Getting Started
Not sure where to start?
Have a look at our How To... page for our three part tutorial on conducting library research. The Starting Your Research in Media and Communications tutorial (Part 2) has examples of searches related to education, media, linguistics and film, but the advice is relevant for all subjects.
You will also find guidance on searching Library databases, from some of our database providers.
Cite Them Right - IEEE Online Referencing Guidance
New Resource: Cite Them Right - Online Referencing Help
Please Note: Students using Harvard referencing should consult Roehampton's Harvard Referencing guidance.
You can find what you're looking for at the link below by searching or browsing and it works on your tablet or smartphone, so you’ll always have the guidance you need at hand.
You will find more 'Help and FAQs' at the top of the page once you have logged into Cite Them Right.
- Cite Them RightCite them right is a comprehensive guide to referencing almost anything you will come across in the course of your studies or research.
Essential Resources
Library subscriptions: free with your Roehampton login.
Academic Texts: Search these databases to find journal articles, book chapters and other research papers in your subject. Most provide the full PDF text, but sometimes there may be just brief details (citation and abstract) of the articles. Click on Search for FullText@Roehampton to see if you can access the full text via our subscriptions; if not, you can usually order it free via Interlibrary Loan.
ACM Digital Library, IEEE and O'Reilly are the specialist databases for computer science.
- ACM Digital Library This link opens in a new window
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A comprehensive collection of full-text articles and bibliographic records covering the fields of computing and information technology. The full-text database includes the complete collection of ACM's publications, including journals, conference proceedings, magazines, newsletters and multimedia titles.
- IEEE Electronic Library (IEL) This link opens in a new window
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The IEEE Electronic Library contains millions of journal articles and conference papers in electrical engineering, communications, and computer science, dating from 1936 to the present, as well as thousands of IEEE standards in key technology fields.
- Lecture Notes in Computer Science (LNCS) This link opens in a new window
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This distinguished conference proceedings series publishes the latest research developments in all areas of computer science. Published from 1973 it includes over 12,000 volumes.
- O'Reilly This link opens in a new window
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Thousands of e-books and videos in computer science, digital photography, technology, and business, accessible online and via the O'Reilly app. Also includes curated playlists, learning paths and case studies. Spotlight on O'Reilly blog post.
- ScienceDirect This link opens in a new window
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Contains over 2500 scientific, technical and medical peer-reviewed journals from the publisher Elsevier.
- Science Online This link opens in a new window
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Access to Science Magazine, Science Classic (1800-1996), Science Express and the News and Collections sections. Please note: Full text is not available off campus.
Current Newspapers and Magazines
PressReader is great for computing magazines and daily newspapers.
You can also access the past archives of several titles - find them via our A-Z Database list.
- PressReader This link opens in a new window
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Access thousands of current, international newspapers and magazines. You can also download the PressReader App. Note: To log in, click sign in at the top of the screen, select Library or Group, then find University of Roehampton and Sign In via Open Athens. Spotlight on PressReader blog post.
Open Access resources
Open Access materials are free to anyone, but checked for academic integrity, so you can trust the content. You can see a filtered list of Computing-related open access resources on our A-Z Database Guide.
Referencing and RefWorks
It is vital to acknowledge all the sources used in your assignments and cite them correctly, to avoid the risk of plagiarism. Computer Science programmes at Roehampton use the IEEE referencing style. You can use Cite them Right to check how to reference each item, and use RefWorks to store and manage your references. Full guidance can be found via the links below.
- Cite Them RightCite them right is a comprehensive guide to referencing almost anything you will come across in the course of your studies or research.
- Referencing Guides Links to all the referencing guides used in the University
- IEEE Referencing GuideComputer Science students use the IEEE referencing style.
- RefWorks GuideRefWorks is an online tool for storing and managing your references, provided by UR Library.
Writing Reports
See this guide on the Learning Skills Hub on Moodle for how to write computer science reports (you will need your Roehampton login to access).
For further advice and guidance for your assignments, visit the Library's Online Study Toolkit.
Research methods
- Sage Research Methods Online This link opens in a new window
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Provides help, guidance and tools for designing, writing and reporting research projects.
Free to all on the web, but checked for academic integrity, so you can trust the content.
- MDN Web DocsA fantastic learning area created by MDN (the Mozilla Developer Network). Simple explanations of web standards (HTML for structuring websites, CSS for styling them) and tips on web accessibility. Good resources to start with are the introduction modules to HTML and CSS.
- National Cyber Security CentreUK Government institution.
- Processing FoundationFree, open source processing software.
- W3SchoolsThe chief resource for learning HTML and CSS
Resources for Gaming
- Eludamos: Journal of Computer Game CultureOpen Access journal
- GamasutraA useful mine of blogs about game design, from a designer's perspective.
- Game StudiesOpen access, international journal of
computer game research. - Games StorytellingA snapshot of artistic and cultural game making across the UK, from the British Council.
- Journal of Games CriticismA non-profit, peer-reviewed, open-access journal.
- Loading: The Journal of the Canadian Game Studies AssociationOriginal, interdisciplinary academic research on video games.
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
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?
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
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Jisc Library Hub Discover is a national Library catalogue that accesses the catalogues of many of the largest UK and Ireland university libraries.
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London Libraries allows searches and provides information on special collections.
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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.