Using Library Resources for Research
Library Support
As a postgraduate student you will need to conduct independent research and to identify, understand and use a wide range of information sources. The Library is here to help you at every stage of your research, including literature searching, referencing, managing information, and obtaining material not available in the Library collections.
Study Space
The Library has a dedicated postgraduate space with PCs on the First Floor (Room 1.22), accessible with your ID card.
Literature Searching
The Library subscribes to thousands of academic journals across a wide range of subject disciplines.
Library databases such as PubMed, Web of Science and JSTOR are the best tools for finding peer-reviewed academic articles. Databases bring together a large number of research articles on a particular subject area, and can be used to find full-text articles and to set up alerts on your chosen topic.
For a guide to the databases you have access to, see the A-Z List of Databases.
For help finding the most appropriate database for your research, you can use the Library's Subject guides.
Useful Links
Patter Blog by Pat Thomson (Professor of Education, University of Nottingham) covers all aspects of the PhD experience, from setting up your routine and getting organised to refining your topic and writing regularly.
Managing Your References
You'll need an effective system to manage the references and articles you find. The Library supports RefWorks - reference management software that can help store and organise your information, and create your reference lists and bibliographies.
Our RefWorks pages contain guidance on using the software.
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?