IEEE Xplore

Engineering and computing literature platform. Use IEEE Xplore to search IEEE publications in electrical engineering, electronics, computing and related technical fields, including journals and conference proceedings. It is a focused source and should complement the wider databases required by your review protocol.

Stage 1 Search Log All guides

01 · Access and sign in

Open IEEE Xplore

Open IEEE Xplore directly or through the UTM Library database portal. Institutional access may be needed for subscribed full text. A personal IEEE account can support personalized features such as saved searches; access to articles depends on subscription or open-access status.

Open IEEE Xplore ↗Official search guide ↗Official search/export help ↗IEEE Xplore search engine ↗

02 · Search for SLR

Search features to practise

Keyword and field searching; exact phrase searching; Boolean combinations; search refinements; publication-type and date filters; citation details; and saved search/history features when signed in.

Database coverage matters. Scopus and Web of Science Core Collection are citation-indexing databases. IEEE Xplore, ScienceDirect and Springer Nature Link are scholarly content platforms with their own search collections. Coverage and search behaviour differ; document each source separately and justify it in your protocol.

03 · Hands-on exercise

Build and test a search

Start from your review topic and identify two or three main concepts.
List synonyms and spelling variants for each concept. Combine synonyms with OR and concept groups with AND.
Copy the sample below and replace the terms with your own concepts. Check the database help page for field syntax and operators.
Run the search, inspect a sample of titles and abstracts, and revise unclear or over-restrictive terms.
Apply only filters justified by your scope or protocol. Record the exact query and search date before moving to another source.
Export available bibliographic fields, abstracts and keywords. Check the export and import the records into Zotero; retain the original export file.

Search approach: Break the topic into concept blocks. Combine synonyms with OR and separate concepts with AND. Try exact phrases, then inspect the search tips for punctuation, stemming and field behaviour before finalizing the query.

Adaptable example search string

("explainable artificial intelligence" OR XAI) AND ("intrusion detection" OR "anomaly detection") AND (IoT OR "Internet of Things")

Search IEEE Xplore using your concept blocks. Apply appropriate year, content type or publication filters. Inspect titles and abstracts, and check whether conference papers, journal articles or both fit your criteria. Export/save citation details using the options available in the record or result list.

04 · Record and carry forward

What to save after this search

An IEEE Xplore search record with the query, date, selected filters, results count and exported references; plus a relevant verified paper if found.

✓ Database/platform name and search date

✓ Exact query and fields searched

✓ Filters and total results retrieved

✓ Original export file and verified seed record

Important: IEEE Xplore has a strong technical scope but does not cover every discipline or publisher. Use it when relevant to your review topic and document why it belongs in your database set.

Record this search in the Stage 1 Search Log →Organize references in Zotero

Also see Keyword Matrix & Boolean Search · Keyword Matrix & Boolean Search · Database Selection