In Search of Expertise (Part 7): Thesis Refs + Google Scholar

“Kilometers are shorter than miles. Save gas, take your next trip in kilometers.” -- George Carlin (American stand-up Comedian, Actor and Author. b.1937)

The “References” section of a typical thesis or dissertation offers potential in the identification of experts in a given area of technology.

Combine this information with Google® Scholar tools, and you leverage the value of that information.

Let’s use the following dissertation to illustrate the concept.

///////
The Low Load Limit of Gasoline Partially Premixed Combustion (PPC): Experiments in a Light Duty Diesel EnginePatrick Borgqvist
Doctoral Dissertation (2013)
by due permission of the Faculty of Engineering, Lund University, Sweden.Free Full Text Source: http://www.energy.lth.se/fileadmin/energivetenskaper/Avhandlingar/Borgqvist_doc_thesis_final.pdf References [Excerpt]
[1] “Emission Standards – European Union – Cars and Light Trucks”, www.dieselnet.com/standards/eu/ld.php
[2] Richter, M., Engström, J., Franke, A., Aldén, M. et al., "The Influence of Charge Inhomogeneity on the HCCI Combustion Process," SAE Technical Paper 2000-01- 2868, 2000, doi:10.4271/2000-01-2868
[3] Hultqvist, A., Christensen, M., Johansson, B., Richter, M. et al., "The HCCI Combustion Process in a Single Cycle - Speed Fuel Tracer LIF and Chemiluminescence Imaging," SAE Technical Paper 2002-01-0424, 2002, doi:10.4271/2002-01-0424
[4] Christensen, M., Einewall, P., and Johansson, B., “Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) using Iso-octane, Ethanol and Natural Gas – A Comparison with Spark Ignition”, SAE Technical Paper 972874
[5] Christensen, M. and Johansson, B., "Supercharged Homogeneous Charge Compression Ignition (HCCI) with Exhaust Gas Recirculation and Pilot Fuel," SAE Technical Paper 2000-01-1835, 2000, doi:10.4271/2000-01-1835 ///////
Here’s the strategy …

• Browse the references to find a title or titles of interest
• Google® Scholar search the title(s)
• Note the number of times the title has been cited. Presumably, the higher the cite count, the more authoritative the work is considered by peers within the field, and hence the greater the expertise of the author(s)
• Click the hyperlink for one or more authors of the selected item for more information on a given author