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.
- Check your reading lists in Moodle, these are the best starting points, and then explore our Library resources.
- Think about what you need to find, which keywords to use, and where you are going to search.
- 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.
- 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
- 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.
To find print books:
- Search the Library Catalogue (second search box on the page)
- Filter your search on the left hand side to 'print books'
- For each book, note the floor, number and author code eg FIRST FLOOR 507.2/MAR
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.
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
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British pharmacopoeia
(Searchable in EBSCO Discovery)The British Pharmacopoeia (BP) is the official collection of standards for UK medicinal products and pharmaceutical substances.
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A collection of key pharmacy and medical textbooks. Make sure to register as a student on this platform.
Includes:
- Guyton and Hall Textbook of Medical Physiology
- Kumar and Clark's Clinical Medicine
- Mims' Medical Microbiology and Immunology
- Rang & Dale's Pharmacology
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Ebook Central
(Searchable in EBSCO Discovery)Access around 200,000 ebooks across all subject areas.
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Medicines Complete
(Searchable in EBSCO Discovery)Medicines Complete is an online platform with access to medical ebooks.
Includes:
- British national formulary
- British national formulary for Children
- Pharmaceutical excipients
- Stockley's drug interactions
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Science Trove
(Searchable in EBSCO Discovery)The University Library's Science Trove subscription is a collection of Biomedical Science e-textbooks from Oxford University Press.
Includes:
- Clinical Biochemistry FBMS
- Medical Microbiology
- Clinical Immunology FBMS
- Haematology FBMS
- Histopathology FBMS
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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:
Creating a search strategy
The following pages have been designed to take you step-by-step through the process of creating a search strategy.
They can be read in the order given, or if one step of the process is of particular interest to you - for example - Applying search techniques - you can go straight to that section.
TBC
When you have broken your topic down into concepts, you can start thinking more carefully about the vocabulary that may be used for each of the concepts you have identified.
- Alternative keywords will help you to broaden your search if you are not finding very much information on your topic.
- Alternative keywords 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.
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.
When you have applied your phrase searching and truncation, you are ready to run your search in EBSCO Discovery
When you have run your search in EBSCO Discovery, you may want to consider using Limiters to help you refine your results. The Using Limiters video highlights some of the limiters available to you.
EBSCO Discovery is a database that searches the majority of databases that we subscribe to. When you become familiar with EBSCO Discovery you might want to explore the more subject specific databases to enhance your literature searching. This video shows you how.
Independent Research - beyond the basics
To search databases systematically you must first consider the vocabulary you are using and how you combine your search terms. This Applying a search strategy library guide will help you in this process, or if you prefer to use mind mapping techniques this Choosing keywords guide may also help you.
Having decided upon your search terms you will need to use the advanced search screens of Discovery or your preferred databases to conduct your search. In some cases you may wish to use the search history function to develop a systematic search strategy. Advanced search strategies require you to utilize Boolean operators. The following video demonstrates how to use the advanced search option.
The University Library also provides access to a large range of resources to help you to develop your research skills. This includes the Sage Research Methods package.
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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.
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BioMed Central
(Searchable in EBSCO Discovery)BioMed Central is the largest open access publisher in the world, publishing over 200 peer-reviewed open access journals across the fields of biology, chemistry and medicine.
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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
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Medline
(Searchable in EBSCO Discovery)Locate articles from a large range of medical journals. Subjects covered include medicine, pharmacy, allied health, and pre-clinical sciences. Plus life sciences, including some aspects of biology, marine biology, plant and animal science as well as biophysics and chemistry. Contains journal article abstracts with links to the full-text where available.
This database is available to search on its own from the link above, plus you will find Medline results when searching Discovery.
How to search using MeSH (Medical Subject Headings)
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PubMed comprises millions of citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals and online books. Citations may include links to full-text content from PubMed Central and publisher websites
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Science Direct
(Searchable in EBSCO Discovery)Access 1000s of Elsvier articles and book chapters from our subscribed content on scientific, technical, and medical research.
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Large abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature covering all subject areas.
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Part of Web of Knowledge, includes records for thousands of scholarly publications. Search across three main citation databases (Science/Social Science/Arts & Humanities).
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British Medical Journal
(Searchable in EBSCO Discovery)
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A database of digitised UK doctoral theses offering free online access to theses of participating Higher Education institutions.
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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.
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SpringerProtocols
(Searchable in EBSCO Discovery)SpringerProtocols is the world's largest collection of biomedical and life sciences protocols with over 75,000 articles, key to reproducible science.
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Information related to health and social care. Includes Health Survey for England, NHS Quarterly Review, national health indicators and hospital activity statistics.
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Health Profiles provide a snapshot overview of health for each local authority in England.
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Statistics on public health topics
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UK National Statistics: Publication Hub
(Searchable in EBSCO Discovery)Official statistics from the UK Government.
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Access to more than a million statistics from many different sources. Useful for finding industrial, economic and consumer market statistical trends.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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A unique collections of films including award-winning documentaries, training films and theatrical releases on every topic imaginable. Content can be searched or browsed.
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Visible Body is a 3D human body reference and study tool. Explore general anatomy, functional units, cross sections, muscle attachments, bony landmarks, muscle actions and more.
To access this resource:
- You must register for an account either on campus using a university PC or the University wifi, or if off campus register using the VPN.
- Sign up with your University email address.
- Once registered you can use your account to login off campus.
- You must login on campus or via VPN every 150 days to revalidate your account.
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Online learning and training courses covering business and employability, as well as creative and technical skills.
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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.
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.