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Bioengineering: Finding Relevant Articles

Quick Search Tips

- Gather keywords when you perform background research

- Search and browse through indexes/controlled vocabulary resources like MESH or the IEEE Thesaurus to gather relevant index terms and subject headings

- Use both keywords and index terms when searching

- Use Boolean operators to broaden (OR) or narrow (AND, NOT) your search

- Use wildcards to truncate search terms (often *) in order to capture search results with variations on a word stem (e.g. biomechanic*)

- Quickly review the "Help" resources for the database you are searching

How to Find CIting/Cited Articles

Many library databases let you start with a known document (for example, a journal paper) and generate references it cites and/or documents published later in time that cite it.

Benefits:

  • great way to develop a bibliography
  • identify articles that have been heavily cited, that is, that have strongly influenced a field of research
  • track the impact of your writing (if you are an author)
  • if you are a faculty member up for tenure or promotion, present cited/citing data in your dossier (check with your department or college for details).

Contact a librarian to identify relevant databases and setting up email alerts for citing literature. Some starting points:

Major Article Databases

More Article Databases