Back to Section Guides

Technical Writing Resources

 

CONTENTS

GENERAL TIPS

Before getting started on any information search, remember these helpful hints:

  • Begin by defining exactly what you are searching for.
  • Select the keywords in your topic.
  • Be specific when determining keywords and terms to search.
  • Identify any synonyms or spelling variations on keywords.
  • Utilize the Edit-->Find command in your browser.
  • Truncate URL's to find top level pages.
  • Take notes during your research to keep track of where you have been, keywords searched, what worked and what didn't, etc.

Top of Page

Three Types of Research Tools

Type
Definition
When to Use
Examples
Search Engines
Large database of web files that are selected and built by computer programs called "spiders" and indexed in keyword fashion.
  • Researching a narrow or specific topic including more than one concept
  • To search the full-text of individual web pages, not entire sites
  • More interested in quantity than quality
  • More interested in rankings and popularity than content
"I am doing research on the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act."
  • For link popularity ranking, advanced search interface, and ability to view similar pages, try Google.
  • For subject-specific popularity, advanced search interface, and tthe ability to refine your search, try Teoma.
  • If you have a specific question that you just want to ask in plain English, try Ask Jeeves.
Subject Directories
Collection of Internet resources organized into subject categories. Academic subject directories are generally quality web sites, handpicked by experts in the field.
  • Researching a broad topic
  • For a list of sites handpicked by an expert on your topic
  • More interested in quality than quantity

"I am looking for information on gun control."
Invisible Web
Portion of the World Wide Web not accessible through traditional search engines.
  • For database type information
  • For recent information
  • Looking for graphics, multimedia, and other non-text materials

"I want to search yesterday's news story on a gun control debate."

OR

"I want to find a database of quality information that focuses on gun control"


Top of Page

Additional Tools to Try

Search Engines
Subject Directories
Invisible Web Databases


Top of Page

Search Tips

Try using the advanced search features found in most general search engines or the following techniques to help bring only the most relevant results for your search.

Field Searching: Narrow results by limiting your search to a particular field within a web page. (title, url, etc)
Example: I am looking for information on William Shakespeare.
To narrow results, try limiting to a title or url search
title:William Shakespeare OR url:William Shakespeare

Phrase Searching: Narrow results by searching for a group of two or more words, or a phrase, by surrounding the phrase with quotation marks.
Example: I am looking for information on how to grow a rose garden.
Narrow to only those results that contain the words rose and garden in succession
"rose garden"

Boolean Searching: Perform accurate searches that weed out irrelevant materials by using Boolean operators AND, OR, & NOT.
Example: I am looking for information on the citrus fruits lemons and limes.
Form query as: lemons AND limes (results must contain the word lemon and the word lime somewhere in the document for it to appear in the hits.)

Example: I am looking for information on lemons or limes, I don't particularly care which.
Form query as: lemons OR limes (results can contain either the word "lemons" or the word "limes" anywhere in the document for it to appear in the hits.)

Example: I am looking for information on citrus fruits. Particularly both lemons and limes, but definitely not oranges.
Form query as: lemons AND limes NOT oranges (results must contain both words "lemons" and "limes" somewhere in the document but cannot also contain the word "oranges" in order for it to appear in the hits.)


Top of Page

SALINA RESOURCES

Online Card Catalog
The library catalog contains records for books, videos, journals and other items owned by the K-State at Salina Library.
(Available anytime, anywhere)

Find a citation or abstract? Try searching E-Journals to see if it may be available in full-text format in another database or print it out and bring it to the Circulation Desk for Interlibrary Loan.

InfoTrac (Citations, Abstracts and Full-Text)
A one-stop source for news and periodical articles on a wide range of topics: business, computers, current events, economics, education, environmental issues, health care, hobbies, humanities, law, literature and art, politics, science, social science, sports, technology, and many general interest topics. The Library subscribes to Custom Newspapers, Business and Company Resource Center, Business Index, Health Reference Center Academic, General Business File, Health and Wellness Resource Center, Expanded Academic, National Newspaper Index, Computer Database, Informe, and Literature Resource Center.

FirstSearch (Citations, Abstracts and Full-Text)
An electronic service providing access to indexes and abstracts in all fields. The Library subscribes to several databases including ABI/INFORM, Article1st, ClasePeriodica, ERIC, GPO, MEDLINE, PapersFirst, PerAbs, Proceedings, and WorldCat.

CQ Researcher (Full-Text)
Explores a single "hot" issue in the news in depth each week. Topics range from social and teen issues to environment, health, education and science and technology. There are 44 reports produced each year including four expanded reports.

Opposing Viewpoints (Full-Text)
Draws on the social issues series published by Greenhaven Press, as well as core reference content from other Gale and Macmillan Reference USA sources to provide a complete one-stop source for information on social issues. Access viewpoint articles, topic overviews, statistics, primary documents, links to Web sites, and full-text magazine and newspaper articles.

Issues and Controversies (Full-Text)
Explores controversial topics in a language and format that students appreciate, with the balance, accuracy and regular updating that are synonymous with Facts On File News Services.

Encyclopedia of Materials: Science and Technology (Full-Text)
Contains approximately 2,000 articles covering all aspects of materials science and technology, including: functional phenomena, fundamental core theory, structural materials, structural phenomena, polymers and materials chemistry, and functional materials.


Top of Page

HALE RESOURCES

Click here for instructions on how to use these databases from home

Find a citation or abstract? Try searching E-Journals to see if it may be available in full-text format in another database or print it out and bring it to the Circulation Desk for Interlibrary Loan.

Aviation

ABI/INFORM (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
Provides abstracts of articles from international professional publications, academic journals, and trade magazines. Indexes a variety of aviation journals.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

ASCE Civil Engineering Database (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
The database covers ASCE publications all the journals, conference proceedings, books, standards, manuals, magazines, and newspapers. Journal papers with abstracts go back to 1970. Non-abstract journal records go back to 1920's. The book records are complete dating back to 1800.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

Business & Company Resource Center (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
Brings together in a single database company profiles, company brand information, rankings, investment reports, company histories, chronologies, and periodicals.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

Business & Company ASAP (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
Business,finance, management, and industry periodicals with a full text directory of global private and public companies.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

Expanded Academic (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
A large database of magazine and journal articles on many topics including astronomy, aviation, religion, law, history, psychology, humanities, current events, sociology, communications, engineering and the general sciences.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

General Business File ASAP (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
Business and trade publications. Includes directory listings for companies as well as investment analysts' reports on major companies and industries.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

IEEE Electronic Library Online (Abstracts and Full-Text)
IEL provides fulltext access to more than 120 technical journals, over 875 standards, and proximately 600 conference proceedings in the areas of Aviation, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, and Materials Science.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

LexisNexis Academic (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
Lexis/Nexis Academic is a full-text database which focuses primarily on business, legal and news resources. Included in the database are law reports, company filings, journal and newspaper articles, broadcast transcripts, etc.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

Periodical Abstracts (Abstracts and Full-Text)
Provides abstracts, indexing, & selected full text to articles from academic journals, popular magazines, & key business publications. Covers aviation, social sciences, the humanities, the general-sciences, engineering, business, & general-interest publications.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

TRIS (Abstracts and Full-Text)
TRIS Online is the Transportation Research Information Services (TRIS) bibliographic database.
(Free Web Access)

Top of Page

Computer

ABI/INFORM (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
Provides abstracts of articles from international professional publications, academic journals, and trade magazines. Indexes a variety of aviation journals.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

ACM Digital Library (Citations, Abstracts and Full-Text)
Citations and full-text of articles from Association for Computing Machinery journals, magazines, and conference proceedings. Access to citations is free to the public; full-text is by subscription only.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

Applied Science & Technology (Citations)
Basic Coverage of engineering, computers, construction.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

Business & Company Resource Center (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
Brings together in a single database company profiles, company brand information, rankings, investment reports, company histories, chronologies, and periodicals.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

Business & Company ASAP (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
Business,finance, management, and industry periodicals with a full text directory of global private and public companies.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

Compendex (Engineering Index) (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
Comprehensive coverage of all areas of engineering.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

Computer Database (Citations, Abstracts and Full-Text)
Computer-related product introductions, news and reviews in areas such as hardware, software, electronics, engineering, communications and the application of technology.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

Expanded Academic (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
A large database of magazine and journal articles on many topics including astronomy, aviation, religion, law, history, psychology, humanities, current events, sociology, communications, engineering and the general sciences.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

General Business File ASAP (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
Business and trade publications. Includes directory listings for companies as well as investment analysts' reports on major companies and industries.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

IEEE Electronic Library Online (Abstracts and Full-Text)
IEL provides fulltext access to more than 120 technical journals, over 875 standards, and proximately 600 conference proceedings in the areas of Aviation, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, and Materials Science.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

LexisNexis Academic (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
Lexis/Nexis Academic is a full-text database which focuses primarily on business, legal and news resources. Included in the database are law reports, company filings, journal and newspaper articles, broadcast transcripts, etc.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

Top of Page

Construction

ABI/INFORM (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
Provides abstracts of articles from international professional publications, academic journals, and trade magazines. Indexes a variety of aviation journals.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

Applied Science & Technology (Citations)
Basic Coverage of engineering, computers, construction.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

ASCE Civil Engineering Database (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
The database covers ASCE publications all the journals, conference proceedings, books, standards, manuals, magazines, and newspapers.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

Business & Company Resource Center (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
Brings together in a single database company profiles, company brand information, rankings, investment reports, company histories, chronologies, and periodicals.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

Business & Company ASAP (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
Business,finance, management, and industry periodicals with a full text directory of global private and public companies.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

Compendex (Engineering Index) (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
Comprehensive coverage of all areas of engineering.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

Expanded Academic (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
A large database of magazine and journal articles on many topics including astronomy, aviation, religion, law, history, psychology, humanities, current events, sociology, communications, engineering and the general sciences.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

General Business File ASAP (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
Business and trade publications. Includes directory listings for companies as well as investment analysts' reports on major companies and industries.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

IEEE Electronic Library Online (Abstracts and Full-Text)
IEL provides fulltext access to more than 120 technical journals, over 875 standards, and proximately 600 conference proceedings in the areas of Aviation, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, and Materials Science.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

LexisNexis Academic (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
Lexis/Nexis Academic is a full-text database which focuses primarily on business, legal and news resources. Included in the database are law reports, company filings, journal and newspaper articles, broadcast transcripts, etc.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

Periodical Abstracts (Abstracts and Full-Text)
Provides abstracts, indexing, & selected full text to articles from academic journals, popular magazines, & key business publications. Covers aviation, social sciences, the humanities, the general-sciences, engineering, business, & general-interest publications.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

Top of Page

Electronics

ABI/INFORM (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
Provides abstracts of articles from international professional publications, academic journals, and trade magazines. Indexes a variety of aviation journals.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

ACM Digital Library (Citations, Abstracts and Full-Text)
Citations and full-text of articles from Association for Computing Machinery journals, magazines, and conference proceedings. Access to citations is free to the public; full-text is by subscription only.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

Applied Science & Technology (Citations)
Basic Coverage of engineering, computers, construction.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

Business & Company Resource Center (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
Brings together in a single database company profiles, company brand information, rankings, investment reports, company histories, chronologies, and periodicals.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

Business & Company ASAP (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
Business,finance, management, and industry periodicals with a full text directory of global private and public companies.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

Compendex (Engineering Index) (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
Comprehensive coverage of all areas of engineering.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

Computer Database (Citations, Abstracts and Full-Text)
Computer-related product introductions, news and reviews in areas such as hardware, software, electronics, engineering, communications and the application of technology.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

Expanded Academic (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
A large database of magazine and journal articles on many topics including astronomy, aviation, religion, law, history, psychology, humanities, current events, sociology, communications, engineering and the general sciences.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

General Business File ASAP (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
Business and trade publications. Includes directory listings for companies as well as investment analysts' reports on major companies and industries.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

IEEE Electronic Library Online (Abstracts and Full-Text)
IEL provides fulltext access to more than 120 technical journals, over 875 standards, and proximately 600 conference proceedings in the areas of Aviation, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, and Materials Science.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

LexisNexis Academic (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
Lexis/Nexis Academic is a full-text database which focuses primarily on business, legal and news resources. Included in the database are law reports, company filings, journal and newspaper articles, broadcast transcripts, etc.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

Periodical Abstracts (Abstracts and Full-Text)
Provides abstracts, indexing, & selected full text to articles from academic journals, popular magazines, & key business publications. Covers aviation, social sciences, the humanities, the general-sciences, engineering, business, & general-interest publications.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

Top of Page

Mechanical

ABI/INFORM (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
Provides abstracts of articles from international professional publications, academic journals, and trade magazines. Indexes a variety of aviation journals.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

Applied Science & Technology (Citations)
Basic Coverage of engineering, computers, construction.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

ASCE Civil Engineering Database (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
The database covers ASCE publications all the journals, conference proceedings, books, standards, manuals, magazines, and newspapers.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

Business & Company Resource Center (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
Brings together in a single database company profiles, company brand information, rankings, investment reports, company histories, chronologies, and periodicals.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

Business & Company ASAP (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
Business,finance, management, and industry periodicals with a full text directory of global private and public companies.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

Compendex (Engineering Index) (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
Comprehensive coverage of all areas of engineering.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

Expanded Academic (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
A large database of magazine and journal articles on many topics including astronomy, aviation, religion, law, history, psychology, humanities, current events, sociology, communications, engineering and the general sciences.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

General Business File ASAP (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
Business and trade publications. Includes directory listings for companies as well as investment analysts' reports on major companies and industries.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

IEEE Electronic Library Online (Abstracts and Full-Text)
IEL provides fulltext access to more than 120 technical journals, over 875 standards, and proximately 600 conference proceedings in the areas of Aviation, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Mechanical Engineering, Physics, and Materials Science.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

LexisNexis Academic (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
Lexis/Nexis Academic is a full-text database which focuses primarily on business, legal and news resources. Included in the database are law reports, company filings, journal and newspaper articles, broadcast transcripts, etc.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

Periodical Abstracts (Abstracts and Full-Text)
Provides abstracts, indexing, & selected full text to articles from academic journals, popular magazines, & key business publications. Covers aviation, social sciences, the humanities, the general-sciences, engineering, business, & general-interest publications.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

Top of Page

Tech Management

ABI/INFORM (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
Provides abstracts of articles from international professional publications, academic journals, and trade magazines. Indexes a variety of aviation journals.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

ACM Digital Library (Citations, Abstracts and Full-Text)
Citations and full-text of articles from Association for Computing Machinery journals, magazines, and conference proceedings. Access to citations is free to the public; full-text is by subscription only.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

Business & Company Resource Center (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
Brings together in a single database company profiles, company brand information, rankings, investment reports, company histories, chronologies, and periodicals.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

Business & Company ASAP (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
Business,finance, management, and industry periodicals with a full text directory of global private and public companies.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

Computer Database (Citations, Abstracts and Full-Text)
Computer-related product introductions, news and reviews in areas such as hardware, software, electronics, engineering, communications and the application of technology.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

Education Full-Text (Citations, Abstracts and Full-Text)
Covers all levels of education plus Arts, Athletics, Instructional Media, Language Arts, library Science, and Science and Mathematics.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

Expanded Academic (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
A large database of magazine and journal articles on many topics including astronomy, aviation, religion, law, history, psychology, humanities, current events, sociology, communications, engineering and the general sciences.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

General Business File ASAP (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
Business and trade publications. Includes directory listings for companies as well as investment analysts' reports on major companies and industries.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

LexisNexis Academic (Citations, Abstracts, and Full-Text)
Lexis/Nexis Academic is a full-text database which focuses primarily on business, legal and news resources. Included in the database are law reports, company filings, journal and newspaper articles, broadcast transcripts, etc.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

Periodical Abstracts (Abstracts and Full-Text)
Provides abstracts, indexing, & selected full text to articles from academic journals, popular magazines, & key business publications. Covers aviation, social sciences, the humanities, the general-sciences, engineering, business, & general-interest publications.
(Use on campus or Log-In for off campus use)

Top of Page

 

 

Questions about this page? Contact: astarkey@ksu.edu

All electronic services are restricted to current students, staff, and faculty at Kansas State University with a valid eID.

October 8, 2004