The aim of your literature search is to find relevant publications to enable you to gain an understanding of the area you are working in, and to identify a knowledge gap which your project can address. You should concentrate on finding peer-reviewed journal articles, but these can be supplemented with information from books. Websites should be used with caution. All the literature you use should be cited and referenced following the guidance given on the 'Citing references' page in this guide:
Doing a literature-based project?
If you are doing a literature-based project then constructing your literature search (choice of search words, search strategy and selection of appropriate databases) will be a key part of your project and you should include this in the methodology section of your report. See the page on doing a systematic literature search for more guidance:
Journal articles are usually short papers on specific topics. They are published in issues or parts of journals (also called periodicals) which appear regularly. Use articles to find:
You can find journal articles via our Summon discovery service or online databases.
Search Summon
Search the Summon discovery service using the box below to find full-text journal articles available via the Library. Search using topic words or use it to find out if we have access to a specific article by searching for the article title.
Search databases covering your subject
You should also search relevant databases to widen your search. See the lists below of key and additional databases. They will give you references to journal articles and other publications - they may also give you the full-text of the article. They are not limited to the Library's journal subscriptions, so you may need to use the inter-library loans service to get hold of some articles.
If you are doing a lab-based project your should at least search Web of Science. If you are doing a literature-based project you will need to search all which are relevant to your topic.
Key resource for finding publications in the sciences of food and health. Includes over 5,500 journals, plus books, trade publications, conference proceedings, patents and more. Updated weekly. All journals are assessed for quality so you can be confident FSTA does not contain any fake science.
Use to search across a number of databases covering a range of subject areas. Provides references to journal articles, books, conference papers, patents, research data and other materials.
Gives references to journal articles, books, conference proceedings and patents in all subjects. Also offers extensive tools to analyse results, and measure impact for articles, journals and authors.
Resources for finding articles on business and marketing
Key business research resource holding thousands of full-text journals, dissertations, working papers, key business and economics periodicals such as the Economist, country-and industry-focused reports, and downloadable data.
Full-text articles in business magazines, scholarly journals and trade publications.
Access to over 2,500 business case studies covering a wide range of topics and industries, as well as leading global brands and companies.
Market research (UK)
These resources cover UK market information only.
Provides consumer and market research reports.
When accessing Mintel you may reach a screen that asks for the Client/Campus login. Please select the 'Login here' option next to 'Need federated login?'. You will be directed to the University Single Sign on page, please log in as normal.
Market research (global)
Global company and industry information.
Limited to 5 simultaneous users.
From 31 March 2025 we no longer subscribe to this platform. To find alternatives please see the Business, digital business, management and accounting guide.
Company info
A database of listed companies, banks and insurance companies worldwide.
This resource replaces Osiris from December 2022.
Our subscription entitles us access to companies described as Very Large. See description below
Key database
Chemical information, plus references to articles and patents in this subject.
Register to use SciFinder now (University username and password required)
Registration is subject to the terms of the CAS Privacy Policy
Additional resources
Access to the full-text of American Chemical Society journals, including the archive.
Continuously updated methods of chemical analysis approved by AOAC International (formerly the Association of Official Analytical Chemists).
An integrated chemical information system. Use to find physical properties, structures and reactions. Includes inorganic (Gmelin) and organic chemistry (Beilstein). also gives references to articles and patents.
Journal articles and e-books in chemistry.
Foodlaw-Reading
THE portal for sources of food law compiled by Dr David Jukes from the University of Reading. Includes links to the main sources of legislation and key legal topics including additives, flavourings and labelling.
UK legislation
LexisLibrary and Westlaw UK provide the text of Acts and Statutory Instruments in force. The UK's Government's official Legislation.gov.uk website provides free access to original and revised versions of legislation, but this is not as up-to-date as LexisLibrary and Westlaw UK.
Legislation from other countries
This can be harder to find. The following are useful portals.
Full-text of UK, US EU and Commonwealth legal sources.
For more detailed information on finding legislation consult the Law guide:
Key database
Additional resources
International statistics relating to food and agriculture.
Much content is freely available. We do not have a subscription, although individuals can register and download a restricted number of records.
OECD iLibrary provides access to data, metadata and analysis for OECD countries and selected non-member economies through e-books, articles, reports, tables and graphs, and podcasts. It covers a wider range of topics including GDP, health, employment, trade, income distribution, finance, agriculture, economic outlook and much more.
Provides quantitative data and statistics on over 80,000 topics from more than 22,500 sources.
See also our guide to finding statistics:
PubMed is a great place to search for articles and gives access to many freely available PDFs, but it doesn't show which ones you have access to via the Library. Install the LibKey Nomad browser extension for quick access to articles we have. It will display a 'Download PDF' button under each article accessible via the University:
Our Inter-Library Loans service can get articles, books and other publications not held at Reading from other libraries (usually from the British Library).
For more information see our webpages:
This playlist shows you how to prepare for and perform a literature search. The first video introduces literature searches and their role. The second video covers using the search operators AND and OR to create a search statement, and explains the role of wildcards and truncation in constructing a comprehensive search. This information is also available in written guides - see the links below.
Use the template below to help plan out your own literature search - identifying keywords and synonyms. There's also an example to help guide you and an example of adapting a search for different databases.
The Food Science and Technology Abstracts database (FSTA) is produced by IFIS (International Food Information Service). They have produced a range of support materials to help you make the most of this valuable resource for research in food and nutrition.
To present fairer, balanced academic work, it is important to include academic literature from around the world, representing all backgrounds. However, it can be difficult to find Global South examples from within English language databases with currently more Global North examples. This tab lists alternative search terms and strategies that might help us pick out Global South material. Use the other tab in this box to try useful resources and database features.
Definitions: Global South is a term currently used to mean countries of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean. Global North is used to refer to countries of North America and Europe but also Australia and New Zealand, with stong economies and influence.
Remember to include searching tricks as used in examples below:
Geographical terms
US/UK spelling and vocabulary
Be sure to incorporate in your searches different UK and American English terms and spellings, so as not to omit research from countries using one or the other language form. List alternatives with OR or insert a 'wildcard' or truncation term. Check the help on the database you are searching to find out if wildcards are supported and which symbol to use. For example:
Objective or subjective terms
Search for objective or even biased terms. For instance:
Decolonising literature searching, a detailed guide from Lancaster University Library, may provide further ideas
Databases with regional features
Gives references to journal articles, books, conference proceedings and patents in all subjects. Also offers extensive tools to analyse results, and measure impact for articles, journals and authors.
Use the Scopus 'Researcher Discovery' tab and limit by country of origin to connect with target areas and people.
Use to search across a number of databases covering a range of subject areas. Provides references to journal articles, books, conference papers, patents, research data and other materials.
Web of Science alows you to filter results by 'Countries/Regions'.
'Global south' resources
Use to find scholarly literature in sciences, social sciences, and arts and humanities published in open access journals from Latin America, Portugal, Spain and South Africa.
