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Criminology & Policing

Library Search

What is Library Search?

Library Search is the main search platform that the Library provides its users. It brings together content from many different databases and publishers in a searchable interface.

The following link provides instructional videos about Library Search: 

https://libguides.derby.ac.uk/c.php?g=689420&p=5058785

How do I access Library Search? 

Library search is available from the Library Homepage, or you can use the link below:

 

 

 

Can I just use Library Search? 

It is absolutely necessary to use Library Search during your research journey. It provides access to different types of resources—including e-books, journal articles, newspapers, theses—as well as directing you to the Library's print collections. But you can search other databases to complement the work that you do in Library Search. Indeed, this is a really good way to conduct a systematic search of the literature.

Library Search defaults to showing you the content that the library provides. You can, though, see content that the library doesn't provide. To see this additional content, just click Click here to expand your search at the top of the results:

The good news is that it is still possible to obtain this content with an inter-library loan. All you need to do is select Get it for me from other libraries underneath the content that you would like:

Once you've signed in to Library Search, you'll see the following request button. Click it to receive an electronic copy of the content—in this case a journal article—in 24 hours:

If the content you require is a book—or a book chapter—then you can either request the print book to arrive physically or receive an electronic chapter within 24 hours:

Full terms of the inter-library loan service are here:

 

 

Library Search will show you the relationships that exist between peer-reviewed journal articles. Remember that journal articles don't exist in a vacuum. They draw from the work of others and even inspire others to write their own journal articles about related topics. 

With this in mind, many journal articles—but not all (see note below)—appear in Library Search accompanied with a single-headed arrow pointing down and often with the addition of a two-headed arrow pointing up. What do these mean? 

 

Single-headed arrow pointing down 

If you click the single-headed arrow pointing down, you can see all the journal articles that the author of the current article has used in their work:

 

Two-headed arrow pointing up

If you click the two-headed arrow pointing up, you can see all the journal articles that have also incorporated the current article (note: if you cannot see a two-headed arrow pointing up, it means that no-one has yet cited this work):

 

These two arrows are extremely useful ways to help you conduct a review of the relevant literature that exists about your chosen topic. They show you the relationships that exist between different works. Who knows, perhaps you'll see your work there one day, too!

The University of Derby Library provides access to a wide range of e-books through various platforms. These platforms allow you to read e-books online or download them for offline use.

  • Ebook Central: This platform offers a vast collection of e-books across different subjects, including criminology, policing, forensics and criminal and behavioural psychology. You can search for e-books by title, author, or keyword. Ebook Central also allows you to highlight text, take notes, and create citations.

  • VLeBooks: This platform provides access to e-books from various publishers. You can browse e-books by subject or search for specific titles. VLeBooks allows you to read e-books online or download them to your device.

  • Ebsco eBooks: This platform offers a collection of e-books on various topics, including criminology and policing. You can search for e-books by keyword or browse by subject. Ebsco eBooks allows you to read e-books online or download them for offline access.

You can also search across all three databases, and our other e-book, journal articles, and newspaper databases, as well as the print library catalogue, by searching Library Search. You can also browse all of our e-book databases via the Databases A-Z.

For further information about accessing ebooks, as well as the various tools and accessibility functions of the platforms, please visit our eBooks guide.