Guides: ARCHIVED:2020 FYSEM 1010-10: So You Want to be a Scientist or Engineer (Stanley): Pre-Search Resources

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Terminology when searching library databases

Science--vocational guidance
vocational guidance
job hunting
internship programs
careers
Employment Interviewing

TIPS for using Reference Materials

HINT: Often signed encyclopedia or handbook articles (references sources) are written by experts who have written other texts (books, articles, blog posts, etc.) You can search for those authors in HamCAT or Google to discover some of their other works. Reference sources often also have a Further Reading section or a Bibliography at the end of them, with other sources on your topic, that can be worth exploring.

Reference = Background Information

Job & Career Accelerator
Brought to you by eLibraryMN, (ELM). ELM is brought to you by your local library or school media center, Minitex, and State Library Services, the MN state library agency, with state appropriations to the Minnesota Office of Higher Education and the Minnesota Department of Education.
Britannica Academic
Start with the encyclopedia for an introduction to your topic. Move on to the thesaurus, atlas, biographies, ebooks, news, videos and multimedia.
Credo Reference
Offering a thorough introduction to topics across the academic spectrum, Credo provides full-text online versions of published reference works, including general and subject dictionaries and encyclopedias. Search Keywords, Subject Categories and Topic Pages.
CQ Researcher
Introduction to and in-depth coverage of the most important issues of the day. Full-text articles include an overview, historical background, chronology, and a PRO/CON feature, plus resources for additional research. Graphics, photos and a short "sidebar" round out the reports. Shorter "Hot Topics" articles provide a solid introduction to subjects most in demand by students.
Oxford Reference Online
This collection of reference books includes dictionaries, thesauri, and encyclopedias, both general and subject specific. Use this collection when searching for reputable background information on just about any academic topic.
SAGE Reference
Includes reference encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, and ebooks for business, communication, counseling, criminal justice, education, environmental studies, political science, psychology, public health sciences, and sociology.

Examples of Online Reference Books

Becoming Leaders: a Practical Handbook for Women in Engineering, Science, and Technology by F. Mary Williams; Carolyn J. Emerson
ISBN: 9780784481998

Publication Date: 2019
A PhD Is Not Enough! A Guide to Survival in Science by Peter J. Feibelman
ISBN: 0465025331

Publication Date: 2011

Everything you ever need to know about making it as a scientist. Despite your graduate education, brainpower, and technical prowess, your career in scientific research is far from assured. Permanent positions are scarce, science survival is rarely part of formal graduate training, and a good mentor is hard to find. In A Ph.D. Is Not Enough!, physicist Peter J. Feibelman lays out a rational path to a fulfilling long-term research career. He offers sound advice on selecting a thesis or postdoctoral adviser; choosing among research jobs in academia, government laboratories, and industry; preparing for an employment interview; and defining a research program. The guidance offered in A Ph.D. Is Not Enough! will help you make your oral presentations more effective, your journal articles more compelling, and your grant proposals more successful.
Encyclopedia of American Industries
Publication Date: 2008

Discover which types of industries employ people in different careers.

Research Guides

ARCHIVED:2020 FYSEM 1010-10: So You Want to be a Scientist or Engineer (Stanley): Pre-Search Resources

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Ask a Librarian 24/7

Terminology when searching library databases

TIPS for using Reference Materials

Reference = Background Information

Examples of Online Reference Books