A-Z Databases: Oxford Academic

You can access 'Oxford Academic' from the link below.

You will be logged in automatically if on campus, or accessing via VPN or a virtual desktop.

Otherwise, click the person icon top right then select the 'Sign in via your institution' option, enter 'University of the West of Scotland' then your university email address and password.

Basic search

Are you searching for:

• Journal articles only?
  • If so, choose 'Journals'
  • Enter your search terms then 'Search'. 
  • Your results will appear with options on the left to filter results by status, type, journal title and date.
• Any book on the platform?
  • If so, choose 'Books'
  • Enter your search terms then 'Search'
• A book from a specific collection?
  • Choose 'Books' then navigate to the collection, e.g. Very Short Introductions
  • Follow a link or enter your search terms to search within this collection.
• Any item listed on the platform?
  • Enter your search terms in the search bar at the top of the screen
  • Results may include multiple types of item and filter options will vary.

Using Boolean terms to focus your search

You can use 'AND' to combine your search terms and generate more focused results, e.g. artificial intelligence AND finance.

Similarly, adding 'OR' to your search widens the results.  This can help to capture a wider selection of relevant items when there are multiple descriptions for the same concept, e.g. teamworking or partnership working.

Navigating between collections

Search results and view options reflect your location on the platform. 

Use the the 'Oxford Academic' dropdown in the search bar to change location within the site, e.g. from Very Short Introductions to Journals.

Browsing

As well as searching for specific items, you can click the 'Subject' dropdown top left then 'Browse' to see all content related to a specific topic. 

You can choose to refine your display of results. Options include:

• Availability
• Date
• Subject
• Collection

Click the 'i' icon top right to learn more about the platform.  Topics include:

• Accessibility
• Registering for a Personal Account
• Comprehensive title lists
• Open Access options
• Citation metrics
• Text and data mining statements

• UWS has limited access to many items listed on the platform.  If the item you need is not available in full text, please see 'Looking beyond the library' section of our Dissertation Support guide for alternative options.
• Once you have opened a book or chapter, select 'Split View' for easier access to additional material, e.g. to display all the notes or figures/tables in a chapter.
• Use the 'Cite' option to generate a reference for the item.
• Register for a personal account to save items, create alerts when new items are published and more.

Accessibility Statement

This work in this guide is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.