LibrarySearch

LibrarySearch can help you:

• find books, e-books, articles and other academic material in one place
• search a substantial collection of open-access research
• check whether Abertay provides access to a particular publication
• find print books held in the Library
• narrow results using filters such as date, format, subject and peer-reviewed status
• save useful records
• export references to RefWorks
• create alerts for new material
• manage your loans and requests through My Account

Always sign in with your Abertay username and password. Signing in gives you the most complete access options and lets you use the personal features.

LibrarySearch helps you identify academic material, but inclusion in the results does not guarantee that a source is reliable or suitable for your assessment. You still need to evaluate what you find.

LibrarySearch is particularly useful when you want to:

• find a book, article or other source when you already know its details
• check whether Abertay provides access to something mentioned in class, feedback or another publication
• search for academic material beyond your reading list
• search across books and journal articles at the same time
• explore a topic that crosses more than one subject
• find an open-access copy of academic research
• build an evidence base for an assignment, dissertation or other independent project

The amount and type of searching expected will depend on your assessment, subject and level of study.

For an extended literature review, dissertation or research project, you may need to combine LibrarySearch with specialist databases, citation searching or other discovery tools. No single search tool covers every relevant source.

Use this approach when you already have a title, author, ISBN, DOI or other publication details.

• Search for the title and the author’s surname.
• Put quotation marks around a complete article or book title.
• Search using an ISBN or DOI if you have one.
• Use the format and date filters if several similar records appear.
• Open the full record to check the publication details and available formats.

A record may show a print copy, an online version or both. Different editions and formats may have separate records, so check that you have selected the version you need.

If you found the reference through Google Scholar, Semantic Scholar, an AI tool or another website, search for the publication title in LibrarySearch rather than assuming that Abertay cannot provide access.

Start by identifying the main concepts in your topic. Use the LibrarySearch options to combine and refine them:

• use AND between different concepts
• use OR between alternative words for the same concept
• use quotation marks around phrases
• apply filters for date, subject, format or peer-reviewed material
• use Advanced Search to focus on fields such as title, author or publication date

For example:

"social media" AND adolescents

Review your results and adjust your terms if they are too broad, too narrow or not relevant. Useful records may provide additional terminology, subject headings and references to try.

The Skills Hub provides fuller guidance on developing and improving a search.

LibrarySearch includes records for material available through Abertay and for a substantial amount of open-access research.

To access an online publication:

1. Sign in to LibrarySearch.
2. Open the record for the item.
3. Follow the available online-access link.
4. Check for alternative providers or versions if more than one option is shown.

A result does not always mean that full text is immediately available. LibrarySearch may contain a record or abstract without access to the complete publication, and occasional linking or availability errors can occur.

If you cannot access an item:

• check that you are signed in
• search again using the exact title
• try another available access link or version
• use LibKey Nomad if you are viewing the publication on an external website
• follow the guidance on accessing full-text journal articles

Some LibrarySearch records include References or Cited by links supplied by external sources. These can help you find:

• earlier publications cited by a paper
• later publications that have cited it

These links are not available for every record and the citation information may be incomplete.

Google Scholar, Semantic Scholar, Scopus and Web of Science provide additional citation-searching features. Choose the service that suits your subject and purpose.

See Citation chaining for guidance on following research backwards and forwards.

When you are signed in, you can:

• save records to your favourites
• organise and revisit saved material
• export references to RefWorks
• copy references in different citation formats
• save searches and create alerts
• use My Account to check loans, due dates and requests

Check automatically generated or exported references against the original publication. Missing or inaccurate information can be transferred into your reference list.

LibrarySearch covers a large amount of academic material, but it does not search every specialist resource fully or provide every type of search feature.

Search the relevant resource directly when:

• your subject requires a specialist database
• you need subject headings or detailed discipline-specific search fields
• you are conducting a systematic or other structured evidence review
• you need specialist citation or research-impact analysis
• you need legal, market, statistical or professional information
• your tutor, supervisor or research method specifies particular databases

Resources that should normally be searched directly include:

• Construction Information Service
• Lexis Library
• Statista
• Westlaw

For health-related research, search CINAHL directly when it is important to use its specialist subject coverage and search features, even though many CINAHL article records also appear in LibrarySearch.

Coverage from some EBSCOhost databases may be incomplete. If relevant material appears to be missing, search the appropriate database directly, including:

• Business Source Complete
• GreenFILE
• Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection
• SPORTDiscus

Other discovery tools may also help with particular tasks:

• Google Scholar can help you follow citations and find repository or other accessible copies.
• Semantic Scholar provides AI-supported recommendations, citation links and optional generated features.
• Literature mapping tools can help you explore relationships around papers you have already found.
• Generative AI research assistants can support question-led exploration and comparison of papers.

The Search and discovery tools guide can help you choose between these routes.

If a result looks incorrect, an access link does not work or you receive an error, contact Library Services.

Include as much of the following information as possible:

• the title and author of the item
• the ISBN, ISSN or DOI, if available
• the LibrarySearch Permalink from the item record
• the access link or provider you selected
• the exact error message
• a screenshot of the problem
• whether you were signed in
• whether you were on or off campus

Email library@abertay.ac.uk.