Finding sources
Searching the scholarly record properly, and knowing which sources your assignment will accept.
Finding sources is a skill with a method, and the method is not typing an essay question into a search box. It is building a search you can repeat, starting from a recent review, following citations backwards and forwards, and knowing which index holds what.
These guides cover the search itself, the filters that keep you inside what your assignment allows, how recent is recent enough, how many sources a piece of work really needs, and how to reach the ones behind a paywall legally.
48 guides
October 2, 2026 · 13 min read
Boolean search for research papers: AND, OR, NOT and phrases
How do I use Boolean operators and exact phrase search to find research papers?
How AND, OR, NOT, quotation marks, truncation and brackets work in PubMed, Scopus, OpenAlex and Google Scholar, and how to build and log a review search string.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
October 2, 2026 · 12 min read
Find a source to support a claim: search the claim, not the topic
How do I find a source to support a claim I have written in my essay?
How to turn a sentence into a search, find evidence for a statement in your essay, and check the source says it before you cite it, with three worked claims.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
October 2, 2026 · 13 min read
Non-English sources in a literature review: find and cite them
How do I find and use non-English and regional sources in a literature review?
Why reviews miss non-English and regional research, what the studies of language bias found, and how to search by language and by where authors are based.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
Citation cartels and citation manipulation: the documented cases
What are citation cartels and citation manipulation, and how do citation indexes and publishers respond to them?
Citation cartels, coercive citation and citation stacking: the documented cases, what Clarivate and COPE do about them, and how to spot a gamed count.
Postgraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
Do citation counts matter? How to judge a research paper
Does a high citation count mean a research paper is good, and how should I judge a paper instead?
What a citation count measures, what a good number of citations is by field, the h-index explained, and a checklist for judging a paper beyond its count.
Postgraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How recent should my sources be? The five-year rule explained
How recent should the sources in my assignment be, and can I use older ones?
How old can sources be? The date rules universities actually state, by subject, how to use seminal works, and how to find the newest evidence on a topic.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to do a scoping review: the JBI method and PRISMA-ScR
How do I do a scoping review, step by step?
A scoping review step by step: when it fits, the PCC question, protocol and registration, searching, charting, consultation, results and PRISMA-ScR.
PostgraduateResearcher
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to do a systematic review, stage by stage
How do I do a systematic review?
The stages of a systematic review, each from its own source: question, protocol and PROSPERO, search, screening, risk of bias, synthesis, GRADE and PRISMA 2020.
PostgraduateResearcher
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to find every paper by an author or in a journal
How do I find all the papers by one author, or everything a journal has published on my topic?
Find all papers by an author with ORCID, Google Scholar and open indexes, search a specific journal by its title or ISSN, and set alerts for new issues.
Postgraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to tell if an article is peer reviewed
How can I tell if a journal article is peer reviewed?
How to tell if an article is peer reviewed: the journal's own policy, Ulrichsweb, the DOAJ, received and accepted dates, and what is never reviewed.
Undergraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to write up qualitative findings in a dissertation
How do I write up the qualitative findings chapter of a dissertation or thesis?
Write up qualitative findings: themes and thematic maps, choosing and anonymising quotations, interpretation, reflexivity, COREQ and SRQR, with a worked example.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to write up quantitative results in a dissertation
How do I write up the quantitative results chapter of a dissertation or thesis?
Write a quantitative results chapter: its order, statistics in APA 7, p values, effect sizes, tables and figures, missing data, CONSORT and STROBE, with an example.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
Levels of evidence: systematic review, meta-analysis and RCT
What are the levels of evidence, and where do systematic reviews, meta-analyses and RCTs sit?
The levels of evidence pyramid explained from its sources, Oxford CEBM, Melnyk and GRADE, every design defined, and how to find reviews and trials by kind of study.
Postgraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
Types of academic sources: journals, books, preprints, theses
What are the types of academic sources, and which ones can I use in an assignment?
Every type of academic source explained from university library guides, with primary, secondary and tertiary by discipline, and when each can be cited.
Undergraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
Types of literature review and when to use each one
What are the different types of literature review, and which one should I do?
Ten types of literature review compared: purpose, protocol, reporting guideline, time and team, and which one a student dissertation can realistically do.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
What is open access, and how to find free research articles
What is open access, and how can I find free research articles legally?
Open access explained: gold vs green, hybrid, diamond and bronze, what the licences allow, and every legal way to read a paywalled paper, step by step.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
September 24, 2026 · 14 min read
Books for lifelong learners: how to choose, read and find them
How can an adult who is not a student choose, read and get hold of serious books on a subject?
How adults who are not enrolled can choose serious books, read a subject in order, get access through libraries and open courses, and keep a reading list.
Everyone
September 24, 2026 · 14 min read
How to find a book in a library near you
How do I find a book from my reading list in a library near me?
Where to look for a reading-list book, in order: your library's catalogue, holds and recalls, public libraries, interlibrary loan, SCONUL Access and WorldCat.
Undergraduate
September 24, 2026 · 14 min read
How to use BibTeX in a LaTeX thesis or on Overleaf
How do I use BibTeX for the references in a LaTeX thesis or on Overleaf?
How BibTeX entries, keys and braces work, biblatex or natbib, a LaTeX style for APA 7, IEEE, Harvard or Vancouver, one .bib per thesis, and the final check.
Postgraduate
September 24, 2026 · 14 min read
Move references between EdCitation, Zotero, EndNote and Mendeley
How do I move my references between EdCitation, Zotero, EndNote and Mendeley?
What RIS and BibTeX are, how Zotero, EndNote and Mendeley import and export them, what a move tends to lose, and how to check the list once it arrives.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
September 24, 2026 · 13 min read
Organise references with tags by chapter or assignment
How do I organise references with tags so each chapter or assignment has its own list?
Keep one master reference list, tag each source by chapter, assignment, theme and status, and pull out a clean list for each piece of work with no duplicates.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
September 24, 2026 · 13 min read
Reading a book for an essay and citing it as you go
How do I read a book for an essay without reading all of it, and cite it correctly as I go?
How to read a monograph, edited collection or textbook chapter for an essay, keep notes with page numbers, and cite it right first time in APA 7 and Harvard.
Undergraduate
September 24, 2026 · 13 min read
Research group shared sources: a lab reading list and citations
How should a research group keep its shared sources, from a lab reading list to the references in co-authored papers?
How a lab keeps one body of sources: a core reading list for new members, project tags, a journal club record, and citations its co-authors agree on.
Researcher
September 23, 2026 · 12 min read
A student research workflow, from the brief to submission
What is a good research workflow for a student paper, from the brief to submission?
Eight steps from the brief to submission, in order, with the reason for each step, the published evidence behind it, and the tool and cost for each one.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
September 23, 2026 · 13 min read
Biology and chemistry textbooks: what to buy and how to cite
Which biology and chemistry textbooks do students need, and how do they cite them?
The biology and chemistry textbooks Edinburgh and Southern Utah set for 2026, which edition to buy, and how to cite each one in Harvard, APA 7 or RSC style.
Undergraduate
September 23, 2026 · 14 min read
Business and management books for students, and how to cite them
Which books do business and management students need, and which edition should they use?
The books York and Edinburgh set business students for 2026/27, why editions matter, and how to cite a textbook, annual report and ONS release.
Undergraduate
September 23, 2026 · 14 min read
Computer science books and textbooks for your degree
What books does a computer science degree use, and how do I pick the right edition?
The computer science books MIT, York and Edinburgh set, how their editions differ, and how to cite a textbook or a conference paper in IEEE and APA 7.
Undergraduate
September 23, 2026 · 14 min read
Economics textbooks: which edition, how to cite, where to find
Which economics textbooks do students need, which edition should they use, and how do they cite them?
The economics books York, LSE, Edinburgh and MIT set, how editions differ, and how to cite a textbook, an NBER working paper and an ONS release.
Undergraduate
September 23, 2026 · 14 min read
Education books for teacher training: what to read and cite
Which books do trainee teachers and education students need, and how do they cite them?
Education books set at York, Reading and Southern Utah for 2026, why policy dates an edition, and how to cite a textbook, the Teachers' Standards and an EEF report.
Undergraduate
September 23, 2026 · 14 min read
Engineering textbooks and handbooks, in one place
Which textbooks do engineering students need, which edition should they buy, and how do they cite them?
The engineering textbooks, handbooks and standards set at Edinburgh and MIT, how to find the right edition by ISBN, and how to cite each in IEEE and APA 7.
Undergraduate
September 23, 2026 · 13 min read
English literature set texts and criticism: editions and citing
Which edition of an English literature set text should I use, and how do I cite it and the criticism?
The set texts, anthologies, criticism and theory on Warwick, Liverpool and QMUL lists, why the edition matters, and how to cite each kind in MLA 9.
Undergraduate
September 23, 2026 · 13 min read
Free academic books online for students, by discipline
Where can students find free academic books online, by discipline?
Fifteen legal sources of free academic books, discipline by discipline, with what each holds, its licence, whether it needs an account, and how to cite one.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
September 23, 2026 · 14 min read
History books for students: what to read and how to cite it
Which books do history students need, and how should they cite them?
The books York and Warwick set history students for 2026/27, why editions and translations matter, and how to cite them where author-date is allowed.
Undergraduate
September 23, 2026 · 13 min read
How to build a personal library for your degree
Which books should I keep for my whole degree, and how do I build a personal library?
Which books to keep for a whole degree, what essential and further reading mean, when to buy, borrow or use an e-book, and how to track editions.
Undergraduate
September 23, 2026 · 13 min read
How to find a textbook by ISBN or edition
How do I find the right edition of a textbook from its ISBN?
How an ISBN works, how to check one, why a textbook has a dozen of them, and how to get from a reading list entry to the edition it really names.
Undergraduate
September 23, 2026 · 13 min read
How to make a reading list for students and share it with a class
How do I make a reading list for my students and share it with a whole class or cohort?
How to build a reading list students use: essential and further labels, weeks, editions and access, yearly review, and one list shared with a whole class.
Instructor
September 23, 2026 · 13 min read
Law textbooks and books for students: editions and citing
Which law textbooks do students need, and which edition should they use?
The books Warwick and Kent set law students, why the current edition matters, how to find it by ISBN, and when to cite in OSCOLA, the Bluebook or APA.
Undergraduate
September 23, 2026 · 12 min read
Mathematics and statistics textbooks on 2026/27 reading lists
Which mathematics and statistics textbooks do students need, and how should they cite them?
The maths and statistics books Edinburgh, York, Cambridge and LSE set for 2026/27, why editions matter, and how to cite a textbook, R and a data set.
Undergraduate
September 23, 2026 · 14 min read
Medical textbooks for students: which edition and how to cite
Which textbooks do medical students need, and which edition should they buy?
The books medical schools set, from Warwick, Oxford, USC and Buffalo lists, how to choose an edition, and how to cite a textbook, chapter and NICE guideline.
Undergraduate
September 23, 2026 · 13 min read
Nursing textbooks for students: the core books, in one place
Which textbooks do nursing students need, and where can they find them?
The kinds of book a nursing degree reads, named from 2026 university reading lists, how to choose an edition, and how to cite a nursing textbook in APA 7.
Undergraduate
September 23, 2026 · 13 min read
Philosophy books for students: translations, editions, citing
Which philosophy books and translations do students need, and how do they cite them?
The translations Southampton, Edinburgh and Cambridge set, what Stephanus, Bekker and A/B numbers mean, and how to cite classics, companions and the SEP.
Undergraduate
September 23, 2026 · 14 min read
Psychology textbooks: what a degree reads, in one place
Which psychology textbooks do students need, and which edition should they use?
The psychology textbooks set on 2026 reading lists at York and Southern Utah, what changed between editions, and how to cite each one in APA 7.
Undergraduate
September 23, 2026 · 13 min read
Social work and sociology books and how to cite them
Which books and documents do social work and sociology students need, and how do they cite them?
The books and documents York and Southern Utah set for 2026/27, why law and translation date them, and how to cite each one in Harvard or APA 7.
Undergraduate
September 23, 2026 · 13 min read
Where to find free textbooks legally
Where can I find free textbooks legally?
Eight legal sources of free textbooks and academic books, what each holds, how each is licensed, what textbooks cost, and how to cite a book from any of them.
Secondary schoolUndergraduate
September 23, 2026 · 13 min read
Where to save references and keep them from course to course
Where should I save my references so I keep them for every module and year?
Why references go missing between modules and years, what a personal record should hold, where to keep it, and how to rebuild a list you have lost.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
September 22, 2026 · 12 min read
How many references should an essay or dissertation have?
How many references should an essay or dissertation have?
There is no official rule. Here is what university guides really say about reference counts, what markers look for instead, and how to find good sources fast.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
September 22, 2026 · 13 min read
How to find sources for a literature review fast
How do I find sources for a literature review quickly?
A repeatable method for finding literature review sources: the search string, review articles, citation chaining, the right databases and legal full text.
Postgraduate
September 22, 2026 · 14 min read
What is a DOI, and how to find one for an article
What is a DOI and how do I find one for an article?
What a DOI is, where it is printed on an article, how to look one up when it is missing, and how APA, MLA, Chicago and Harvard each want it written.
Everyone