Constructing Consistent Comprehensive Searches in Large Engineering Databases—Tips and Recommendations for Literature Reviews

Engineering and STEM librarians and researchers regularly use a number of disciplinary databases for finding literature. For evidence synthesis (ES) research projects, knowing database capabilities and how to most effectively search each database is critical. The complex, often comprehensive search strategies necessary for ES reviews can require use of “advanced” search options and controlled vocabulary/index terms. However, the functionality of search interfaces used to access databases varies widely. Thus, searchers must expend more time and effort to translate searches consistently, as each database has different features and limitations. This article will cover major engineering databases used in comprehensive searches, including Engineering Village and more. Each database's search implementation will be explained using an example search on hearing disabilities in computing education, which was developed for a scoping review by the authors in collaboration with a faculty member and a graduate student from the Computer Science department at Virginia Tech. Aspects of advanced searching such as truncation, proximity searching, exact phrases, and controlled vocabulary/index terms will also be highlighted. Overall, these databases require more research into how to construct searches compared to some interdisciplinary databases, but still have their place in finding quality engineering research efficiently.