Aerospace Engineering
Recognizing the Biases in Academic Scholarship
This box is an example of a tool of transparency used in our LibGuides.
In order to critically engage with scholarship, scholars need to be aware of the inherent problems within the system of academic scholarship. Be aware that many databases have inherent bias that reflect a primarily white, cis-male standard that permeates American society and academia. Even the terms we use to search for research are inherently problematic. By acknowledging these inherent problems, all scholars can participate in improving the academic and public discourse.
Engineering Librarian
Sarah Lester
she/her/hers
Contact:
Robert E. Kennedy Library Room 216F
Subjects: Aerospace Engineering, BioMedical Engineering, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Engineering, Engineering Reference, Environmental Engineering, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, Materials Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Standards
Scholar Representation by Race
This tally acknowledges overwhelming white majority in this field: the numbers indicate the racial representation of the scholars listed in this guide.
Black authors: 0 Indigenous authors: 0 Other POC authors: 3 White authors: 4
You will find this on many of our guides as a system to keep us accountable in looking at the racial diversity of the sources we provide.
Aerospace Databases
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Aerospace Research Central (AIAA Publications)ARC provides access to the following aerospace technology and engineering publications: AIAA Journal; Journal of Aircraft; Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics; Journal of Propulsion and Power; Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets; and Meeting Papers from 1998 to 2019.
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NASA Technical Reports ServerNTRS provides access to aerospace-related citations, full-text online documents, and images and videos – scientific and technical information (STI) created or funded by NASA. The types of information include conference papers, journal articles, meeting papers, patents, research reports, images, movies, and technical videos. Reports and documents date back to 1958 (NASA) and 1915 (NACA).
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SAE Aerospace and Vehicle Standards, Journals, and Technical PapersSAE MOBILUS provides standards and journals related to the aerospace, automotive and commercial-vehicle industries. Cal Poly users may access Ground Vehicle Standards, USCAR Reports, Aerospace Standards, and Aerospace Material Specifications, as well as all SAE international journals from 2013 to present and all SAE Technical Papers from 1990 to present.
Find Engineering Peer Reviewed Articles and Conference Proceedings
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Engineering Village (Compendex)Compendex is a comprehensive bibliographic database of scientific and technical engineering research, covering all engineering disciplines. It includes millions of bibliographic citations and abstracts from thousands of engineering journals and conference proceedings.
Users must have pop-ups enabled on their browser for Find It links to work. Ad blocking software may also block some functionality. -
IEEE/IET Electronic Library (IEL)The IEEE/IET Electronic Library provides access to full-text documents from publications in electrical engineering, computer science, telecommunications, electronics and related disciplines, including journals, ebooks, standards, and conference proceedings from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), John Wiley & Sons, and MIT Press.
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Web of Science (Core Collection)Web of Science (Core Collection) provides a single search across Arts & Humanities Citation Index, Science Citation Index, and Social Sciences Citation Index. Additional Web of Science databases are easily accessible.
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InspecInspec® is a comprehensive index to global literature in electronics, computer science, physics, electrical, control, production and mechanical engineering. Includes INSPEC Thesaurus, Classification Codes and other specialized search aids.
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Google ScholarGoogle Scholar provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature. From one place, you can search across many disciplines and sources: peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, abstracts and articles. Search results may be from academic publishers, professional societies, preprint repositories, universities and other scholarly organizations.
Help setting Library Links to access Cal Poly resources is available here.
Materials Databases and Standards
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ASM Handbooks OnlineASM Handbooks Online is a comprehensive source of information on ferrous and non-ferrous metals and materials technology.
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ASTM Standards & Digital LibraryThe ASTM Digital Library includes the complete Book of Standards as well as access to every book, paper, and journal article published by ASTM. ASTM Digital Library covers a broad range of engineering disciplines.
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ReaxysReaxys provides chemical properties and preparations for inorganic and organic compounds. It is searchable in multiple ways, including chemical structure, formula, physical property, and reaction. This is a combination of retired databases Beilstein (organic reactions, spectra, properties, etc.), Gmelin (inorganic) and Chemistry Patent Database. This database includes a chemical drawing program.
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SAE Aerospace and Vehicle Standards, Journals, and Technical PapersSAE MOBILUS provides standards and journals related to the aerospace, automotive and commercial-vehicle industries. Cal Poly users may access Ground Vehicle Standards, USCAR Reports, Aerospace Standards, and Aerospace Material Specifications, as well as all SAE international journals from 2013 to present and all SAE Technical Papers from 1990 to present.
Books and Handbooks
The following are some samples of handbooks in our collection
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Aircraft Design by ISBN: 9780521885164Publication Date: 2010-04-12 -
Green Aviation by ISBN: 9781118866351Publication Date: 2016-10-17 -
Handbook of Defence Electronics and Optronics by ISBN: 9781119184706Publication Date: 2018-07-23
Finding Patents
Patent websites and search tools
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The LensThe Lens is a free and open-source patent search tool that searches across multiple patent and scholarly research databases.
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European Patent OfficeProvides patent documents from 80 countries.
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Google PatentsCovers the entire collection of issued patents and millions of patent application made available by the USPTO, from patents issued in the 1790s through those most recently issued in the past few months.
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Japan Patent Office (JPO)Note: Use the Japanese translation of inventor name when searching.
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United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Patent Full-Text and Image Database (PatFT)The USPTO houses full text and images for patents issued for all patents from 1790+. Note: This search only includes accepted patents (it takes ~18 months from filing to denial/acceptance).
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UN World Intellectual Property OrganizationSearch applications from 27 national patent offices.
Research databases
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InspecInspec® is a comprehensive index to global literature in electronics, computer science, physics, electrical, control, production and mechanical engineering. Includes INSPEC Thesaurus, Classification Codes and other specialized search aids.
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ReaxysReaxys provides chemical properties and preparations for inorganic and organic compounds. It is searchable in multiple ways, including chemical structure, formula, physical property, and reaction. This is a combination of retired databases Beilstein (organic reactions, spectra, properties, etc.), Gmelin (inorganic) and Chemistry Patent Database. This database includes a chemical drawing program.
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SciFinder (Classic version)SciFinder Scholar is a research discovery tool that allows you to explore the CAS databases containing literature from many scientific disciplines including biomedical sciences, chemistry, engineering, materials science, and agricultural science.
Users must create an account before accessing SciFinder Scholar. Go here to create a new account.
If you have not accessed your account in the last 18 months, you will not be able to log in until you have contacted the CAS Customer Center and asked them to reinstate your account.
Concerned about account privacy? View the CAS privacy policy. -
Web of Science (Core Collection)Web of Science (Core Collection) provides a single search across Arts & Humanities Citation Index, Science Citation Index, and Social Sciences Citation Index. Additional Web of Science databases are easily accessible.