|
|
Biomedical Engineering is an interdisciplinary field that applies principles of engineering, biology, and medicine to develop technologies and solutions that improve human health and healthcare. By combining expertise in areas such as medical imaging, biomaterials, and instrumentation, biomedical engineers play a vital role in advancing medical diagnostics, treatment, and patient care.
This Library Research Guide will provide information about and access to some of the most significant research materials available from McFarlin Library related to Biomedical Engineering. The tabs above cover research options such as:
|
Selecting a research topic is much like deciding on a travel destination. Once you have narrowed your ideas to an interesting subject, write down a brief statement about this topic. For example: "Rock groups of the 60s, their popularity and major influence on the music industry." Once the topic is selected, write down specific questions that you'll want to answer. The research process will drive your destination. Your original topic may develop into something entirely different. You may choose to follow an alternate path and go down a different road.
After determining the topic, you can map out your route. You must identify the types of sources that will provide the information needed, then determine where to find these sources. Types of sources that should be considered include books, periodicals, the Internet, and other libraries (through interlibrary loan).
The key to finding books is the online library catalog called Discovery. Search in Discovery by selecting a keyword that best describes your topic. You can also search by title, author, subject, or keyword. In addition to books, the catalog allows you to search for periodicals, government documents, audiovisual material, and Special Collections.
If you get lost during your sight-seeing trip, stop and ask directions. The following reference sources will be most useful to acquire quick answers to any questions you may have.
Begin with Encyclopedias, then to get off the main drag, use Subject Encyclopedias.
What does it mean? Use a Dictionary.
How much, how many? Find Statistical Information.
Who? Find Biographical Information.
How can I get in touch? Use a Directory.
Where do I go from here? Bibliographies.
Periodicals include newspapers, magazines, and journals. They are published regularly, daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly. Journals are periodicals containing articles written by experts in a particular field of study. If the researcher wrote the article, is it a primary source. If reporters write the article, such as in popular magazines, it is a secondary source. Typically, journal articles contain extensive bibliographies that lead to additional sources.
Journal List - If there is a specific journal that you are looking for, this will take you directly to McFarlin's holdings.
Discovery - If there is a specific article that you are looking for, you can search Summon with that article's title.
Database List - If you don't have a specific journal or article in mind, then McFarlin's databases will allow you to search multiple journals with a keyword.
Academic writing in biomedical engineering encompasses formally communicating research, experimental findings, designs, and analyses within the discipline. This writing is characterized by its technical precision, adherence to scientific conventions, objective tone, and use of established citation styles such as IEEE or APA.
The types of academic writing in the field of Biomedical Engineering include:
Lab Reports
Lab reports are detailed accounts of experiments or practical investigations performed in laboratory settings. They are highly structured, typically including sections such as Title, Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, References, and sometimes Appendices. The report should clearly present the experimental goal, describe the procedures in enough detail to allow replication, display data (often in tables or figures), interpret results in a broader context, and reference relevant literature.
Technical Papers and Research Articles
This writing serve as a primary means of disseminating advances in the field and often introduce novel technologies, devices, or approaches. These are formal scientific manuscripts reporting original research, designs, or methodological innovations. Commonly structured in the IMRAD format (Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion), these papers provide comprehensive background, describe experimental or modeling techniques, present findings with supporting evidence, and analyze their significance. Biomedical engineering research articles often involve complex quantitative data, require rigorous referencing, and are prepared for peer-reviewed conferences or journals.
Design Project Reports
These extended reports document the process and outcomes of engineering design projects, usually as part of team-based, real-world problem-solving coursework. They include sections such as problem statement, background, design criteria, proposed and evaluated solutions, prototype development, testing procedures, results, and recommendations. Students explain the engineering design process step-by-step, including brainstorming, material selection, system integration, feasibility, and safety considerations—all supported by data and technical analysis.
In Biomedical Engineering, as in other fields of study, it is very important that you cite the sources that you use to form and articulate your ideas.
The two citation styles most used in the field of Biomedical Engineering are:
The links above will take you to the citation guides created by the Writing Center. Your professor should tell you what citation style you will be using for their class; if you aren't sure which style you should be using, please ask your professor.
For an excellent and free citation management software option, check out our page on Zotero.
For a quick and easy citation generator, try ZBib by Zotero.
