Guidelines for ELD Literature Guides

The Engineering Libraries Division publishes electronic-only editions of titles in their peer reviewed literature guide series. These guides are freely available as html files linked from the ASEE website.

1. Topics

Topics will be selected by the compiler and approved by the ELD Publications Subcommittee on Literature Guides. The scope of the guide will be defined by the compiler in consultation with the Subcommittee chair. Standard sections to be included in each guide are listed in Section 5. Additional information may be included at the discretion of the compiler.

2. Compilers

Compilers may be self-nominated or invited by the ELD Subcommittee on Literature Guides. Self-nominated authors will present their topic(s) to the Subcommittee Chair for approval. In other cases, the Subcommittee, working in conjunction with the Publications Committee, will select topics for ELD Literature Guides and identify an expert and ask that person to prepare a guide.

3. Reviewers

Literature Guides are peer reviewed using a double blind review process. Members of the Subcommittee on Literature Guides generally serve as reviewers. Other ELD members or non-ELD ASEE members may be asked to serve as reviewers when appropriate. Two reviewers will review for content. One reviewer will verify citations and check links. Reviewers will receive a letter from the Subcommittee Chair acknowledging their work.

4. Deadlines

Compilers should complete the first draft of the guide within a year. The reviews should be completed within two months of receiving the draft. Final work and compilation will be completed within another month. Speed in compilation and timeliness are essential. Compilers will be notified that, if they are unable to meet the deadline, someone else will be found to complete the project.

5. Content

There is no limit to the length of the guides, but authors should strive to include only the most important resources in each category.

Each guide must contain an introductory statement outlining the scope and target audience (undergraduate and graduate engineering students, engineers and information professionals) and a description of the arrangement of items within the resource guide.

Standard Sections

Certain sections must be included for each guide. The guide should be organized using the following standard section headings, in the order given:

• Introduction
• Bibliographies and Literature Guides
• Printed and Electronic Indexes and Abstracts
• Encyclopedias
• Dictionaries
• Include only dictionaries with definitions of terms - do not include multi-lingual dictionaries which do not define terms.
• Handbooks and Tables
• If there are non-bibliographic databases, include them in this section, and discuss section heading with the editor(s)
• Directories
• If applicable, include biographies, organizations, manufacturers and products. Organize entries by "sub-sections" related to type of directory - biographical, products, etc.
• Standards and Specifications
• Major Periodicals
• Major Conferences
• Selected Publishers and Information Services
• Include database producers, vendors, and any publishers not included in standard sources - title may vary according to items included. Document delivery services may be listed here if they deal with a specialized area pertinent to the guide i.e. Ask IEEE for Electrical Engineering

Optional Sections

Depending on the topic, additional sections may be included. Examples are:

• Important Books
• This may also include titles of monographic series. This section would be particularly useful for those subject areas which have no up-to-date bibliographies or literature guides.
• Numeric Databases
• Also see note under Handbooks and Tables in above list.
• Market Reports
• Yearbooks and Review Series
• Omit only if there are no yearbooks or review series in the selected topic.
• Internet Sources/Web Sites
• Include major websites only.
• Technical Reports
• Government Publications
• Patents
• Abbreviations/Acronyms
• Preprints/e-Prints/Reprints
• Include Institutional Repositories
• Research Labs

Additional content requirements:

• Each section should include an introductory paragraph describing the content of that section. Sample introductory paragraphs for the required sections are attached at the end of these guidelines.
• Full-text databases should be included in the appropriate section, i.e. full-text journals under the Major Journals section (if it is major). If there are questions, ask the Chair.
• Internet resources and web sites should be included in the appropriate section whenever possible.
• Inclusion of computer generated bibliographies (e.g., NTIS) which quickly go out of date is discouraged. If an entry could belong to more than one section, "See References" would be appropriate.
• Emphasize English language works. Include the major international sources only. Some compilers have missed major, definitive sources. As a double check, please be sure to consult standard literature guides as appropriate.
• Currency is important in the entries selected. Do not include anything over 10 years old unless there is a strong justification such as a "classic" work, no other source is available and the source is still valid.

These guides are meant to be highly selective, including only the most important resources in each category. Library jargon should be avoided. Entries should have brief, concise annotations. The annotations should be evaluative and informative, highlighting what each resource is particularly good for and what sets it apart from its peers. Annotations are optional in the periodicals and conference sections. If the compiler does not have a copy of the item to annotate, he/she should consider these options: a) obtain a copy through ILL, b) obtain a copy through professional contacts, c) find book reviews through Current Contents or other sources and summarize these for the annotation, d) request photocopies of key sections - preface, table of contents, introduction, or e) invite a guest annotation.

6. Format

Literature Guides are published in HTML format. Each guide consists of multiple webpages based on the standard and optional sections included in each guide. Each section will generally be on a separate webpage. Shorter sections can be grouped on a single page.

The first page or homepage for each guide will include:

• ELD Literature Guide banner [to be developed], title of guide, compiler, compiler's title and affiliation, date, and copyright statement.
• Introductory statement (described in Section 5, Content)
• Table of contents will links to various sections of the guide. The table of contents is based on the standard sections and optional sections described in Section 5.

All other pages will include: title of guide, section title, date, link back to TOC.

Citations for both print and electronic resources should follow:

The Chicago Manual of Style. 15th edition. University of Chicago Press, 2003.

7. Submitting Drafts for Review

[To be developed.]

8. Publication

[To be developed.]

ELD Literature Guides will be copyrighted by ASEE.

9. Updating, Revising, Archiving

Updating is critical and will be done every three years. The compiler will be responsible for updating the guide.

If the compiler decides not to update the guide then someone else may volunteer to update the guide. If the guide is not updated it will be retained on the website but the link moved to an Archive section of the website.

MEMORANDUM

July 19, 1994

To: Compilers of ELD Literature Guides
From: Beth Brin, Co-chair

The Guidelines for Compilers: ELD Literature Guides now require that each section of the literature guide "include an introductory paragraph describing the content of that section" (p. 2). The guidelines also state that "Sample introductory paragraphs for the required sections are attached at the end of these guidelines [to be done]" (p. 2).

The following is a compilation of sample introductions for some of the literature guides sections. All of these were taken from the Selective Guide to Literature on Advanced Ceramics compiled by Godlind Johnson. However, I did modify her introduction for the indexes and abstracts to contain materials from both the "Printed Indexes and Abstracts" and the "Computerized Indexes and Abstracts", and changed the section headings to correspond with Guideline section headings. Of the sections listed in the Guidelines, we do not have sample introductions for the following sections: "Bibliographies and Literature Guides", "Encyclopedias", "Dictionaries", "Handbooks and Tables", "Directories" or "Yearbooks and Review Series". The "Property Databases and Data Center" could be modified for the "Numeric Databases" introduction.

These sample introductions are available for your use, as compilers of ELD Literature Guides. Please modify as necessary for your particular guide. For those sections which still do not have an introduction, you will need to create your own introduction. My plans are to "lift" introductory wording from the first guide(s) that come through, and send those introductions to other compilers, for their use. Please let me know if you have a problem with this method of obtaining introductory material. The one restriction on using these introductory paragraphs, is that IF you choose to publish somewhere other than with ASEE (ELD), you will need to delete the introductory paragraphs or receive permission from ASEE to use them (since ASEE has the copyright to the material).

PRINTED AND ELECTRONIC INDEXES AND ABSTRACTS

Indexes and abstracts are the tools for locating not only journal articles, but also technical reports, conference proceedings, etc., by subject and/or author. At least one such index or abstract has been developed for each major scientific or technical field. Indexes list the subjects covered in a selected group of publications and supply the information necessary to retrieve the articles. Abstracts also include summaries for each article covered. Following is a list of Indexes/Abstracts very specific to the field of Ceramics or Materials Science, as well as some works with much broader scope, in which the ceramics literature is covered in some depth. Most of these titles will be found in university libraries, or in very large public libraries.

Indexes preceded by * are available in computerized format (i.e. CD-ROM, online, or diskette). Access to these databases is often available in university libraries, or individuals may establish their own connections to database vendors (for more information see Appendix on "Publishers and Information Services"). Names of vendors through which databases are available are given for each title.

STANDARDS AND SPECIFICATIONS

Engineering standards are rules for the uniformity, size, quality, performance, shape, definition and testing methodology of manufactured products. Standardization in the ceramics industry is still very incomplete. Advanced ceramics are too new, and even for the traditional branches of ceramics, except refractories, few standards have been developed. In the following are listed directories and databases which give subject access to standards and specifications, the standard creating agency most important for the ceramics industry (ASTM), and, at the end of the chapter, services from which standards and specifications can be obtained. Addresses can be found in the Appendix.

MAJOR PERIODICALS

Following is a select list of society and trade journals totally devoted to ceramics, as well as some journals with wider materials science coverage, but containing a substantial portion of articles relating to ceramics.

MAJOR CONFERENCES

Conference proceedings are the most timely and detailed sources of technical information in ceramics; often they can be more important than the journal literature. They appear in many different forms, e.g. as special issues of journals, or as books in a series. Often a conference proceedings is an up-to-date review of the state-of-the-art in an area and becomes a textbook or a treatise (several are listed in the section on Key Works). Following is a selected list of proceedings of the most prominent conferences that are held regularly, with an indication of where and how they are published, as well as some series which consist of regularly published proceedings.

IMPORTANT BOOKS

The titles in this very selective list of textbooks and treatises were chosen to represent a large body of literature, either because of their extensive bibliographies for further reading, or because they have handbook character, or as the definitive work about some aspect of advanced ceramics. Further works can be found in libraries' catalogs under the following subject headings: CERAMIC MATERIALS OR CERAMICS, or more specifically CERAMIC MAGNETS, CERAMIC MATRIX COMPOSITES, CERAMIC METALS, CERAMIC SUPERCONDUCTORS, ELECTRONIC CERAMICS, or specific ceramic materials, such as ABRASIVES, CEMENT, GLASS, REFRACTORY MATERIALS.

NUMERIC DATABASES

There are several research centers which are engaged in the critical evaluation of property data and in the creation of electronic databases of this information. Each center answers telephone or written inquiries by individuals. Telephone numbers are given. Also mentioned in this chapter are numeric materials databases which can be accessed through a library online search service or by individuals after establishing an account. Online vendor addresses can be found in the Appendix. It is important to note that new property databases are becoming available all the time. Up-to-date lists should be available in university and specialized libraries.

MARKET REPORTS

Due to the large market potential of advanced ceramics, especially in the electronics and the automotive industries, there is an abundance of market studies and overviews of research directions. A few of those incorporating a good technical review are included here, as well as two patent studies.