Web Resources. The unreliability of Web resources and the importance of evaluating and filtering Web pages using such techniques as CARDS has

been covered in previous sections. However, there is another technique for performing research on the Web that has not been discussed. Many times

6.2 COMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION RESOURCES

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TABLE 6.2 Examples of Print Information Resources Type of Print Resource Example

Technical encyclopedias McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology

Handbooks Perry’s Chemical Engineers’ Handbook, 7th Edition, New York, McGraw-Hill, 1997.

Electronics Engineers’ Handbook, 4th Edition, New York, McGraw-Hill, 1997.

Indexes Applied Science and Technology Index,

New York, H.W. Wilson Company, 1958–present.

Abstracts Chemical Abstracts, Columbus, OH, American Chemical Society, 1907–present.

Dictionaries The IEEE Standard Dictionary of Electrical and Electronics Terms, 6th Edition, New York, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 1997.

Textbooks Richard C. Dorf and James A. Svoboda, Introduction to Electric Circuits, 5th Edition, New York, John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 2001.

TABLE 6.1 Examples of Different Database Types Type of Database Examples Description

Index and abstract INSPEC Covers electrical engineering, computer sci-ence, and physics. Provides abstracts and indexes for millions of journal articles and conference papers.

Compendex/ Provides the broadest range of coverage Engineering for engineering. Includes citations and ab-Index stracts for millions of articles and papers.

Full-text IEEEXplore A full-text database of all IEEE

collection publications.

ScienceDirect An example of an individual publisher providing access to its publications through a full-text searchable database.

Citation database Science Citation Allows researchers to search for citations Index and abstracts as well as track journal citation

patterns for specific articles and authors.

the best way to locate quality information on the Web is to start with reli-able pages. Web sites from professional engineering organizations, col-leges, and universities, and pages maintained and recommended by other engineering professionals are all examples of reliable starting points. Table 6.3 includes a sampling of the different types of pages along with specific examples of quality sites.

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TABLE 6.3 Examples of Quality Web Sites

Type of Web Site Examples Description

Professional www.ieee.org The IEEE site contains information

organization on the society, their publications,

professional involvement, student resources, and electrical

engineering news.

www.asme.org As is common with other profes-sional Web sites, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers’

site contains a wealth of informa-tion about mechanical engineering as well as links to other related pages.

Information www.eevl.ac.uk The Edinburgh Engineering Virtual

gateway Library is a gateway of quality

engineering resources selected by subject specialists in each field of engineering.

Academic site www.avel.edu.au The Australasian Virtual Engineering Library is a search engine and gateway largely pro-moted and maintained by universities.

Engineering- www.edie.net/power Edie Powersearch is a subject-specific search search/index.cfm specific search engine focusing on

engine environmental engineering.

Search engine www.google.com Google is an example of the improving power and accuracy of search engines. However, it is important to remember that general search engines like Google do not discriminate in the pages they index.

T H E E N G I N E E R A S A W R I T E R

During the course of their career, engineers will likely be called upon to write memoranda and letters and prepare technical reports, journal articles, and specifications. Before considering these types of writing in detail, we shall dis-cuss some general guidelines for effective writing.

6.3 GUIDELINES FOR EFFECTIVE WRITING

In this section, we list several suggestions for becoming a more effective writer.

Although this list was compiled with the engineering student in mind, these guidelines are applicable for writing of various kinds.

1. Plan and organize your thoughts before writing. In the words of Strunk and White (4), “Planning must be a deliberate prelude to writing. The first principle of composition, therefore, is to foresee or determine the shape of what is to come, and pursue that shape.”

2. Prepare an outline. Many writers, especially those that are inexperi-enced, find it highly desirable to prepare an outline of the proposed work.

Such an exercise helps the writer to think through the composition and improve its logic and internal order. It also provides an orderly framework and basis for increased writing productivity and efficiency.

3. Avoid a boring structure. Make the paragraph the unit of composition. It should have a main theme and be introduced by a topic sentence. In tech-nical and other types of writing, it is often desirable to divide a composi-tion into chapters, seccomposi-tions, and subseccomposi-tions with appropriate headings or titles. To improve clarity and provide variety of style, present complex data or information as lists or tables rather than in narrative form.

4. Strive for brevity and clarity. “The secret of good writing,” Zinsser (5) states, “is to strip every sentence to its cleanest components.” Short sen-tences generally are preferred over long sensen-tences. Short words usually are better than long words (6). For example,

near is preferred to in close proximity to scarce is preferred to in short supply now is preferred to at this point in time

5. Adapt your writing style to the intended audience. Writers must consider the educational background, socioeconomic level, age, and interests of the readers, and choose a writing style that is appropriate to the intended audi-ence. For example, papers for technical journals may contain chemical formulas, theoretical calculations, detailed descriptions of research method-ology, and carefully drawn inferences and conclusions. Articles or reports intended for a general audience require a much different style—one that uses plain language and simple illustrations, and that stresses practical, per-sonal implications and applications of the information being transmitted.

6. Avoid the use of slang and fad words. Words such as “O.K.,” “terrific,”

and “tremendous” are not suitable for technical writing, which calls for a formal style. Fad words or expressions such as “prioritize,” “finalize,” and

“the bottom line” should also be avoided.