Information Retrieval, Where to Begin?
Who has not googled information such as the name of the lead actor in a movie or the date of an event like when the Habs won the first Stanley Cup (It was in 1916!)? Google has an answer for everything… when the answer is easily at hand!
A literature search or literature review, both sound a bit harder. How do you build a drone that finds its own way in an environment? Has it ever been done? What methods exist to maintain road pavement? Which of these methods are more likely to be effective in a climate such as Quebec’s?
Part of the answers to these questions are probably found in a few reliable sources on the Web, but not necessarily within the reach of Google, or in clickbait articles like “This person was attacked 5 times by his own drone, on VIDEO. The 4th will haunt you forever!” (A fictitious example).
Specialised Tools to Find Scientific Literature
When doing literature review, you want to find the scientific research that was done in a specific field or topic. It implies searching with specialised tools which identify specialised literature (whether it is available on the Surface Web or on the Deep Web). Therefore, the solution is to identify dedicated databases, which are often better suited than Google to do comprehensive research, especially to track down scientific literature. In order to do so, the ETS Library subscribes to more than 80 specialised databases in which you can perform precisely targeted searches and retrieve only scientific articles — without commercial sites trying to sell you a product, without sleazy blog columns littered with animated GIFs.
To get started, you may obtain a selection of specialised databases related to your field of interest by visiting the Library site in the “Specialised Databases” section and by selecting a subject from the “Selection by Subject” list. We list the databases most likely to be useful for each of these subjects.
Selection of applicable databases based on the research area, on the ETS Library website.
Access to Full Text
These databases allow you to identify scientific articles on your topic and you can generally access these full text articles through electronic collections of the Library: subscriptions that you can access for free paid for by ETS. The ETS Library subscribes to more than 20,000 journals, which is equivalent to hundreds of thousands of articles… you should be able to find at least some on your subject of interest!
In most of the specialised databases (e.g. Compendex, Scopus, Web of Science), use the button “Get ETS” to check if the full text is available at ETS or not. Clicking on this button, displays the following page:
The button “Get ETS” appears under each result in the Scopus database to provide access to full text when possible.
The displayed page, when clicking on the button “Get ETS”, shows whether the full text of an article is accessible by the ETS or not.
Off-Campus Access – Do Your Literature Search from Home!
To do these literature searches from home, make sure you have configured your off-campus access using the Library proxy. Follow the instructions, this operation will allow you access electronic books and papers as if you were on campus. Using the School VPN is not enough.
Research Assistance Available
For personal assistance in your literature search or literature review, do not hesitate to contact your librarian! Librarians are experts trained to help you identify the best research strategies in respect to your needs and know the best specialised tools at your disposal.
