Activity instructions
Try the mix and match activity to see what you know about different search tools
Then try our suggestions for some simple searches to get you started
You will need to use the library website and the Library Search for your university. We recommend opening the website in a new tab during the activity or on your mobile phone.
- Falmouth students - visit library.fxplus.ac.uk
- Exeter students - visit exeter.ac.uk/departments/library
If you are on a Falmouth course you will be using Falmouth Library Search for many of these activities so you might like to explore our video playlist to help you use it.
Drag and drop the descriptions to the tools
Use Library Search to look for books
- Use Library Search to find books or ebooks - remember to use the filters available.
- Watch the Searching for books video (Falmouth students)
- Or visit the Penryn Campus Guide for information on using Library Search as an Exeter Penryn student
Use Library Search to look for journal articles
- Go to the library website for your university (see instructions links above)
- Use the Library Search search box on the homepage for your search
- If you haven't used Library Search before then watch the relevant video below to help you get you started.
- Use the filters to see if you can find a peer reviewed article relating to your topic. Remember to select the peer reviewed filter for this!
- Try using different keywords if you are struggling to find something useful.
Try Google Scholar
Have a look at Google Scholar to see what you can find.
This is a search engine that searches academic literature. It pulls information from university repositories, journal publishers, and other ‘scholarly’ identified websites.
Be aware though that you may not be able to access the full text and what you find may not be peer-reviewed.
Watch our walkthrough video here and then have a go at searching using keywords for your topic using the link above.