If you need some definitions of key words, or an overview of the area in which you are working, try looking at our online dictionaries, encyclopedias and other reference sources.
Use the Enterprise catalogue to:
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Search the Summon discovery service to find:
The results are limited to items covered by Library subscriptions, so you should be able to access everything you find.
Search Summon now using the box below:
If you need to perform a thorough literature search, for instance if you are starting your PhD, then you will need to search databases relating to your subject. These allow you to run very precise searches and enable you to extend your search to find publications beyond our collections.
Databases will give you references to journal articles, book chapters, books, and other types of publication. Some will give you full-text. Some databases will cover different types of materials, others will give access to only one type e.g. Index to theses. As the subject and journal coverage of these databases varies, you will need to search more than one database to ensure you don't miss useful references.
Google is not recommended for literature searching because you can't be sure of the quality and reliability of the information you find.
Instead try searching Google Scholar which only indexes academic websites. Scholar also covers institutional repositories, such as the University's own CentAUR repository, which can give you full-text articles written by academics at that institution. You can also set up your preferences on Google Scholar to show you when the full-text is available to you via our subscriptions. Beware that not all publishers allow their content to be indexed by Google Scholar, so you will need to search other reliable databases to ensure you don't miss vital publications.
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.