A complete list of databases can be found on the Library Website - find out which databases have the content and resources you are looking for.
Find resources that originate from specific regions i.e. Global South, via our citation indexes. Both Web of Science and Scopus allow filtering by country/region of origin as well as institution and funding agencies. these can help you identify research output from diverse sources.
Abstract and index database of articles from academic journals covering the sciences, social sciences, arts and humanities.
Abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed research literature from scientific, technical, medical and social sciences fields and, more recently, also in the arts and humanities.
Open Access refers to material that is free to all readers at the point of access. It can be viewed and shared without worrying about copyright implications. More and more academic content is being made open access.
Google and other search engines use relevance algorithms to decide what information to show you in your results list. These often reflect institutionalised bias. Try using the 'Advanced' function to control how the search engine finds results for you. Have a read of this ebook (click on book) in the Library to find out more.
A paper published in Science found that as a computer taught itself English, based on the publicly available, internet-based data it consumed in the process, it developed prejudices against Black people and women - reflecting how widespread these prejudices are on the internet.
The worldwide book publishing market is dominated by publishers based in what is known as the Global North. Of the world's top 50 publishers, 82% are based in Europe and North America. This means that access to material outside of this dominant Western-centric worldview is increasingly difficult.
In a recent audit, the library found that a full quarter of the books on reading lists came from just 19 publishers, all of whom were located in the UK or US.
Graphic produced by Caroline Ball at the University of Derby
The picture is no better or more diverse when it comes to academic journals.
20-25% of journal articles published worldwide are from the US. Of the 100 scientific journals with the highest rankings, 92% were from the US or UK. The highest-rated non-US/UK journal was 38th.
Building on our previous celebrations of Black History Month in collaboration with the Students Union in 2018 and 2019 the Library is working towards future events and social media campaigns which are celebrated on the Library blog.
