LibGuides: How to find conference papers: Home

Finding references to conference papers

The following sources include references to conference papers.

Conference Proceedings Citation Index
Gives references to publications from conferences, symposia, seminars, colloquia, workshops, and conventions in science and technology subjects, including: agriculture and environmental sciences; biochemistry and molecular biology; biotechnology; medicine; engineering; computer science; chemistry; and physics.

Covers 1990 to the present.

Help and guidance
Web of Science Training Portal
Google Scholar
Google Scholar allows you to search for scholarly literature from a variety of sources. For conference papers, add the word 'conference' and the year to your search, for example 'conference education 2018'

It is unclear which publishers are included in Google Scholar, so it shouldn't be used as your only source for a comprehensive literature search. For references to reliable, academic sources search our Summon discovery service or databases covering your subject.

Link to our full-text
You can set your preferences on Google Scholar to show links to full-text articles in all of our e-journals.

1) Click on the three lines on the top left of the home screen.
2) Select 'Settings'.
3) Select 'Library Links' on the left of the screen.
4) In the search box type 'Reading' and select the 'Reading University Library - Full-Text @ Reading' option.
5) Save your settings.

When you do a search, look for a 'Full-Text @ Reading' link to the right of references in your results list. This indicates that we have a subscription which will give you access to the article. Click on this link to access the full-text.

If the 'Full-text @ Reading' link does not appear next to a reference it indicates that it isn't covered by our subscriptions and you probably won't be able to access the article.

If you are off-campus you will need to login to access the articles. You will usually be prompted to login as soon as you click on the link to the article. If this doesn't happen you will need to look for an institutional or Shibboleth login link once you reach the journal's website. For more guidance see Accessing e-journals.

Google Scholar Button
Google have produced a plugin for Chrome, Firefox and Safari which allows you to easily search for and cite articles. Highlight the title of an article in the page you are reading and then click the Scholar button and it will search for the article on Google Scholar in a pop up window. To get a formatted reference for a search result press the quote button next to it and the reference will appear in three different styles.

To make the most of this tool set up the University of Reading as a 'Library Link' using the instructions above.

Databases in your subject may also cover conference papers. To find key databases in your area, click the following link.

Databases by subject
Explore key e-resources in your subject.

Getting hold of conference papers

Look out for the 'Search for item @ Reading' button or link when looking at search results on Library databases, such as the Conference Proceedings Citation Index linked above. Click on this to check if we have full-text access to the item.

If you are searching on Google Scholar look for the 'Full-text @ Reading' link to the right of a result. This appears if an article is covered by our subscription. To see this link you will need to be on campus or have set up your 'Library links' in Scholar by following these steps:

1) Click on the three lines on the top left of the home screen.
2) Select 'Settings'.
3) Select 'Library Links' on the left of the screen.
4) In the search box type 'Reading' and select the 'Reading University Library - Full-Text @ Reading' option.
5) Save your settings.

Inter-Library Loans

If the paper you need is not available online or in the Library we can try to get it for you via Inter-Library Loan.

Inter-library loans service
Use this service to get publications not held at the University of Reading.

Conference papers

Elements to include:

Author of paper
Year of publication (in round brackets)
Title of paper (in single quotation marks)
Title of conference proceedings: subtitle (in italics)
Location and date of conference
Publisher
Page references for the paper

Example:

Reference list: Jones, L. (2018) 'Polymer blends based on compact disc scrap', Proceedings of the Annual Technical Conference - Society of Plastics Engineers. San Francisco, May 6-9. Society of Plastics Engineers. pp.236-254.

In-text citation: (Jones, 2018)

Need further assistance?

If you need help with finding information, then please contact your Academic Liaison Librarian for advice.

Contact your Academic Liaison Librarian

Keeping up-to-date with conferences

Keep up to date with recent conferences by:

keep an eye on your social media accounts - most conferences now include hashtags in their branding, so that academics can follow conference proceedings and discuss papers or topics with others.
browsing tables of contents of new issues of journals in your subject - try out BrowZine for this
using alerting features on databases - such as re-running searches and setting up email alerts to be notified when additional articles on a subject or by a specific author are entered into the databases
using alerting services/newsletters from publishers

Further information, links, tips and examples are on our guide to keeping up-to-date:

Keeping up-to-date
Library guide to keeping up to date with new publications in your subject.

Finding out about upcoming conferences

Keep an eye out for upcoming conferences by the major institutions in your field by following them on social media. You can also find details using the following website:

All Conference Alert
Search or subscribe to receive alerts about upcoming conferences in your field.