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IE 4360: Introduction to Human Factors Engineering: Searching Databases

This guide was created for Sarah Chowdhury's IE class.

Where to Search

Use Research Databases to find articles on your topic.

  • Databases are electronic indexes that provide searchable "lists" of articles that have been published in journals, popular magazines, newspapers, or other items on almost any subject you can think of!

  • Many of the databases contain full text, meaning that the entire article is available in the database, either in PDF or HTML format. Some databases do not contain full text articles. To find the full text of an article, use the Full Text Finder button or check the Periodical List.

  • The library has access to more than 600 databases, and choosing one is the first step for successful searching. You can choose a research database by Subject, by Name, or by Type. Try a database specific to your subject area for more advanced research by using the databases listed under By Subject.

What is Full Text Finder?

Look for a link like this one in the results list:

Full Text Finder is a process that will search all of the library's databases to see if the full text is available.

If the full-text article is available in a different database, the Full Text Finder results page will give you a direct link to it.

If the full-text article is NOT available in any database, you have a couple of options:

  1. First, check the Periodical List—the library may have a print copy of that journal instead of an electronic version. Learn more about requesting access to print journals in this FAQ.
  2. If the library does not own a print copy, request a copy of the article through InterLibrary Loan. Hint: if you use the link to ILLiad on the Full Text Finder results page, it will automatically fill in your request form.

Suggested Databases

Each database has its own keyword preferences, but the three most commonly used subject headings are "Ergonomics," "Human factors," or "Human engineering." Try all three for most complete results, i.e. [ergonomics OR "human factors" OR "human engineering"].

Engineering databases
Other databases

Finding articles by title