The Library purchases high-quality subscription online resources to support your assignments.  
Download the University VPN system to access these any time, anywhere!

Getting started

Always start with suggested readings in your Moodle modules - your lecturers spend time deciding which resources to recommend:

  1. Check the 'Reading Lists' tab for any suggested resources and/or weekly lists
  2. See our Reading lists page for more information

Sometimes it can be difficult to get started with your research as there are so many sources and so much you could read:

  1. Check your reading lists in Moodle, these are the best starting points, and then explore our Library resources. 
  2. Think about what you need to find, which keywords to use, and where you are going to search.
  3. Try a trusted Library resource to suggest ideas, such as Credo Reference.
  4. Check the planning your assignment section on our information literacy pages to learn more. 
     

Can I use AI?

Check the University's student guidance on the use of Generative AI, such as ChatGPT. 

  • Using AI in academic work is a new and fast-changing area.
  • Examples of usage that might be considered appropriate are planning an assignment, generating ideas for further investigation, or helping find additional search terms or keywords.
  • For more information, see our Library pages on AI Literacy as well as this Understanding and Using AI tutorial (produced by our BaL Academic Skills Tutors). 
  • Be aware that sometimes the information generated in AI tools is not correct! Treat AI-generated content with as much caution as materials from Google or Wikipedia and ensure you use it appropriately.

Find books, journal articles and more in Discovery. It's worth finding out how to search this service quickly and effectively so that you can retrieve the most relevant content for your assignments:

I mainly use Discovery to find journal articles on a topic - see the Journals and Articles section below for more. 

Books

Books provide an excellent overview of a topic and are a great resource when starting an assignment.

  • For printed books, you can borrow and return 30 items and these automatically renew (but are recalled if wanted by another user). Use our Click and Collect service to reserve books and look at our postal loan service. 
  • Lots of ebooks are also available which you can read online, search within and annotate. Some ebooks have limits on how many students can access at the same time and restrictions on downloading/printing. 

To find books and ebooks, use the Library Catalogue (see below):

To find print books:

  • Search the Library Catalogue (second search box on the page)
  • For each book, note the floor, number and author code: FIRST FLOOR 330 MAN 
  • Most economics books can be found on Floor 1C in the 330s.

To find ebooks:

  • Search the Library Catalogue (second search box on the page)
  • Filter your search on the left hand side to 'Electronic Books'.  
  • Click on the title of the ebook to load the full record, and then 'Online access' to view.

VIDEO: Using the Library Catalogue

More about using the Library Catalogue

 

Journals and Articles

  • Finding, reading and referencing relevant journal articles will get you the highest marks. 
  • Look at the sections below to find out why you should use them and how to find them:

Why use journal articles?

Scholarly or academic journals contain lots of individual articles on specific topics, written by different authors. 

They are highly regarded as a source of academic information because they include expert opinions, research findings and references to follow up.

They are written by specialised professionals and academics (such as your lecturers).

The best quality journal articles are peer-reviewed which means they have been reviewed by an expert before publication.
 

Which are the best journals?

  • Peer-reviewed journal articles are the best place to start.
     

Where can I find journal rankings?

  • Advanced users may wish to find out which journals are the highest ranked in a subject area using these resources:
  1. cABS Academic Journal Guide (see Searching specific ABS journals below for more information)
  2. ABDC Journal Quality List
  3. FT Research Rank - 50 journals
  4. Scopus - click on sources and choose your subject area
  5. Journal Citation Reports

  1. Think about your keywords, where you want to search and how you will filter your results. The Peer-Reviewed Articles option returns the most academic content. 
  2. Watch: Using the EBSCO Discovery Service video (7 mins) plus additional guidance for EBSCO login screens

Sometimes Discovery turns up too many results that are not business-related! Try our business search instead below...

Our new Business Search Interface (BSI) is nearly here! 

Updating on 28th July 2025 - check back soon
 

Use this bespoke resource to find articles and more:

Google Scholar searches for academic content online.

  • It's a useful additional resource when looking for books, journal articles and other papers.
  • But you may be asked to pay for access to some resources and it does not have full search controls or filters like Discovery/Business Source Complete.

Scholar Settings

To save time, set Scholar to show which results you can access via your University of Portsmouth's library subscriptions:

  1. In Scholar, click on the three line icon in the top left corner
  2. Select 'Settings' and 'Library Links'.
  3. Enter 'Portsmouth' in the search box and select 'University of Portsmouth Library - Full-text@Portsmouth' and Save.
  4. Any results available via the University Library will now show a Full-Text@Portsmouth link on the right hand side.

Scholar also offers an alerting service, a referencing option and a times cited count.

Using Google Scholar guide

Browse and search recommended titles:
  • Try these databases and recommended journals if you need to find more Economics-related literature:

  • EconLit

    (Searchable in EBSCO Discovery)

    Find articles, book chapters, working papers and dissertations in Economics. In many cases (but not all) there are links to the full text of the document.

  • NBER Working Papers (open access)

    The NBER is committed to undertaking and disseminating unbiased economic research among public policymakers, business professionals, and the academic community. You can access all papers issued more than 18 months (open access) and request access to 3 newer working papers each year. 

  • RePEc [Research papers in economics]

    This is a collaborative attempt to bring together bibliographic records of economic research and working papers from over 99 countries.

Sometimes you might want to browse a recommended journal rather than searching across all publications for articles on a topic. Your lecturers will recommend journals you can use and it's always a good idea to reference some articles from these in your assignments.

You can search eJournals to find out which journals we subscribe to and to search titles individually.

Below are some separate journal subscriptions you may wish to explore:

Postgraduates and dissertation students
  • Try these options to get the best quality articles, great for systematic searches:

Use these powerful tools to find out which articles are citing other articles, to follow up references and to see which are the most highly cited articles. 

  • Scopus

    Large abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature covering all subject areas.

  • Web of Science

    Part of Web of Knowledge, includes records for thousands of scholarly publications. Search across three main citation databases (Science/Social Science/Arts & Humanities). 

  • Help videos

    1. Searching Scopus video - remember that Scopus uses " " for a loose phrase and { } for an exact match
    2. Web of Science Training
    3. Getting started with Business Systematic Searches - an introduction to using Scopus and Web of Science to search systematically - if you are tasked with this for an assessment, please check your brief carefully as it may differ on some points!

Sometimes your lecturers will ask you to find and use articles from specific journals which are highly ranked. The preferred method of ranking in the Business Faculty is the Chartered Association of Business Schools Academic Journal Guide.  This document shows you how to access the guide and then how to search within any journals you select.

Specialist Financial databases

Use the resources below to find detailed financial information:

  1. For further help and support, please self-enrol on the BaL Moodle site: Financial Database: Access and Guidelines. 
  2. If you are having trouble accessing data, look at this suggested reading list for possible alternatives

  • S&P Capital IQ Standard

    Similar to Bloomberg but web-based and available off-campus this contains deep global company information and market research as well as real-time and historical information on companies, markets, transactions and people worldwide. There is also a Ratings Direct tab which covers global, national and regional scale credit ratings and research. This tab is only available until May 2026. Most financial data can now be accessed in the new S&P Capital IQ Pro Platform.

    To access:
    1. Ensure third party cookies are enabled in your browser and sign in with your University username and password. 
    2. If you cannot see the login screen and get an error message, please check this FAQ. 

    Kaplan Students: register here to take your certification for this database.

  • S&P Capital IQ Pro

    The new interface for S&P (previously known as Market Intelligence/SNL Unlimited) includes most Capital IQ (standard) financial data, as well as banking information, news and analytics and information on millions of private companies. 

    To access:
    1. Ensure third party cookies are enabled in your browser and sign in with your university username and password.
    2. If you cannot see the login screen and get an error message, please check this FAQ.

  • Bloomberg

    Bloomberg is available in the Bloomberg Suite in the Richmond building.

    There are also 2 terminals on the first floor of the Library. These machines cannot be booked but are priority use for Bloomberg.

    Getting Started on the Bloomberg Terminal
    For more detailed queries, ask for help from your module coordinator or supervisor. 

  • LSEG Workspace

    Previously known as Eikon/Refinitiv/DataStream, use this product for financial data and ESG information. Single licence only, please limit your usage to one hour at a time. Help is available within the product.

    How to access:
    1. Click on the link above and choose Apps on the left-hand side. You will see LSEG workspace listed. Click through to access and wait for the login box to load:
      • If the licence shows as already in use (student1) continue by clicking on Sign In.
      • If it shows as Disconnected, someone else is using the licence so please try again later.
    2. Excel will open at the same time with the Workspace add-in connected.
    3. When you have finished, sign out of LSEG Workspace and sign out of the virtual machine.

    Need help accessing? Try this FAQ.

  • Audit Analytics

    Ideagen Audit Analytics tracks issues related to audit, compliance, governance, corporate actions and federal litigation from a broad range of public disclosures, including 60,000 SEC registrants; 7,000 Canadian SEDAR filers; 8,000 European companies; more than 5,000 insurance companies filing with the NAIC; over 17 million ERISA plans filing IRS Form 5500; and more. Access the US Audit and Compliance module, the US Accounting and Oversight module and the European Module all through one interface. 

    Register using the linked form - it takes 1-2 business days to approve your application and then you will be sent your login details and links to supporting guidance. 

Company and Industry resources

  • Try these resources for information on markets, industries and larger companies - they include market research, statistics, industry profiles and more. 

Video Introduction to IbisWorld, Mintel, Statista and WARC (7 mins)

  • GlobalData Explorer

    Search for and compare companies, industries, sectors, economies and cities across the world. Includes macroeconomic data, industry and company reports and analysis, business news, product launches and ads, and job analytics. 

    Library Basics Video Guide (further support videos are available within the database)

  • IBISWorld

    Provides a comprehensive collection of industry reports on very specific sectors in the UK as well as further specialist reports. Also covers industries globally, in the US, China, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

  • Mintel Reports and Mintel Trends

    Detailed market research reports on a range of UK sectors including: automotive; beauty and personal care; lifestyles; drink, food and foodservice; health and wellbeing; leisure; media; technology; and travel. Also includes access to Mintel Trends which provides evidence-backed insights on how today's consumer thinks, feels and acts. 

    Video support:
    1. Navigating Mintel and Using Leap AI
    2. Using Mintel Reports and Using Mintel Consumer Data

  • Statista: the portal for statistics

    Access to more than a million statistics from many different sources. Useful for finding industrial, economic and consumer market statistical trends.

  • WARC : World Advertising Research Center

    Specialist database with articles, research reports, interactive data and case studies covering advertising and more. Also includes some Euromonitor company profiles and strategy briefings.

    VIDEO tutorials on WARC's strategy, media and creative menus (please login above first to view these)

News services

  • Keep up-to-date and develop your awareness of the business world by using these services:

  • The Conversation - Business and Economy

    Search and browse, or sign up to the daily newsletter, for updates on major news stories, written by academics, often giving a different perspective. 

  • The Economist

    Leading weekly magazine covering global political, economic and business news. Includes archive back to 1997. App also available. 

    A full archive from 1843-2015 is available via Gale Historical Archive

    To access:
    1. Enter your University email address
    2. Select University of Portsmouth
    3. Sign in with your University username and password.

  • Financial Times

    Register using your UoP details to access the current FT, and the archive back to 2004, for business and commercial news as well as global financial markets, company and industrial sector information. You can also subscribe to newsletters or use the FT app.

    FT video

  • Nexis Uni

    Full text articles from many news sources and trade journals both UK and international. Archives sometimes stretching back to the mid 1980s. For use in the UK only.

  • PressReader

    PressReader lets you access UK and international newspapers, plus a wide range of magazine content. Everything is full colour with archives varying in length depending on the publication.

    Login guidance

  • Explore our other resources! We have case studies, tutorials and more:

Top Tips

To ensure you get the best quality information as quickly as possible:

  1. Use " " around phrases to restrict your search to more relevant results: "corporate structure"
  2. Use a site: command to look for information from particular organisations or web addresses
  • Type site: and the domain you want and then add your search terms: site:gov.uk brexit "financial services".
  • The most helpful domains when locating business information include:
     
    • site:org.uk - get an industry perspective on a topic with results from UK organisations 
    • site:gov.uk - find government policy on particular issues
    • site:parliament.uk - very useful for locating parliamentary research reports

For more tips, see Karen Blakeman's Google Search Commands and Google Search Tips

  • BoB: On demand TV and radio for education

    An archive of UK television and radio programmes from free to air channels (1998 onwards). For use in the UK only. Find some great tips about how to use BoB in these short videos.

  • Kanopy

    A unique collections of films including award-winning documentaries, training films and theatrical releases on every topic imaginable. Content can be searched or browsed.

  • Linkedin Learning

    Online learning and training courses covering business and employability, as well as creative and technical skills.

  • Policy Commons

    Access the world’s largest public policy database with 3.2+ million resources from 24,000+ global organizations. Covers topics like health, education, business, and more. Free registration needed for 25 searches a month. Watch this short video to see how it could help you.

  • American Economic Journal: Applied Economics

    Only available on campus or via VPN

  • American Economic Journal: Economic Policy

    Only available on campus or via VPN

  • American Economic Journal: Macroeconomics

    Only available on campus or via VPN

  • American Economic Journal: Microeconomics

    Only available on campus or via VPN

  • American Economic Review

    Only available on campus or via VPN

  • American Economic Review: Insights

    Only available on campus or via VPN

  • Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior

  • Audit Analytics

    Ideagen Audit Analytics tracks issues related to audit, compliance, governance, corporate actions and federal litigation from a broad range of public disclosures, including 60,000 SEC registrants; 7,000 Canadian SEDAR filers; 8,000 European companies; more than 5,000 insurance companies filing with the NAIC; over 17 million ERISA plans filing IRS Form 5500; and more. Access the US Audit and Compliance module, the US Accounting and Oversight module and the European Module all through one interface. 

    Register using the linked form - it takes 1-2 business days to approve your application and then you will be sent your login details and links to supporting guidance. 

  • Bloomberg

    Bloomberg is available in the Bloomberg Suite in the Richmond building.

    There are also 2 terminals on the first floor of the Library. These machines cannot be booked but are priority use for Bloomberg.

    Getting Started on the Bloomberg Terminal
    For more detailed queries, ask for help from your module coordinator or supervisor. 

  • BoardEx

    Includes company data on director profiles, compensation, committees, networks and boards.

  • British Standards Online

    Access thousands of UK standards. For educational use only - excessive downloading or printing is not allowed. 

    How to download a standard 

  • Credo Reference

    (Searchable in EBSCO Discovery)

    Explore Credo for trusted reference sources like dictionaries - a great alternative to Wikipedia! 

    Watch these short videos to get started:

    1. Search tips
    2. Using the automated mind map

  • The Economist

    Leading weekly magazine covering global political, economic and business news. Includes archive back to 1997. App also available. 

    A full archive from 1843-2015 is available via Gale Historical Archive

    To access:
    1. Enter your University email address
    2. Select University of Portsmouth
    3. Sign in with your University username and password.

  • LSEG Workspace

    Previously known as Eikon/Refinitiv/DataStream, use this product for financial data and ESG information. Single licence only, please limit your usage to one hour at a time. Help is available within the product.

    How to access:
    1. Click on the link above and choose Apps on the left-hand side. You will see LSEG workspace listed. Click through to access and wait for the login box to load:
      • If the licence shows as already in use (student1) continue by clicking on Sign In.
      • If it shows as Disconnected, someone else is using the licence so please try again later.
    2. Excel will open at the same time with the Workspace add-in connected.
    3. When you have finished, sign out of LSEG Workspace and sign out of the virtual machine.

    Need help accessing? Try this FAQ.

  • Emerald Insight

    (Searchable in EBSCO Discovery)

    Access thousands of articles from our subscribed peer-reviewed journals on topics like health, management, HR, and marketing. 

  • Financial Times

    Register using your UoP details to access the current FT, and the archive back to 2004, for business and commercial news as well as global financial markets, company and industrial sector information. You can also subscribe to newsletters or use the FT app.

    FT video

  • GlobalData Explorer

    Search for and compare companies, industries, sectors, economies and cities across the world. Includes macroeconomic data, industry and company reports and analysis, business news, product launches and ads, and job analytics. 

    Library Basics Video Guide (further support videos are available within the database)

  • IBISWorld

    Provides a comprehensive collection of industry reports on very specific sectors in the UK as well as further specialist reports. Also covers industries globally, in the US, China, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

  • Journal of Law and Economics

  • Linkedin Learning

    Online learning and training courses covering business and employability, as well as creative and technical skills.

  • Mintel Reports and Mintel Trends

    Detailed market research reports on a range of UK sectors including: automotive; beauty and personal care; lifestyles; drink, food and foodservice; health and wellbeing; leisure; media; technology; and travel. Also includes access to Mintel Trends which provides evidence-backed insights on how today's consumer thinks, feels and acts. 

    Video support:
    1. Navigating Mintel and Using Leap AI
    2. Using Mintel Reports and Using Mintel Consumer Data

  • MIT Sloan Management Review

    Only available on campus or via VPN

  • S&P Capital IQ Pro

    The new interface for S&P (previously known as Market Intelligence/SNL Unlimited) includes most Capital IQ (standard) financial data, as well as banking information, news and analytics and information on millions of private companies. 

    To access:
    1. Ensure third party cookies are enabled in your browser and sign in with your university username and password.
    2. If you cannot see the login screen and get an error message, please check this FAQ.

  • S&P Capital IQ Standard

    Similar to Bloomberg but web-based and available off-campus this contains deep global company information and market research as well as real-time and historical information on companies, markets, transactions and people worldwide. There is also a Ratings Direct tab which covers global, national and regional scale credit ratings and research. This tab is only available until May 2026. Most financial data can now be accessed in the new S&P Capital IQ Pro Platform.

    To access:
    1. Ensure third party cookies are enabled in your browser and sign in with your University username and password. 
    2. If you cannot see the login screen and get an error message, please check this FAQ. 

    Kaplan Students: register here to take your certification for this database.

  • SAGE Business Case studies

    Contains a wide range of case studies across different business areas.

    Video explaining Sage Business Cases

    FAQ: How to access a Sage Case Study from your reading list

    Lecturers: if you wish to access the teaching notes, please contact the Business Librarians for the instructor code and instructions.
     

  • Science Direct

    (Searchable in EBSCO Discovery)

    Access 1000s of Elsvier articles and book chapters from our subscribed content on scientific, technical, and medical research.

  • Scopus

    Large abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature covering all subject areas.

  • Statista: the portal for statistics

    Access to more than a million statistics from many different sources. Useful for finding industrial, economic and consumer market statistical trends.

  • WARC : World Advertising Research Center

    Specialist database with articles, research reports, interactive data and case studies covering advertising and more. Also includes some Euromonitor company profiles and strategy briefings.

    VIDEO tutorials on WARC's strategy, media and creative menus (please login above first to view these)

  • Web of Science

    Part of Web of Knowledge, includes records for thousands of scholarly publications. Search across three main citation databases (Science/Social Science/Arts & Humanities). 

Referencing

  • The Business School uses the APA 7th referencing style.
  • Access Referencing@Portsmouth to find out how to reference all your sources! Advice on chapters, articles, business databases as well as abbreviations, appendices, tables and more. 

Referencing guidance:

Can I use AI to generate references? 

Be aware that ChatGPT and other similar tools still invent some academic references. Using such fabricated information in your work is considered academic misconduct so you should always double check any AI generated references. They also make some mistakes with APA 7th style.

Referencing Software

All reference generators make errors! 

Ensure you check and edit your references before submitting your work.  View some common errors under our "Cite this" tools on databases section. 

There are many different ways to generate APA citations:

  1. Quick options - look for a "Cite" button in EBSCO databases, Ebook Central, Statista, Google Scholar and more...
  2. Advanced options - see our referencing tools page. The business librarian supports the use of Mendeley.