BEN 111: Introduction to Biomedical Engineering 1

To search for information, there are two important things to do before you start:

1. determine what academic disciplines are likely to cover the information you need
2. determine possible keywords you can use for your search

Here's an example:

• Topic - patient ventilator tubing materials
• Academic Disciplines - Engineering, Medicine
• Possible Keywords - ventilators, tubing, materials, connectors

Choose tools that cover the academic areas you have identified, to search for journal articles. (Tip: Ask a librarian if you are not sure which databases to use!)

Citing the sources we use to provide information for our research is a vital and expected practice of all researchers, including all engineers.

There are many different types of citation formats, such MLA, APA, and CSE.

Some of the databases provide ways to get a pre-formatted citation, but some do not.  If you cannot find a pre-formatted citation, here are some guides to help you put the information into the correct format:

• MLA (Modern Language Association) 
• APA (American Psychological Association), 7th edition
• CSE (Council of Science Editors)

Whichever citation style you use, the important thing is to be consistent throughout your work.

Once you have an article or citation, the tools below can help you get to the full text of an article.