Civil and Environmental Engineering  Tags: engineering environment civil_engineering  

Books are useful for in depth information, historical context, overview, synthesis and analysis. Often a chapter or two are all that is needed. The process of writing, editing and publishing means even the most recently published book may not contain the most current information on a topic.

Using Advanced Keyword Search in MARQCAT:

Identify words or phrases that represent the main ideas in your topic, then:

Try the words as "Any Field" searches for widest retrieval

Try the same words as "Subject" searches, then use the catalog's suggested headings

When you find a good book, check the list of Subjects  in the record of that book for additional ideas

Searches books in the Google Books project.  Identifies and ranks books with relevant content.  Click on book title/cover for more information including a 'Find in a Library' which will locate nearby libraries with the book and provide a link to search MARQCAT.  If the book is out of copyright and in the public domain, the full text can be viewed.

MARQCAT, the Marquette Libraries catalog, lists books, DVDs, videos, and CDs the library owns in print or electronic format. Search for books on a topic using either the 'Subject' search or the 'Keyword' search modes. See the Search Tips in the left column box.

Search by: Author Title Subject Words LC Call Number ISBN/ISSN Genre
for:
in: Entire Collection Funding Info Center Journals (Electronic & Print) Law Library Raynor Archives Raynor Reference Videos/DVDs

Advanced Keyword Search

Please fill in the boxes, select limits, and click
Submit (or choose a Simple Keyword Search):

Look for books and other items in libraries near and far. Most items you find may be requested through Interlibrary Loan.

The quality and relevance of information in books needs to be evaluated. Look for:

Authority of the authors, editors - Determine the expertise of the authors, does it match the subject content of their writing?

Scope of Content - Does the content cover your topic to the degree you need? Is it in-depth or does it simply provide an overview with little facts, details, analysis?

Timeliness - Is the content timely for your topic. This is determined by the time period of your topic.

For help finding book reviews see this research guide:
Book Reviews