comprehensive full-text content, this database provides users with detailed information covering a variety of home improvement and repair projects.
Through a collection of comprehensive full-text content, this database provides users with detailed, user-friendly “how-to” information covering a variety of home improvement and repair projects. Subjects include maintenance, remodeling, electrical work, decorating, plumbing, and wood projects.

For Standard Protocols & Lab Methods

ASCE Standards This link opens in a new window
In 2016, the Board of Direction approved revisions to the ASCE Rules for Standards Committees to govern the writing and maintenance of standards developed by ASCE. All such standards are developed by a consensus standards process managed by ASCE.
All such standards are developed by a consensus standards process managed by the ASCE Codes and Standards Committee (CSC). The consensus process includes balloting by the balanced standards committee and reviewing during a public comment period. All standards are updated or reaffirmed by the same process every five to ten years.

ASTM Standards & Publications
Digital Library of ASTM materials standards as well as access to contemporary engineering research.

All Engineering & Computer Science Databases

Engineering & Computer Science Databases

Reference Books

Civil Engineer's Handbook of Professional Practice by Karen Hansen; Kent Zenobia
Call #: MAIN 624 H249C
Publication Date: 2011-04-26
Engineering Ethics by Steve Starrett; Amy L. Lara; Carlos Bertha
Call #: MAIN 174.962 S796E
Publication Date: 2017-04-24

Reference Books

Structural Dynamics by Jane Williams
Call #: MAIN 624.171 W725S
Publication Date: 2016-04-13
Science and the City by Laurie Winkless
Call #: MAIN 307.76 W775S
Publication Date: 2016-10-25

Library Collection Search: Subject Headings

Search Centennial Library by subject group:

Websites

American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
ASCE stands at the forefront of a profession that plans, designs, constructs, and operates society’s economic and social engine – the built environment – while protecting and restoring the natural environment.
Institution of Civil Engineers - Resource Library
The ICE library is home to one of the largest dedicated collection of civil engineering materials. As well as printed books and journals, the library also offers access to digital services including e-books and advanced search tools.
The Institution of Engineering & Technology
Organization which seeks to inspire, inform and influence the global engineering community to engineer a better world by sharing knowledge to solve engineering challenges that matter.
The Institution of Structural Engineers
The Institution leads and supports the development of structural engineering worldwide, in order to secure a safe and resilient built environment for all.
The Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining (IOM3)
The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) is a major UK science and engineering institution whose activities develop all aspects of the materials cycle, from exploration and extraction, through processing and application.
American Society for Testing & Materials (ASTM)
An international standards organization that develops and publishes voluntary consensus technical standards for a wide range of materials, products, systems, and services

Format Style

APA

Purdue OWL | APA
These OWL resources will help you learn how to use the American Psychological Association (APA) citation and format style. This section contains resources on in-text citation and the References page, as well as APA sample papers, slide presentations, and the APA classroom poster.
APA Quick Guide
Guide created by Centennial Library covering APA topics and how to cite your sources properly.

Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association 7th Ed. by American Psychological Association
Call #: MAIN 808.06615 P976
ISBN: 9781433832154
Publication Date: 2019-10-01

IEEE

IEEE Writing Guide - Purdue OWL
A quick guide to the IEEE citation system

The IEEE Guide to Engineering Communication by David Kmiec; Julia Williams; Bernadette Longo
Publication Date: 2017-08-30

Research Tips: ENGINEERING

Tip #1

Use Centennial Library's OneSearch, as well as AccessScience and Google Scholar to begin your research and to identify current background information, news, videos and and related links to scholarly journals.
Likewise, take time to navigate the Engineering Village database for specific engineering research & utilize Knovel to help support your understanding and use of equations, material properties and engineering standards.

Tip #2

Sign up and begin using a Citation Manager to manage your citations to create a quick bibliography and even quick in-text citations using the ProQuest RefWorks and Zotero add-ons for Google Docs and Microsoft Word.

Tip #3

Sign up for a Research Appointment with your STEM/Business Faculty Librarian for extra support in navigating databases and the research process.

Tip #4

Take time to visit the CU Writing Center for extra support and to sign up for a Writing Session to help improve your writing.

Writing In: ENGINEERING

How to Write and Publish a Scientific Paper by Barbara Gastel; Robert A. Day
Call #: MAIN 808.0665 G255H
Publication Date: 2016-03-28
Now thoroughly updated and expanded, this new edition of a classic guide offers practical advice on preparing and publishing journal articles as well as succeeding in other communication-related aspects of a scientific career. * Provides practical, easy-to-read, and immediately applicable guidance on preparing each part of a scientific paper: from the title and abstract, through each section of the main text, to the acknowledgments and references * Explains step by step how to decide to which journal to submit a paper, what happens to a paper after submission, and how to work effectively with a journal throughout the publication process * Includes key advice on other communication important to success in scientific careers, such as giving presentations and writing proposals * Presents an insightful insider's view of how journals actually work--and describes how best to work with them