Constructing Consistent Comprehensive Searches in Large Engineering Databases—Tips and Recommendations for Literature Reviews
- Conference
- Location
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Portland, Oregon
- Publication Date
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June 23, 2024
- Start Date
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June 23, 2024
- End Date
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July 12, 2024
- Conference Session
- Tagged Division
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Engineering Libraries Division (ELD)
- Permanent URL
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https://peer.asee.org/47068
Paper Authors
Sarah Over
Virginia Tech
orcid.org/0000-0002-2599-0050
Dr. Sarah Over is the Engineering Collections and Research Analyst at Virginia Tech, serving as their Engineering Librarian and representative for their new Patent and Trademark Resource Center. She is also part of a team focused on research impact and intelligence to support the College of Engineering and Office of Research and Innovation at Virginia Tech. Dr. Over’s background is in aerospace and nuclear engineering, with years of experience teaching engineering research methods and introductory coding.
C. Cozette Comer Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
C. Cozette Comer has been conducting and supporting scoping/mapping reviews, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and other forms of evidence synthesis since 2018 as both a researcher and information professional. She is currently the Evidence Synthesis Services Coordinator at the University Libraries at Virginia Tech, directing the development of support and educational services for faculty, students, staff, and community members across disciplines and in interdisciplinary contexts.
Abstract
Engineering and STEM librarians and researchers regularly use a number of disciplinary databases for finding literature. For evidence synthesis (ES) research projects, knowing database capabilities and how to most effectively search each database is critical. The complex, often comprehensive search strategies necessary for ES reviews can require use of “advanced” search options and controlled vocabulary/index terms. However, the functionality of search interfaces used to access databases varies widely. Thus, searchers must expend more time and effort to translate searches consistently, as each database has different features and limitations. This article will cover major engineering databases used in comprehensive searches, including Engineering Village and more. Each database’s search implementation will be explained using an example search on hearing disabilities in computing education, which was developed for a scoping review by the authors in collaboration with a faculty member and a graduate student from the Computer Science department at Virginia Tech. Aspects of advanced searching such as truncation, proximity searching, exact phrases, and controlled vocabulary/index terms will also be highlighted. Overall, these databases require more research into how to construct searches compared to some interdisciplinary databases, but still have their place in finding quality engineering research efficiently.
Over, S., & Comer, C. C. (2024, June), Constructing Consistent Comprehensive Searches in Large Engineering Databases—Tips and Recommendations for Literature Reviews Paper presented at 2024 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Portland, Oregon. https://peer.asee.org/47068
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