ENGR 236: Technical Writing

After you've selected a new technology, start with some basic background research. Reference materials like subject-specific encyclopedias are great for this! These specialized references provide clear and reliable introductions, making it easier to grasp the basics.

To find an encyclopedia article on your topic:

• On the library homepage, search for the name of your technology in Search@UW. This should be short, only a few words.
• On the search results page, look for the Refine My Results filters, and select Resource Types > Reference Entries. You may need to click Show more to find it.
• Review the results, being sure to check the title of the encyclopedia or reference work and its publication date.
• If you don't see relevant results, try broader keywords. For example, instead of wind turbines, try wind energy or wind power.

Your background research should help you identify some of the key components of your paper outline: problems the technology solves, how it works, existing technologies or solutions to the problem, benefits of the new technology, and concerns with the new technology.

Conduct additional research on these topics using Search@UW on the library homepage, or in one of the databases listed below. These databases are more curated collections of resources that may help you conduct a more focused search.