Subject Librarian
Finding Background Information
Use these sources to gain familiarity with your topic, narrow your research question, provide context, and identify experts.
- Find It @ USC LibrariesSearch for articles, books, and more or limit to USC Libraries collection.
- Engineering Problem Solving - A Classical PerspectiveThis book fills in many of the gaps in engineering education by showing students and professionals, the historical background of problem solving.
- Knovel Critical TablesThis important, interactive Knovel reference contains tables of physical, solvent, and thermodynamic properties. Several tables make use of the interactive Equation Plotter to plot thermodynamic properties as a function of temperature.
- International Critical Tables of Numerical Data, Physics, Chemistry and TechnologyThis classic and well-known reference was originally published from 1926 - 1930 for the National Research Council. Featuring physical, thermodynamic, mechanical, and other key properties on inorganic and organic compounds, and pure substances.
- Oxford Dictionary of Weights, Measures, and UnitsThis comprehensive dictionary provides clear definitions of all the units, prefixes, and styling of the Système International (SI), as well as industry-specific and traditional terms currently in use.
- Oxford Dictionary of ScientistsFrom Archimedes and Copernicus to Stephen Hawking and Stephen Jay Gould, this is the most authoritative and up-to-date biographical dictionary of scientists currently available. Spanning over 2,500 years, it covers all areas of science.
- Smithsonian Physical Tables (9th Revised Edition)901 tables of general interest to scientists and engineers, and of particular interest to those involved with physics in its larger sense.
Choosing a Topic
Taking the time to carefully choose and refine your topic can save you significant time and effort later in your research.
- How to Choose a TopicThis short video tells you the questions to ask and describes the process of choosing a workable research question.
Understanding Primary and Secondary Sources
Primary sources = Original Research
- Written by the scientists(s) or researcher(s) who conducted the experiment or study
- Should include sections detailing how the research was performed such as methodology, results, and discussion/conclusions
Secondary sources = Summarize, Review or Compare
- Authors did not conduct the research studies which are mentioned or cited in the article themselves
- Purpose is to summarize, review, or compare the published research on a specific topic