Skip to Main Content

Biosciences

Resources for Biological Sciences and Biomedical Science programmes

Getting Started

Not sure where to start?

Have a look at our How To... page for our three part tutorial on getting started with your research. The Starting Your Research tutorial is tailored to your School/Department. 

You will also find guidance on searching Library databases, provided by some of our database providers.

 

Roehampton University subscribes to a wide range of specialist research databases, free to access with your Roehampton login; those most relevant  to Biological and Biomedical Sciences are listed below. Most of these provide the full text, but sometimes just brief details (citation and abstract) of the articles. Click the Search4FullText button to see if you can access the article via our eJournals;  if not, you can order it free via Interlibrary Loan.

It is important to ensure that you are using authoritative, evidence-based, scientific sources of information, as opposed to non-academic sources such as newspapers, magazines, random web pages, social media posts, etc., which may present biased opinion rather than objective facts. The sources listed below adhere to rigorous academic standards, so you can trust the information you find there.

Top databases recommended for Biological and Biomedical Sciences:

To find out more about how to evaluate and use different sources of information, see the following:

Television and Video content - free to access with your Roehampton login:
Professional organisations: 
Other useful web resources:

Inter Library Loans

The Inter Library Loan (ILL) service gives students and staff the option of requesting books, book chapters and journals articles when we do not have them in the Library collection. The items are borrowed from the British Library and U.K. and Ireland institutions and are supplied for free.   

Inter Library Loans are not available for Alumni or our partner institutions. 

You can also check the availability for the item in academic libraries near you on Jisc Library Hub Discover; it may be faster to visit another London academic library through the SCONUL scheme.  

 

Inter Library Loan FAQs

What are Inter Library Loans?

How to I request an Inter Library Loan?

Where to collect my Inter Library Loan?

Returning an Inter Library Loan

How to renew Inter Library Loans?

Cancelling a request for an Inter Library Loan

Can I request a Theses via Inter Library Loan?

Using other Libraries

SCONUL

SCONUL Access is a scheme which allows many university library users to borrow or use books and journals at other UK academic libraries which belong to the scheme, or just the convenience of studying in a library closer to your home. It's completely free to join, find how more information here:

What is SCONUL and how can I apply?

The British Library 

The British Library at St Pancras, London is a national research library. It does not lend books nor does it aim to stock multiple copies of basic text books. If your research needs are not fulfilled by other libraries, see the British Library catalogue and Reader Registration. For more information about getting a Reader Pass, please see the British Library website. 

Specialist libraries 

There are many specialist libraries in London that may be of use to your studies. General advice for access: 

  • Telephone or email first as you may have to make an appointment to see the collection. 
  • Tell the librarian what you have already found and be specific about what you still need. 
  • Record all the bibliographic details of any material you use as you may not be able to recheck them.   

Other Catalogues 

  • Jisc Library Hub Discover is a national Library catalogue that accesses the catalogues of many of the largest UK and Ireland university libraries. 

  • London Libraries allows searches and provides information on special collections. 

  • ULRLS is the catalogue of the University of London Research Library Services. 

eduroam WiFi network

eduroam is a free WiFi network that allows students, researchers and staff to securely access the internet when visiting other participating institutions. See here for further details on setting up eduroam access for your visits to other institutions.