Research Guides: EA222 Materials for Aerospace Engineers: Home

Getting Started With Your Research

As you start looking for information on your aircraft remember the following:

Don't forget that your device needs to connect to USNA's intranet to access the library's online materials. Otherwise, you may need to use the VPN.
You might start your search using a familiar resource like Google or Wikipedia. Once you find some initial background information about your aircraft, jump into Nimitz Search or one of our subject-specific databases to find the original sources and more in-depth information. Don't forget to look at any citations or references mentioned.
If you have trouble finding information, get in touch with the Engineering Librarian at durkinru@usna.edu.

Searching Tips for Specific Aircraft

Ask yourself the following questions about your aircraft to gather keywords for your searches:

Who manufactured it?
Who flew it?
What type of aircraft is it?

Try the following keyword combinations when using Nimitz Search:

The name of your aircraft; eg. F6F Hellcat
Manufacturer AND the word aircraft; eg. Curtiss AND aircraft
Who flew it AND the word aircraft; eg. Royal Air Force AND aircraft
Type of aircraft AND manufacturer; eg. bomber AND Boeing

If you don't find a resource on your specific aircraft, don't fret. You'll likely find an entry for it in a book about the manufacturer, the military force, or the type of craft.

Nimitz Search

If you're looking for information you can access right now, limit your Nimitz Search results to Available Online. This saves you a trip to the library.

However, we do have aerospace engineering information available in print that's worth checking out. Of note, the library has many volumes of Jane's All the World's Aircraft, an annual collection of production and specification information on civil and military aircraft, beginning with the 1909 edition.

You can find the most recent edition in our holdings at the reference section near the coffee bar and older editions on the third floor. Ask a librarian for help finding this resource.

Aerospace Engineering Databases

Advanced Technologies & Aerospace Database (Proquest) This link opens in a new window
Contains full-text articles, figures and tables on research, emerging technologies, applications and companies in the areas of aeronautics, astronautics, computer & information technology, electronics, communications, solid state devices and space sciences.
The collection contains advanced technology related full-text articles, granular access to millions of figures and tables within articles, and the entire range of bibliographic records from the Advanced Technologies Database with Aerospace (ATDWA). ATDWA brings together the most comprehensive bibliographic coverage of research, emerging technologies, applications and companies in the areas of aeronautics, astronautics, computer & information technology, electronics, communications, solid state devices and space sciences.
AIAA Aerospace Research Central This link opens in a new window
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics is the leading research body for aeronautics. We have full-text online access to most of its research journals. Additionally, we have access to AIAA meeting papers from 1963-2023.
The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics is the leading research body for aeronautics. We have full-text online access to most of its research journals. Additionally, we have access to AIAA meeting papers from 1963-2023..
Engineering Case Studies Online This link opens in a new window
Contains video and text material on engineering failures and successes including documentaries, accident reports, experiments, visualizations, case studies, lectures and interviews from engineering institutions around the world.
A comprehensive source for a wide range of video and text material focusing on engineering failures and successes that includes documentaries, accident reports, experiments, visualizations, case studies, lectures and interviews from leading engineering institutions around the world.
NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) This link opens in a new window
Provides access to scientific and technical information created or funded by NASA.
is a unified interface that provides students, educators, researchers, and the public with access to NASA’s historical technical literature, including conference papers, journal articles, meeting papers, patents, research reports, images, movies, and technical videos – scientific and technical information (STI) created or funded by NASA.

Help, I can't access this article!

Try these steps if you find an article and can't read it.

Submit an interlibrary loan (ILL) request. ILL is a service through which Nimitz Library obtains articles not in our collection from other libraries for your use. It's a pretty quick process, and we encourage you to use it.
You must be on the yard or connected via VPN to submit a request. Watch the video below for more information on how to get started.
Email the Engineering Librarian for help finding the full text of an article or book.

Citing Your Sources

Check out AIAA's website for information on its citation style and examples of how to use it.

Need a citation manager? Citations managers store your citations and output in-text citations and bibliographies formatted in specific styles. Zotero is a popular choice to manage your references.

EA222 Materials for Aerospace Engineers