The purpose of this publication is to provide you with a starting point to finding resources in Environmental Engineering.
- Reference sources
- Books
- Journals
- Journal databases
- Internet resources
- Related guides and information
Reference sources
Reference sources are a good starting point for any assignment topic, as they can help to clarify concepts and keywords, as well as provide an overview of a topic. They include dictionaries, encyclopaedias, directories, handbooks, manuals, etc. Reference books marked GP REF are not available for loan, but can instead be used in the library while others are now available in the general collection.
| Call Number | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
GP REF |
The civil engineering handbook |
This handbook is organised into eight sections:
|
GP REF 624.03 9 |
A dictionary of environmental & civil engineering |
Lists over 15,000 terms and their definitions. Covers many aspects of environmental engineering, ranging from biological engineering to environmental law; air pollution monitoring to limnology; mechanical engineering to water treatment; and environmental regulation to forest management. |
GP REF 333.709403 6 |
Dictionary of natural resource management |
A comprehensive source of over 6000 natural resource management terms. |
GP REF 363.703 1 |
Dictionary of environment and sustainable development | A concise dictionary containing over 200 entries defining terms and concepts relating to environmental planning, management, conservation and sustainable development. |
GP REF 628.03 5 /2 |
Environmental engineering dictionary | Defines over 12,000 technical and regulatory engineering terms used in pollution control technologies, monitoring, risk assessment, sampling and analysis, quality control, and environmental engineering and science. |
GP REF 363.7003 8 |
The environment dictionary | Includes topics relating to environmental studies such as, chemistry, physics, geology and biology, as well and commonly used acronyms. |
| The green guide | An information directory specialising in environmental and conservation contacts in government, media and associations. |
Books
To find books on a topic, the best starting point is to perform a keyword search on the library catalogue. Once you have found an item that looks relevant, you can then use the subject headings assigned to that record to find other items. Alternatively, you can browse the shelves at the following locations:
| Call number | Major subject headings |
|---|---|
333.7 |
conservation of natural resources |
| 628 | environmental engineering |
| 363 | environmental protection |
| 347 | environmental law |
| 620 | noise control |
| 363 | pollution |
Journals
(Also referred to as magazines, serials or periodicals.)
The library subscribes to a large number of print and electronic journals. Journals cover articles about current developments and research in a subject area. Browsing relevant journals is a good way of keeping up to date in your area, and often your lecturer will recommend certain journals.
For a list of print and electronic Civil Engineering journals, perform a Subject search for “environmental engineering” on the Library Catalogue (using the Periodicals option). Journals are not available for loan.
topJournal databases
Locating journal articles is different from locating books. The Library Catalogue will tell you if QUT Library holds a particular journal but it will not provide information about individual journal articles. However, the journal databases will help you to locate references to journal articles, and sometimes the abstract and full-text of the articles.
The journal databases vary in the amount of information which they provide. If you find a reference to a journal article, but not the full text, then you will need to perform a Title search, using the Title of the journal (NOT the article) on the library catalogue. The library catalogue will provide the print and/or electronic holding details if the journal is available to QUT staff and students.
QUT staff and students can access the databases from within QUT libraries or remotely from your School, home or office via the Internet. Most databases require your QUT username and password. Access to the databases is available from the Databases page.
A selection of Environmental Engineering related databases are listed below.
| Database title | Coverage | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Cambridge Scientific Abstracts Internet Database Service (CSA IDS) | Various |
CSA IDS provides access to a range of database grouped into collections, including, the Environmental Sciences and Pollution Management Collection , Materials Sciences Collection and the Social Sciences Collection. |
| Compendex via Engineering Village | 1884- |
The Compendex database holds over three million summaries from more than 2,600 international journals, conference papers and technical reports. Approximately 22% of the database is conference literature, and 90% of the source documents are in English. Each year over 220,000 new abstracts are added from 175 disciplines and major specialties within broad engineering areas. |
| EIS: Digests of Environmental Impact Statements | 1985- |
Extracts the key issues from complex US Federal Government-released environmental impact statements, converting massive documents into concise, readable abstracts. Each entry includes a clear description of the project, sections on positive impact and negative consequences, and legal mandates. Over 8,000 records are available. |
| ELIXIR |
|
The database of the Department of Natural Resources & Environment. It indexes books, reports, theses, videotapes and pictorial material held by 18 contributing libraries with specialist collections in agriculture, mineral resources, conservation and land management. |
| ENGINE : Australian Engineering Database |
|
Contains more than 18,500 on Australian engineering. Produced by the Information Resource Centre of the Institution of Engineers, Australia. |
| Environmental Abstracts (EVA) |
1987- |
A collection of over 160 reference ebooks in engineering, including handbooks, manuals, standards etc. |
| National Pollution Inventory (NPI) Database |
Current data |
Provides information on the types and amounts of certain substances being emitted to the environment. |
| STREAMLINE: Australia's Natural Resources Database | |
Provides information on the types and amounts of certain substances being emitted to the environment. |
For more recommended databases, see the Databases Subject Guide (Built Environment and Engineering):
/find/databases/subjectguide_index.jsp#002000000
Internet resources
The Internet provides access to a large range of resources in the Environmental Engineering area. However, the quality of the resources varies, and as part of your research process, you will need to evaluate each web site. There are guidelines for evaluating information which can help you with the evaluation process.
A selection of authoritative Environmental Engineering related web sites are listed below.
| Website | Type of resource | Description |
|---|---|---|
| BUBL LINK / 5:15 Environmental Science http://bubl.ac.uk/link/e/ environmentalscience.htm |
Subject directory |
A catalogue of environmental engineering resources organised according to the Dewey Decimal Classification system. |
| Subject gateway | Online resources for engineers. | |
Government department |
Environment Australia advises the Commonwealth Government of policies and programs for the protection and conservation of the environment, including both natural and cultural heritage places. It also manages a number of major programs, the most significant of which come under the umbrella of the Natural Heritage Trust | |
Professional association |
Engineers Australia, is the largest and most diverse engineering association in Australia, with approximately 60,000 members. | |
US government agency |
Related guides and information
For further information about using libraries and the principles of searching the Library Databases and the Internet, try Pilot. It is a series of short interactive tutorials on finding information in the library and on the Internet.
There are also guides to citing information (in both APA and Harvard format), and how to find standards in your research area.