PLUG INsA Student’s Guide to Information Literacy

Information Resources

for ENGINEERING

If the information is “shoddy” or incorrect, nothing you do with it will be correct.

Think GIGO : Garbage In = Garbage Out

It is very important

that information for engineering

projects is accurate and reliable.

Can you find it from a simple Internet search?

Probably not.

Where can you find the accurate

and reliable information you

need?

HCT buys information in

the form of online databases.

Information in these databases is

much more reliable than free information from

the Internet.

Then, Databases

and e-Books.

From the HCT portal, click on Library.

Click on Databases and eBooks

Or, bookmark this page

library.hct.ac.ae

Click on Resources,

then Databases and E-Books

Click on EngineeringTechnology

Or, scroll down. Click on one of the databases.

This is ACCESS Science.

Click on Engineering and

Materials.

Click on a category, for example : Electrical and

Electronics Engineering.

Then, click on a topic,

for example : Electrical Circuits.

Many more topics will appear. Click on one, for example :

Amplifier.

You can link to encyclopedia articles

and research updates. There are dictionary entries

too.

Here is an example of an encyclopedia article.

You can print it or email it to

yourself.

We also have the McGraw Hill’s

ACCESS Engineering.

Enter a word in the search box

or click on a category,

for example : Electrical.

You can browse the reference books,

enter a word in the search box or do a dictionary search.

Another database is Green Files with information about ecology and the

environment.

Enter a search term. Tick Full Text or you may only get

only article titles.

If you want only newer information, put a year, for example 2006, in the

publication date box. This will get articles from 2006 to the

present only.

You can change the years or other options from this

screen.

Read the summary of the article. Click on

PDF Full Text if you want to read the complete article.

You can read the article

online, print it or email it to yourself.

For regular books and e-books, look in the Library Catalogue.

Go to http://library.hct.ac.ae

Enter a Keyword and choose your location.

For E-books, click on the website

and read online.

For regular books, note the

call number and find it on the shelves.

Lastly, there is the Project Starters Online.

This is a collection of websites selected by

HCT teachers. Go to http://el.hct.ac.ae/

Click on Engineering

Click on a Sub-topic.

Read the description of the website and

decide if it might be useful for you.

Ask your teacher or your friendly librarian

if you have any questions.

We hope this helps you find information for your engineering

projects.

HAPPY READING !

Thank you for listening.