Engineering Information Sources in Academic and Non-Academic Settings
Engineers use a wide variety of information sources for their research and work. Information sources they value most depends, somewhat, on what kind of workplace they are in and what information they have access to.
As a student the type of information sources you consult also depends on your information need and assignment requirements. Sometimes it makes sense to consult scholarly sources, such as a journal article or conference paper, and in other cases it makes more sense to consult technical sources, such as a standard or manual.
Often it is useful and recommended to consult multiple different types of information sources. Using a variety of information sources and source types can help you get a more complete picture of a problem or topic.
Academic Settings
For engineers who work in an academic institution, the most highly ranked important sources in order from most to least important are:
Non-Academic Settings
For engineers who work in a non-academic setting, the sources most important are:
Content adapted from:
Harding, K., Carter, A., Ebrahimi, S., & Mueller, E. (n.d). Engineering and information: Research skills for engineers. Open Library https://ecampusontario.pressbooks.pub/engineeringandinformationresearchskillsforengineers/
Kaufman, J., Tenopir, C., & Christian, L. (2019). Does workplace matter? How engineers use and access information resources in academic and non-academic settings, Science & Technology Libraries, 38:3, 288-308, DOI:10.1080/0194262X.2019.1637806