When to cite:
1) When you directly quote another's words or writing.
2) When you paraphrase another person's ideas
3) When you summarize a body of research
For more information, LeMieux Library has a concise guide called Cite Your Sources.
In addition to searching online equipment catalogs (for example, SnapOn), you may also try these sources:
Thomas Register HD9723 .T5 Reference
A large set of green catalog volumes on the main floor of the Valley Library. Use to find suppliers of industrial products and services in North America.
online as ThomasNet
Sweet's Catalog File TH455 .S95 Reference
A compilation of product catalogs for the construction industry. Main floor, Valley Library.
online as Sweet's Network
From the ASME Author Guidelines, Writing A Technical Paper or Brief:
References
Within the text, references should be cited in numerical order according to their order of appearance. The numbered reference citation within text should be enclosed in brackets.
Example: It was shown by Prusa [1] that the width of the plume decreases under these conditions.
In the case of two citations, the numbers should be separated by a comma [1,2]. In the case of more than two references, the numbers should be separated by a dash [5-7].
List of References
References to original sources for cited material should be listed together at the end of the paper; footnotes should not be used for this purpose. References should be arranged in numerical order according to the sequence of citations within the text. Each reference should include the last name of each author followed by his initials.
Patents are a rich source of engineering information. The easiest way to search for US Patents these days is to use Google Patent Search.
But, Google Patents does not search the US Patent applications, nor does it cover international patents.
US Patent and Trademark Office Search for Published Applications. The USPTO has a large backlog of patent applications that have not been processed.
The European Patent Office Search (eSpace) covers many countries, including Japan.
The ASME Author Guidelines omit how to cite web sites. Build web site citations that are similar to other ASME citations by gathering as much of the following information as possible:
Example:
Snap-On, Inc. 2007. "Air Ratchet Boots." Snap-On Online Tool Catalog. http://buy1.snapon.com/catalog/catalog.asp
OSU Libraries subscribes to specialized databases you can search to find citations and/or full-text articles:
Search technical papers of the American Society of Agricultural & Biological Engineers. Full-text access
Agriculture-related database, includes extension reports and covers ag and bio-engineering.
OSU Libraries full-text subscription to the journals of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
Search for abstracts and citations for articles and technical reports in the largest index of engineering literature. Goes back to 1970. Known as Engineering Index goes back to 1886 in print at the Valley Library.
Find scholarly articles and articles on .edu web sites. Change 'preferences' to add OSU Libraries holdings to the search results.