Conducting Research

Engineers routinely collect and analyze information. The term for this activity is research. During the semester, you will learn about and practice research strategies to better prepare you for your career in engineering. For the cover letter/resume, the user manual, the midterm proposal, and the final technical proposal assignments research has to be done. Fortunately, information on virtually any topic is readily available through electronic or print sources.

There are two types of research: Primary and Secondary. You will be doing both types. Primary research means that you take some specific action to gather information. Markel (2000) lists and discusses six major types: Inspections, Experiments, Field Research, Interviews, Letters of Inquiry, and Questionnaires (p.169f). These strategies will be reviewed in class so decisions can be made about what you need to do to complete your assignments. Secondary research means that you find, read, and analyze information that someone else has gathered and published. Books, journal articles, technical reports, government documents, patents, professional publications, newspapers, product literature, and conference proceedings are among the most frequently used sources. Some are only found in print form; others are found in print and electronic forms.

The best place to start is the Rutgers Libraries home page which can be easily referenced at any library computer terminal or via Netscape at any on campus computer lab. You can also set up an off campus computer to access the Rutgers Libraries. To do so, you need your Rutgers ID card and a password which you can get by going to any of the libraries or by following the instructions online. Then, you need to change the proxy on your off-campus computer. Instructions are provided on line: select Off Campus Support from the RU Libraries home page for instructions.

The library home page is set up for easy use, listing the IRIS catalog (which lists all books and periodical holdings at all Rutgers libraries), Indexes and Databases (which offer expanded bibliographic references and some full texts of articles in various fields), and Electronic Journals (which can be used to search for information outside of the library and fairly often in full text). If you haven't done much secondary research up until now, this course will be very beneficial.

Along with learning to use the library's electronic system, you'll complete an assignment known as
The LSM Self-Guided Tour. This special activity will help you become acquainted with the Library of Science and Medicine building. Even though an electronic search can lead to an incredible amount of information, there are some sources that can still only be accessed by going to the library and finding the information in bound journals. Once you're familiar with what's in the library and where it's located, you'll be able to efficiently conduct on-site research. There are also the reference librarians just waiting to help you. Remember that the librarians are highly trained faculty members. The library is their classroom; you are their students. When you have done all you can on your own and still need help, ask a reference librarian.

We will also meet in the computer lab for some classes so that you can do electronic research and get some help when needed. Remember that good research takes time, patience, and perseverance. For this course, the research effort you make will greatly influence your overall success in the course.

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