COMM 1180 - Effective Technical Communication

LIBRARY RESOURCESCOMM 1180

MELANIE PARLETTE, ENGINEERING & IT LIAISON

LIBRARY RESOURCE CENTRE

CONESTOGA COLLEGE

TODAY YOU’LL LEARN . . .• About the Library website and that you have an Research

Guide (and that this is helpful)

• How to search the library catalogue

• What a database is, how to search it and why you need it for your assignment

• About RefWorks

• How to Use RefWorks to make citing in IEEE more efficient

PIN NUMBERS

You can use your PIN to:

• Access resources from Off-Campus• Renew a book, place a hold• Review your account

LIBRARY HOMEPAGE

www.conestogac.on.ca/lrcHighlights:

• LRC Hours• AskON• Library Catalogue• E-Resources• Contact Us• Research Help

LIBRARY CATALOGUEQ: What can you find in the library catalogue?

A: Anything that is physically housed in the library (and more) !

Let’s take a look…

LET’S GET STARTEDLibrary Website Research Help Engineering Electronic and Electrical Engineering

TYPES OF SOURCES

Scholarly JournalsPopular MagazinesTrade JournalsConference PapersTechnical Reports What’s the Difference?

TYPES OF SOURCESWhat’s the Difference?

Scholarly Journals Popular Magazines Trade Journals Conference Papers Technical Reports

• Scholarly research or projects. 

• Illustrations are usually charts and graphs.

• Authors are authorities in their field. Often professors or researchers.

• Peer review process is in place where the content of an article is reviewed by one or more experts in the field.

Examples:Wireless Networks, IEEE/ACM

Transactions on Networking

• General interest articles, entertainment, or information aimed at the consumer.  Usually colour photographs and illustrations.

• Articles are usually written by magazine staff, freelance writers, or may be anonymous.

• No peer review or refereeing process.

Examples:Wired, Popular

Mechanics

• Industry related information, news and trends.  Some illustrations.

• Authors are industry experts, professionals, or practitioners who are not always identified

• Typically no peer review or refereeing process.

Examples:ComputerWorld,

Electronic Engineering Times

• Author is scholar in field, academic or researcher

• Conference papers tend to be more recent than journal articles, but may be considered less authoritative depending on the review and acceptance process

• Peer Review Process may or may not be rigorous

Example:Proceedings of

International Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems

• Author is often a scholar or a scientist, engineer, government contractor, or technical personnel.

• Published by a corporation or educational institution

• Reputation is everything

• Typically not peer reviewed

Example:ECMA Technical

Report TR/75 Standardizing Information and Communication Systems

DATABASES

What is an electronic article database?

• Online / web-based collection of:• Magazines• Newspapers• Journals

• Includes professional journal articles

• Databases are usually organized by major subject i.e. nursing, business, science, etc.

• You choose a database based on your topic• Each database contains millions of articles, searchable by keyword

WHAT DO I SEARCH FOR?

ElectronicsEngineering

Integrated Circuits

Control Systems

Electronic DevicesElectromagnetics

Digital Circuits

Network Analysis

Signals and

Systems

SEARCHING DATABASES

DATABASES

SEARCHING DATABASESIEEE ASPP

Tips:1.Narrow by content type(Journals)2. Narrow by publication year3. Narrow by subject4. Narrow by Full Text5. Export to RefWorks

Specialized subject database

SEARCHING DATABASESProquest Science Journals

Multidisciplinary Database

SEARCHING DATABASESProquest Science Journals Tips:

1.Limiters• Full Text• Scholarly• Published Date

2.Subject Terms3.Export to RefWorks

SIGN UP FOR A NEW ACCOUNT

REFWORKS

Research

Topic One

Topic Two

REFWORKS & IEEE

IMPORTING TO REFWORKS

1.Export database direct to RefWorks2.Sign in to RefWorks if not already logged in3.View last imported folder4. *New Folder “Effective Technical Communication”5.Check new reference6.Add to new folder

CREATING A BIBLIOGRAPHY• Click “Create a bibliography”• Select Output style manager• Select “IEEE Communication Magazine” (found under Conestoga College Specific) as Output Style• File Type “Word for Windows”• References to include “Effective Technical Communication”

GET HELP AT THE LIBRARY

• By Email• mparlette@conestogac.on.ca• lrcinfo@conestogac.on.ca

• Online• IM Chat on the LRC Contact Us Page• Or in the Electronics Engineering “Research Guide”

• In Person• Visit the LRC

• Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, 7:30 AM – 9:00 PM, • Friday 7:30 AM – 5:00 PM• Saturday 9:00 – 4:00 PM• Sunday Noon – 4:00 PM

• By Phone• Information Desk @ 519-748-5220 x4526