The Library purchases subscriptions to high-quality online resources for our students and staff to support your assignments, projects and dissertations.  

Download the University VPN system to access these resources anytime, anywhere!

Getting started

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. Consider the kind of information you need. For example you may want to start by finding definitions or background information. Alternatively you may be seeking statistics or research articles.  You can use the Ocean of Information to help you to understand the value of different sources.
  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.
  • 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 reference it correctly.

To find print books:

  1. Search the Library Catalogue (second search box on the page)
  2. Filter your search on the left hand side to 'print books'
  3. For each book, note the floor, number and author code eg FIRST FLOOR 507.2/MAR

To find ebooks:

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

Getting more help:

More about using the Library Catalogue

Video on finding books in the Library

Information about our click and collect service and postal loans for UK based Distance Learners

Breaking your topic into concepts

It can be tempting to put your whole assignment title into a database when you are searching for information, but if you do that the database will not give you focused results, and you may end up with a large number of irrelevant results.

To improve your search start by taking your topic title and pulling out your key terms, or concepts.

Considering alternative keywords

When you have broken your topic down into concepts, you can start thinking more carefully about the vocabulary.

  • Including alternative keywords will help you to broaden your search if you are not finding very much information on your topic.
  • Changing your keywords to specialised terminology will help you to narrow your search and make it more subject specific if you are finding too much information.

The Alternative keywords video explains the process in more detail.

Applying search techniques

When you have selected the alternative keywords for your search strategy, it is time to apply some search techniques to those keywords. The Applying Search Techniques video explains more about using “phrase searching” and truncation.

Running your search

These techniques can be used across different databases. Our biggest database is the Ebsco Discovery Service. You can find further information on using the limiters and filters to narrow your search results in the Discovery Service here: Using the Discovery Service | Library | University of Portsmouth

 

 

Explore our study skills resources below or contact the Science and Health Learning Support tutors for help on developing your study skills via their webpage Student Support Teams | Faculty of Science and Health

  • Sage Research Methods

    Access books and videos about quantitative and qualitative research methods and many more social science research topics. Use the Tools drop-down at the top centre of the screen to access a handy Project Planner which is full of FAQs about what you need to consider at each stage in a project/dissertation. Tools also contains a Methods Map which is ideal for quickly finding details about a particular research method.

  • Linkedin Learning

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

 

  • 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

  • Earth History and Palaeogeography

    (Searchable in EBSCO Discovery)

    This interdisciplinary volume is of use to anyone with an interest in the geological history of the Earth including researchers, students and geoscientists in the Earth and Environmental Sciences. It includes detailed maps and original diagrams. This interdisciplinary volume explains how plate motions and surface volcanism are linked to processes in the Earth's mantle, and to climate change and the evolution of the Earth's biota.

  • Encyclopedia of Earthquakes and Volcanoes

    This comprehensive A-to-Z resource explains the specific terms, concepts, people, and organizations associated with the sciences of catastrophe --seismology and volcanology --and covers the places in the world where these destructive phenomena have occurred, as well as key environmental issues, economic dilemmas, ethical concerns, and current advances in research and technology

  • Encyclopedia of paleoclimatology and ancient environments

    This interdisciplinary title provides an entry point to the rapidly expanding field of paleoclimatology—the study of climates of the past.

  • Encyclopedia of Quaternary science

    This encyclopedia has a very wide coverage of topics within the Quaternary sciences reflecting the complex and interdisciplinary nature of the science.

Databases and websites

  • Engineering Village

    Engineering Village consists of three databases: GEOBASE, GeoRef and Compendex. GEOBASE indexes journal literature across the earth sciences from 1980-present. GeoRef covers geological literature from North America (1785-present), plus geological literature from the rest of the world (1933-present). Compendex is the most comprehensive bibliographic database of scientific and technical engineering and computing research available. 

  • Google Scholar

    A variant of Google that searches for academic literature. Provides access to articles, books, conference papers and preprints. Links to Full-text @ Portsmouth on campus or when using the VPN.

    A Library Guide to this resource is available

  • 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.

  • 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). 

  • 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.

    Please note that our access to Nexis Uni ends in October 2025. Access to our replacement international news source, Global Newsstream, is live from 1st August 2025 so we recommend migrating across.

  • 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

  • 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.

  • Digimap

    (Searchable in EBSCO Discovery)

    Digimap is a collection of EDINA services that deliver maps and map data of Great Britain. We subscribe to the complete collection which provides access to modern and historic Ordnance Survey mapping, geological mapping, aerial photography, Lidar data, demographic data and more.

  • Marine Digimap

    Marine Digimap offers a range of hydrographic map and data products from SeaZone.

  • Defra Data

    Search environmental data to inform actions and decisions from the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra)

  • Office for National Statistics

    The UK’s largest independent producer of official statistics. Responsible for collecting and publishing statistics related to the economy, population and society at national, regional, and local levels.

  • 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.

Referencing

The library Referencing webpage provides lots of useful help and support on all referencing styles.

The Reference Management Tools library webpage is useful if you would like to find links for Mendeley, Endnote and other reference management software. The page links to help and support including step-by-step guides.