Using Inspec to Conduct Literature Review in Engineering, Physics, and Computer Science

Inpsec is one of the most definitive databases for subject-specific and interdisciplinary research in the fields of engineering, physics, and computer science. Each of the 28+ million records in Inspec is assigned unique indexes (E.g., controlled & uncontrolled terms, subject classifications, chemical indexing, numerical data indexing, astronomical object indexing, IPC International Patent Codes, and treatment type codes). Precise and accurate indexing for each article by subject matter experts provides enhanced discoverability of content, allowing users to pinpoint relevant research quickly and easily.

During the literature survey and retrieval stage, precisely defining the research topic and translating it into effective search queries is essential for retrieving a comprehensive and relevant set of documents. The Inspec thesaurus—an authoritative corpus of physics and engineering terminology with more than 10,000 controlled terms and over 3,600 subject codes—supports this process. Its semantic technologies suggest relevant academic terms, helping users build topic knowledge graphs, create precise search queries, and improve literature recall.

For topics that involve physical properties and numeric parameter ranges, Inspec’s numeric search quickly filters and locates literature that meets specific criteria. Inspec’s chemical indexing also enables accurate retrieval of publications about materials and their roles in systems—especially valuable for literature reviews in semiconductors, devices, and condensed-matter physics.

Inspec treatment-type codes indicate authors’ research approaches (for example, theoretical, experimental, or applied), allowing users to quickly classify target documents via this index field and set priorities for in‑depth review and analysis.

Inspec Analytics further enhances literature review by visualizing publication statistics for specific research terms and showing co-occurring terms and subject classifications—helping users uncover research trends and gain deeper insights.

Join this workshop to see how to conduct literature reviews and identify research trends for STEM topics by using Inspec.

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