Product Review Paper
Choose a building product using trade magazines or library references. In your paper you’ll be justifying your choice of this product for use in a hypothetical building project. Research this project in-depth using Library databases, magazines, and the Internet.
Choosing Your Product
Your goal is to find a product that interests you. If you don't have one yet:
Come to the Library to browse journals and magazines
Browse online magazines in Flipster, Overdrive, or another article database
Browse trade websites such as Building Green, ARCAT
Search the Internet to get ideas of products
Library Journals and Magazines
A few suggested titles are below, along with where you can find them:
Architectural Record (available on Flipster and in the Art and Architecture Complete, Associate Programs Plus, and Business Source Complete databases)
Architectural Digest (Available on Overdrive)
Better Homes and Gardens (available on Overdrive)
Detail: A Review of Architecture and Construction Details (available in Print and in the Art and Architecture Complete database)
Domus (available in Print)
Dwell (available on Overdrive)
Engineering News Record (available online and in the Associate Programs Plus, and Business Source Complete databases)
Landscape Architecture (available in Print and on Overdrive)
Selected Book Materials
Additional Book Materials
Search in the Library Catalog for additional book materials. Some useful terms to use are:
- EBSCO eBook Collection
EBSCO eBooks Collection spans a variety of topics. Most books in this collection are in PDF format. Many titles in the EBSCO eBook Collection can be downloaded in their entirety to your computer or mobile reading device.
Search the Library Catalog
Use our catalog to find books, videos, and other resources in our collections.
Finding Information About Your Product
**You will need your COD MyAccess username and password to use the article databases from home.**
You'll find information about your product from a variety of sources. The most obvious choice is the manufacturer's website. Look for technical details and specifications provided for contractors or private consumers.
You'll also be looking for articles about the general category of the product, such as plumbing fixtures or lighting. To find articles from magazines and journals, use the Construction Databases.
Selected Databases
- Academic Search Ultimate This link opens in a new window
Academic Search Complete provides both popular and scholarly journal coverage and video clips for nearly all academic areas of study including: social sciences, humanities, education, technology, engineering, physics, chemistry, language & linguistics, arts & literature, medical sciences and ethnic studies. Academic Search Complete is a great starting point for most general research.
- Art & Architecture Complete
Art and Architecture Complete provides popular and scholarly articles, images, and videos for a broad range of related subjects including antiques, architecture and architectural history, archaeology, costume design, decorative arts, graphic arts, interior and landscape design, painting, printmaking and sculpture. Images are stored as PDFs.
- Associates Programs Source PlusAssociates Programs Source Plus is designed specifically for trade research. It includes a ton of full text articles from trade magazines, engineering-related journals, and news. Use it to find case studies, reviews of products, articles about manufacturers, and more.
- Business Source CompleteBusiness Source Complete provides access to content and indexing for 1,300 journals. This database is focused on business and management. Use it to find articles about construction management, case studies, product reviews, and other subjects.
- Flipster
Flipster is a digital magazine platform featuring popular and educational titles on a variety of subjects and interests. Printing and access to an assortment of back issues is possible. Available on desktop and mobile.
Sign in with your COD email to access this resource through the mobile app. - OverDrive
OverDrive is a growing collection of popular eBooks, eAudio and magazines available for download. Users may checkout materials for up to three weeks and place holds on eBooks and eAudio currently in use. Available in browser and on the Libby app.
COD Students, Faculty, and Staff sign in with their school email. District Residents sign in with their library card number and pin.
Learn about The Libby App by OverDrive here.
Or browse the online construction journals. This is a super comprehensive list. Look for titles that make sense for your purpose. For instance, Construction in Japan may not be a great choice. But a journal like Construction & Building Materials or the Journal of Construction Engineering & Management could be good choices. ALSO, make sure you choose publications from the U.S.
Using Websites
When you use a website as a resource, it is important to make sure the site is credible and unbiased. If you are using information from the manufacturer's website, you can bet that the information will be biased toward their own products. Be sure to look for diverse opinions about products! (google: review or comparison) When using other website material, such as sites that review products, make sure that the author of the article has professional qualifications. Here are some you can try:
- NFPA CodesIncludes the National Fire Codes, the National Electrical Codes, the Life Safety Code and many more National codes from the NFPA.
- Building GreenBuilding Green is an online trade magazine for architecture, construction, and related industries.
- Sweets Construction Building MaterialsSweets is an online catalog of building materials.
- ARCATARCAT is a search engine for finding building product information and product content such as specs, CAD and BIM.
Some Construction Management Websites
Codes, Standards, and Reference Materials
The Library holds many recent national codes, standards and building management guidelines from the International Code Council and the U.S. Green Building Council in the reference collection. Some older iterations of these materials are available for check-out in the general collection. Browse the Reference Construction materials here.
For fire codes, electrical codes and safety standards, consult this online resource: NFPA Codes Online. You'll need a current library card to access the NFPA from off-campus.
The International Code Council makes their codes freely available to read on their website. You'll not be able to print the whole code, but you can copy and paste small sections.
Create an APA Bibliography
A bibliography is a list of the information resources you used to write your paper. For help formatting your bibliography, use the Library's Citing Sources page for APA examples. For help citing your sources in the text of your paper, consult this guide from Purdue.
How to cite Codes & Standards
| Standards |
|---|
|
Organization That Made the Standard. (year). Title of the standard (Standard No. 1234). Retrieved from URL |
|
American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers ASHRAE (2012). Standard practice for inspection and maintenance of commercial building HVAC systems (Standard No.180-2012). Retrieved from: https//subscriptions.techstreet.com/products/625582 |
| Codes |
|---|
|
Organization That Made the Code. (year). Title of the code (Code name and number). Retrieved from URL |
|
International Code Council. (2015). Stop work order: Authority (International Building Code 115.1). Retrieved from: https://codes.iccsafe.org/public/document/IBC2015/chapter-1-scope-and-administration |
Getting Help with Writing Your Paper
The COD Learning Commons will work with you to develop a strong paper and help with editing your writing and developing a correctly formatted bibliography. Also browse the Purdue OWL site for tips on how to write a paper, do in-text citations, and create a bibliography.
