Find materials by format + type

 Finding academic or scholarly journal articles

To find academic (also called peer-reviewed) articles by subject discipline, you can:

  • browse the Library's article databases by subject area and search individual article databases or:
  • go to the Books & articles tab of any research guide (arranged by subject)  to see databases recommended by our departmental librarians.

For general search tips regardless of discipline, see How to find journal articles.

Already have a citation? Try our From citation to article guide.

To learn more about scholarly or academic articles, see What is a scholarly (or peer-reviewed) journal?

Tip: Citations for book chapters can look like journal articles. Looking for a chapter from a book? See Finding a book chapter

 Finding books and media

To find books, videos, government documents, or to see which journals are in the Library's collection, use the Library Catalogue search guide.

 Finding a book chapter

In many cases, you can find a book chapter by searching for the name of the chapter, along with the author, or book title, or some combination of these, in the Library Catalogue or Library Search. If this doesn't work, try the title of the book (or book title and book author) without the chapter information. This may retrieve the book you are looking for, either print or online.

If you are not sure which is the book title and which is the chapter title, try searching for one at a time in the Library Catalogue or Library Search.

Is it a book chapter or a journal article? 

It can be difficult to tell whether a citation refers to an article from a journal or a chapter in a book. Some clues to look for:

  • A citation for a book should include place of publication and name of publisher, e.g. Oxford: Oxford University Press or New York NY Routledge
  • Edition information indicates a book and not a journal, e.g. 2nd ed.
  • Certain words like Press (for a book publisher), Vol. (for the volume of a journal), and Journal (for a journal title)
  • Indications of date or of volume and issue  like (3) 2005 indicate a journal article.

 Finding articles and other resources on the open web: Tips for Google and Google Scholar

For more focussed and sharply-honed searches, try these Search tips for Google and Google Scholar.

 When you find articles that aren't available on the open web (or where the publishers charge a fee), check to see if the Library can provide free access, using our From citation to article guide.

Evaluating search results

Even the best web search can lead to unreliable or misleading sources. Find out more about Evaluating sources and How to spot fake news: Identifying propaganda, satire, and false information.

 Other sources and publications