Improving Your Literature Search

admin — Thu, 14 Aug 2025 15:24:11 +0000

OPAC

With the help of the OPAC, the university’s digital library catalog, the entire print and digital collection of the TH Nuremberg library can be searched.

Searches can be conducted both by formal criteria (such as authors or titles) and by content-related aspects (including keywords or subject terms).

Via the tab “Union Catalog/Interlibrary Loan”, you can also search the collections of all Bavarian libraries and directly order suitable works via interlibrary loan. Electronic journals can be searched directly via the EZB. The traffic light system immediately shows you whether the library has a subscription and thus access to the full text.

Under the section “Literature Search by Faculty”, the most important databases are compiled. It’s best to start your database search here.

If you can’t find anything, you can search other free and university-licensed databases in DBIS. Here, too, the traffic light system shows availability. Access currently works via the university network using VPN, and in the future via EZProxy.

Important databases

The most important databases for engineering literature include the following:

Springer-Link contains the entire collection of the Springer publishing house. Books and journals licensed by the library can be downloaded in full text as PDF.
The WTI databases (incl. TEMA) contain over six million literature references with abstracts from all areas of technology. Full texts are often directly available or can be found via SFX or ordered via interlibrary loan.
IEEE Xplore – the database of an international professional association – contains not only journal full texts but also conference proceedings and valid standards.
The successor platform to Safari Books Online, O’Reilly, contains e-books and video material – incl. in electrical engineering, computer science, and mathematics.
In Perinorm, DIN standards, VDI guidelines, and VDE regulations can be searched. Reading and printing the latter is only possible in the library at the standards PC.

If you use the suggested options for literature searches, you can expect a high quality of results.

Literature search event

As part of your studies, attending a literature search event may be mandatory.

In addition, the library offers voluntary courses for the reference management program Zotero as well as thesis consultations. You can register via the library’s homepage.

Frequently asked questions

Who can help me improve my literature work?

The library offers voluntary courses for the reference management program Zotero as well as thesis consultations.

What can help me with my search if I can’t find anything suitable in the OPAC?

Use databases. The most important databases for engineering literature are: Springer-Link, WTI databases, IEEE Xplore, O’Reilly, and Perinorm.

Der Beitrag Improving Your Literature Search erschien zuerst auf Online Writing Lab.

database Archive - Online Writing Lab