Information Sources for

English 3323:
Technical Writing

Kevin Drees
Engineering Librarian
Created June 2004
Updated March 2005
drees@okstate.edu
Edmon Low Library

Oklahoma State University

Stillwater, OK
KD 6/04

Content of this instruction:

Critical thinking skills

Keyword vs. subject search
Information Cycle: scholarly vs. non-scholarly
material
Primary vs. secondary sources
Subscription databases from Library via the
web vs Web search engines

Knowledge base of the library

Discipline/Subject Specific Databases
Format

Article,
technical reports
government documents

Availability (Print/Electronic)

Subject experts

Disciplines
Business/Financial
Engineering
Agriculture

Formats
Articles
Technical

Reports
Government Documents

Availability
Electronic
Print
Note:

using both the print and electronic

will increase the odds of finding useful
information and better composite
sketch of the topic, company, or
industry

Critical Thinking deciding about

how to search and what types of
sources to use driven by
audience analysis.
1.

Keyword vs. subject search

2. Information Cycle: scholarly vs. nonscholarly material
3. Primary vs. secondary sources
4. Subscription databases from Library
via the web vs Web search engines

Critical Thinking
1.

Keyword vs. subject search

keyword

search

Synonyms: targeted, exact, specific

Example:
company name

search use when

keyword fails.
Synonyms for subject search:
classification, category, broadened
searching

subject

Example:
industry, product type

Critical Thinking
2.

Information Cycle:
Analysis increases along the
cycle
scholarly vs. non-scholarly
material
Web (scholarly/non-scholarly) vs
subscription database (scholarly
except for news accounts)

Critical Thinking
3. Primary vs. secondary sources
preference of primary source materials
over secondary
Primary source material:
the article, speech, etc., verbatim
a good approach to get exactly
what was said
Secondary source material
A summary someone wrote by
looking at the primary source.
May contain an analysis in the
context of the discipline.

Critical Thinking
4.

Subscription databases from Library

via the web vs Web search engines

Understanding

the distinction

Knowledge Base

Subject Specific Databases

Business/Financial
Engineering
Agriculture
Format
article,
technical reports
government documents
Availability (Print/Electronic)

Business/Financial
Goal:

to increase your searching ability

in business and financial sources
keyword search
company name

search
Industry
Product type

Subject

Electronic
Hoovers
Factiva
Business

Source Elite
ProQuest Direct
Edgar

Print
& B Million Dollar Directory
NAICS (North American Industrl Class.
System) 2000
SIC (Standard Industrial Class.) Manual
Standard and Poors Register
Corporations
International Directory of Company
Histories
D

Print cont. definitely consult:

Value

line investment survey.

Stand & Poors Industry Surveys
Oklahoma Manufacturers Register
Oklahoma Directory of Manufacturers
and Processors
D & B Regional Business Directory

Summary - Business/Financial

keyword (specific) vs subject (category)

searching
Subject searching

Value line investment survey composite stats

S&P Industry Survey many tables and graphs

Articles description of the industry or

the company itself
Further assistance Librarians, reference
desk.

Engineering

Electronic

Compendex
EBSCO

Acad Search Elite

ASTA (Applied Science and Technology)
Biological Abstracts (multiple years)
Medline

INSPEC
IEL (IEEE Electronic Library)
Science Direct
Web of Science

Agriculture

Electronic
ASAE (American Society of Agricultural
Engineers)
CAB Abstracts
EBSCO

Agricola - compiled by the U.S. National Agricultural

Library (NAL)
Biological Abstracts (multiple years)
Biological & Agricultural Index

USDA (U.S. Department of Agriculture)

www.usda.gov

Technical Reports - defined

Are written to convey new developments or

final results of scientific and technical
research.
Are usually funded by government
departments or corporate bodies.
Deliver technical information to the funding
organization.
Provide a forum for peer information
exchange.
Anne Graham, Barker Engineering Library, MIT, grahama@mit.edu,
http://libraries.mit.edu/guides/types/techreports/definition.html, Accessed August 14, 2004

Tech Reports - locating

The most important resources for locating

tech reports and other info produced by the
Government for this technical writing course.

Library Catalog

Science.gov

Regular search
Limited to gov docs
site searches 30 Government agency databases and
makes use of 1700 agency selected websites pertaining
to science.
May not be able to pull the full text from this source.
Contact Gov Docs

Gov Docs Dept 5th Floor of Library

Gov Docs Librarians

Print vs electronic over date ranges
Identify agencies relevant to your topic

Tech Reports - locating

NTIS http://www.ntis.gov/

All (nearly) government publications are

available from NTIS (National Technical
Information Service)

OSU Gov Docs will request the item in

Microfiche take the NTIS record
(abstract and other data) to Gov Docs- 2
weeks- patron photocopy the mf copy

Government documents - defined

record of activities of governments

numerous agencies, regulatory bodies,
and departments
content ranging from agriculture to
zoology and impact on all academic
disciplines.
Authorship by agency, a unique
classification system, and a variety of
output formats often confound users,
Primary source materials readily
available from government sources
include verbatim testimony obtained
from congressional hearings and
environmental impact statements.

Government Documents
identifying relevant materials

Search the following in this order

Library Catalog
Regular search
Limited to gov docs
GPO Access

GPO Monthly Catalog

from the OSU Library Indexes and Databases Page

from the OSU Library Indexes and Databases Page

Google UncleSam

from the OSU Library Indexes and Databases Page

Gov Docs Dept 5th Floor of Library

Gov Docs Librarians

Print vs electronic over date ranges
Identify agencies relevant to your topic

Government Documents

Primary source material:

Example: Congressional hearings appear

Congressional LexisNexis via Indexes and Databases

page.
Science.gov www.science.gov
Thomas - (legistative information on the Internet
http://thomas.loc.gov/

Secondary source material

Example: search for Congressional hearings in a

source with major newspapers like New York
Times

ProQuest

How can I tell it is a Gov Doc

A government agency: EPA, etc

Found the publication in the GPO Monthly
(Catalog of US Gov Pubs)

Call numbers in Gov Docs 5th floor Libr

http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cgp/index.html
SuDocs (slashes and colons)
Jackson numbers (3 letters)

OSU catalog limited to Gov Docs on the limit

tab
_____________________________
Exception to the above sometimes non-Gov
publisher items are placed in Gov Docs _

Government websites via

agency or service
Thomas http://thomas.loc.gov/
Catalog of US Gov Pubs
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cgp/index.html
EPA www.epa.gov
Science.gov www.science.gov
NTIS (National Technical Information Service)
www.ntis.gov/
USDA (US Dept of Agriculture)
www.usda.gov
Dept of Labor http://www.dol.gov/

Business stats

Summary
Search

respective databases & print

sources
subject (category) searching as well as
Keyword (specific)
Locate primary sources as needed
Visit Gov Docs Library, 5th Floor