Engineering Graduate Students

This guide to library research for engineering graduate students covers searching the literature, finding journals, finding theses and dissertations, finding books and reference works, and writing help.

We recommend that you use the specialized subscription databases on the library website to search for engineering "literature" (papers) because you will see only content that the library subscribes to. 

However if you prefer to use Google Scholar, you can create a Google Scholar profile with your Rowan University credentials, which will give you access to the library's subscription content.

Then when you search in Google Scholar, you will see links to the right of some results labeled Full Text @Rowan University. Selecting one of these links will take you to the subscribed content.

Subscription databases provided by the library are the best way to locate published research in your field. Here are some of the most frequently used databases for graduate studies.

Each database has its own search engine which will generate a list of journal articles and conference papers on your specified topic. In most cases the full text of the article will be available through a PDF link.

The library subscribes to over 300 databases and electronic resources. To find a library database for your research, go to the Database Finder page and browse by Subject.

LibKey Nomad is a browser extension for the Chrome, Firefox, and Edge web browsers.

*Important Note* The Rowan University Information Security Office has blocked access to the Chrome browser extension library on Rowan managed laptops and desktops of Rowan faculty and staff that have access to PHI (Protected Healthcare Information). Those users will not be able to install LibKey Nomad on Chrome.  A work-around is to install and use LibKey Nomad on a different browser.  

Once you install LibKey Nomad, you can use it to download full text articles to which we subscribe, from any publisher website where you find them. (Otherwise you would need to go to the library website to access the full text if you are off campus.)

When the full text PDF is available to you, you will see a LibKey Download PDF icon in the bottom left corner of the page.

If it is not, you will see a button labeled Access Options which will direct you to our Interlibrary Loan system.

Watch the short video shown below to learn how to download the extension for the browser you use.  

To find a specific article for which you have a citation, use the Citation Search tool. 

Go to the Search Tools section of the Campbell Library homepage and select Citation Search. The Citation Search function is also available on the menu bar of the Library Search interface.

Fill out the form with the complete citation for the article - article title, author names, publication title, year, and volume/issue or DOI number.

Example: 

Prothero, Donald R. Species longevity in North American fossil mammals. Integrative Zoology, August 2014. Vol. 9, Iss. 4, pages 383-393.

Enter the citation into the appropriate fields in the online form, then click on Submit in the bottom right of the page.

For this example article, there are two databases which will take you to this article: EBSCO and Wiley. EBSCO doesn't have access to articles published in the past year, but this is a 2014 article so either database will work.

Click on one of the database links to access the article.

Journals publish papers in specific, often very specialized, academic fields. Articles go through a review and acceptance process before being published.

If you are looking for a specific journal in your field and want to determine if the library subscribes to it, use our Journal Search

Enter the name of the journal in the Journals search box. If the library has a subscription, the results list will show which library databases offer access to the journal and for what years. 

To find a book, enter the title in the Library Search box on the Campbell Library homepage or in the widget below. If your book is not the first result, refine your search to Books in the Resource Type facet in the left sidebar. Please note that the library does not have copies of most textbooks. 

Many books are now available in e-book format and can be viewed on your computer, tablet, or phone - click on View Online. 

To locate print books on the shelf, you'll need to have the Call Number listed in the results display. The first letter of the call number tells you the floor and row (A - K is on the 3rd floor, L- Z on the 4th); the rest of the call number identifies the book on the shelf. Browse the rows to find the book with that call number on its spine.

Your Rowan card is your library card. If you don't have a Rowan card yet, library staff can also look up your account by your email address or Banner number. Bring your books to the Information Desk on the first floor to check them out. 

Books which may be borrowed by students are shelved on the 3rd and 4th floors of Campbell Library by Library of Congress Class.

Here is the Library of Congress Subject Classification outline.

A - GENERAL WORKS     

B - PHILOSOPHY, PSYCHOLOGY, RELIGION                                                                          

C - AUXILIARY SCIENCES OF HISTORY                                                                  

D - HISTORY (GENERAL) & HISTORY OF EUROPE                                                                             

E - HISTORY: AMERICA                                                                                 

F - HISTORY: AMERICA (continued)

G - GEOGRAPHY, ANTHROPOLOGY, RECREATION

H - SOCIAL SCIENCES (including Business)

J - POLITICAL SCIENCE

K - LAW

L - EDUCATION

M - MUSIC

N - FINE ARTS

P - LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

Q - SCIENCE (including Mathematics & Computer Science)

R - MEDICINE

S - AGRICULTURE

T - TECHNOLOGY (Engineering)

U - MILITARY SCIENCE

V - NAVAL SCIENCE

Z - BIBLIOGRAPHY, LIBRARY SCIENCE