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Universiteitsbibliotheek – LibGuides

Search strategy

Search engines and databases at Utrecht University Library

Via WorldCat for Utrecht University you can find books, journals, and other media that are accessible digitally or in print to students and staff of Utrecht University. Please note: WorldCat is less suitable for searching for articles!

In addition, the University Library offers an alphabetical overview of search systems for which UU has a license: A-Z search engines. You can also search for search systems by subject area here. Each system is accompanied by a short description, so you can quickly see whether it suits your search query.

Because the UU pays for most of these search systems, you can only access the content if you are a student or staff member. To access UU-accessible sources outside the UU network, you can install the Lean Library browser extension. This browser extension gives you quick and easy access to a large number of digital scientific sources, whether you are on campus or off campus. It also tells you whether an open access version of an article is available.

In your search for scientific literature, you may sometimes come across the UBUlink. This link provides information about the availability of digital publications via the university library.

UBU-link icoon

More information about online access to digital resources can be found on the access to digital publications-page of the University Library website.

Already graduated? Without a SolisID, you will no longer have access to licensed search systems, but you can still search in open access search systems and freely accessible search engines such as PubMed (biomedical literature), Google Scholar, or WorldCat.

What if Utrecht University Library doesn't have access?

  1. Check WorldCat to see if the article or book is available, and if not, if it can be requested from another Dutch library or foreign library. Material from other libraries can be requested via WorldCat. Under Availability > Libraries Worldwide you will find the button Interlibrary Request.
  2. Is there an open access copy (author version) available (search Google)?
  3. Ask the author to send you the article/chapter. On publishers' sites and in search engines such as Scopus you will often find the email addresses of authors.
  4. Twitter to the rescue: tweet your request together with the URL and add the hashtag #icanhazpdf