Engineering, Electronics, Materials science and Mathematics

In many cases, you can find journal articles using Library Search. But there is a huge range of specialist databases which provide more sophisticated searches for journal articles in many different engineering disciplines.

Most of these databases will include similar material alongside journal articles, most commonly trade papers or conference proceedings.

Depending on your course or assignment, you may find several sets of journal databases useful: so, for example, if you are doing automotive engineering, as well as the dedicated Automotive engineering databases, at different stages of your course you might find the some of databases for All courses, Mechanical and manufacturing engineering, Materials science, and Design engineering useful. You can use the menu on this page to navigate to the suitable databases for your assignment.

These are enormous, general-purpose science and technology databases, suitable for all courses in engineering. They also all offer citation searching to make it easier to find even more relevant articles..

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There are several journal databases for materials, each focusing on a different type of material or aspect of material science. However, most of them use the same interface and work in a similar way.

There are several journal databases which are not dedicated solely to mathematics, but which contain a very large number of articles on mathematics amongst other subjects. Please see the Journals for all courses box on this page for more information.

Currently the only AIAA journal we subscribe to is Journal of Aircraft. However, you can obtain articles from the other AIAA journals for free within a couple of days via the document supply service. The first two databases both index the AIAA journals, so that you can find articles from them.

This is a big topic, and you can also find useful resources in other subject guides, such as Nursing and Midwifery, Biosciences and Chemistry, and Health.

Photo credit: 'Foundry' by matei via morgueFile

In academic and professional writing, it is essential to support your discussions and arguments with reliable, published sources. Personal opinions such as 'I believe...' are not sufficient on their own: you must back up your claims with credible, relevant evidence from appropriate sources..

Such evidence often takes the form of a journal article. These sources are typically found using research databases and, in some cases, through platforms like Google Scholar or Library Search. Using these resources ensures you access high-quality, relevant information. The Library provides these databases in collaboration with your lecturers and academic staff, helping you find the most appropriate materials for your subject area.

So it is important that you understand why you need to use these sources, develop your skills and knowledge of how research is published, and which resources are most applicable to your subject areas.

Journal articles are one of the key places where new research is published. Articles are written by experts and practitioners in that field of research.

Articles are published in academic journals; like magazines,  journals will publish several new issues a year, each issue contain several articles. They have several functions:

• To share original research; 
• To review previously published research;
• To discuss theoretical concepts within a particular field of research.

Journal articles have some defining features:

• Typically focus on one very specific topic;
• Have a structured format, usually consisting of abstract, introduction, literature review, methods, results, discussion and conclusions. This similarity to the formats for dissertations and projects can be helpful inspiration for structuring your own research work;,
• Some articles will be peer-reviewed by other experts in that field prior to publication: this helps screen out errors and flaws, and so peer-reviewed articles are among the more reliable sources available.

Many academic databases that search for journal articles also include conference papers, which are sometimes also referred to as conference proceedings. These papers are based on presentations given by researchers at academic or industry conferences. While some conference papers present complete research studies, many report on preliminary findings or work in progress. They can be published in the form of journals, books, or webpages.

Conference papers are less likely than journal articles to go through peer review. However, they can still be useful sources, particularly in fast-developing areas of research.

Trade papers - sometimes also called trade journals - are publications aimed at professionals in specific industries or jobs. 

Unlike academic journals, trade papers don't tend to publish new research. Instead, they inform professionals about the latest developments in their field, to support decision-making and good practice. They will include much more detail than publications aimed at the general public.

Trade papers may provide:

• News and trends
• Case studies
• Interviews and opinion pieces
• Practical advice and practice notes
• Updates on regulations and standards

It is important to scan key journals in your subject area to keep up to date. The Articles in Press feature displays the most current articles before they have been officially given a volume and issue number. When you have selected a journal, Articles in Press appears on the left, just below the journal cover image.

In the course of searching these specialist resources, you may find articles that we do not have access to in our Library collection. If this happens, we can get the articles for you through our Document Supply Service.

This link is the information about how to use the Document Supply Service at Sheffield Hallam.

• Document Supply Service