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Find books and journal articles
Get started
Watch the short video below to get started:
- Knowing where to search is just as important as knowing how to search.
- Not all search tools will give you access to the same information.
- Understanding why and when to use different search tools will save you time.
- The Library Catalogue:
- is a good place to search for scholarly material.
- provides free access to a variety of resources types across a range of subject areas.
- Databases:
- help focus your search and have more advanced searching options.
- Google Scholar:
- provides access to a wide range of resources, but not all of it is scholarly.
- use the Google Scholar link from the Library website for best access to full-text references.
- Some types of specific information are best found using a search engine or specific website.
- All resources need to be evaluated before using them.
Why use books?
Academic or scholarly books are written or edited by people with subject expertise. Books provide:
- background knowledge
- more comprehensive coverage compared to websites
- definitions of treatments, conditions etc.
- step-by-step guides
It is important to evaluate books you find, this guide from QUT will help you to evaluate:
Search for books
Search by title
If you know the book title and author surnames, you can also search the title using double quotation marks and include the author's surname to narrow your results:
e.g. "An Introduction to Language" AND Fromkin
Notice AND is capitalised and used to separate the author name and the title.
If there is a book available, you will see the option to Online access or borrow a print version.
Search by keywords
You can also search with keywords, for example, "speech therapy" AND teenager*
Narrow your results further by using the filters on the left-hand side menu. Go to Resource Type > Books, then Show Only > Full Text Online
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AccessPharmacy
The AccessPharmacy database includes:
- Textbooks covering Pharmacology, Pharmacotherapy, Pharmacy Management, and more
- Drug interaction animations, videos, games and quizzes
- Integrated drug database & herb/supplement database
- Drug-therapy cases
Why use journal articles?
Scholarly journal articles contain highly focused and current research information. They provide:
- up-to-date information
- answers to highly focused research questions
- an easy-to-digest structure: abstract, introduction, methodology, findings etc.
Start with the Library Catalogue
The Library Catalogue is a useful starting point in searching for resources. You can learn to search the Library Catalogue by working through the following step-by-step tutorial.
Click the button below to start:
Alternatively, you can search in some of the suggested databases below.
Key journal databases
- APA PsycInfo (via Ovid)The most comprehensive database for coverage of international literature on psychology and psychological aspects of related disciplines. Produced by the American Psychological Association (APA). Search across records describing articles from thousands of journals (99% peer reviewed) published from the 1800s to today. Records include subject headings from the APA Thesaurus. Filters available include research methodology, age group and more.
Search example: Emcare/PsycInfo
Emcare uses the same Ovid search interface and you can search the same way as you search for MEDLINE.
If you already have a search strategy in MEDLINE, you can simply switch the database to Emcare or PsycInfo:
STEP 1: Above the search bar, select Change
STEP 2: in the pop-up window, select Emcare or PsycInfo, then select Run Search.
- MEDLINE (via Ovid)The US National Library of Medicine database. Covers medicine, nursing, bio-medicine, pharmacy and allied health. Can filter by publication type.
Search example: MEDLINE
You can take advantage of the Advanced search to build up combinations of terms by:
STEP 1:
- Untick Map Term to Subject Heading
- Search all the keywords and synonyms using OR in your first concept.
- you will see your first concept displayed in Search History above.
STEP 2: Repeat this step for other concepts
STEP 3: In Search History, tick all your concepts and combine them with AND.
