Don't worry if the Library doesn't have what you need, we have our Inter-library loans and Scan and Send services to help you find books, articles (or conference papers), and chapters.
For more information:-
Visit our Can't find what you need? page
While we would advise searching the Library website and our databases first, we understand that the Library won't always have the information you need for your assignment - so, yes! You can use Google, Google Scholar or other search engines to search for information for your studies.
The most important thing when looking for information on the internet is to critically evaluate the information you read and the sources you find. The questions in the website checklist below can help you to examine whether the website you find is appropriate to use in your academic work.
Your Librarian can help you to evaluate the information sources you find and you can brush up on your Critical Thinking Skills by working through the module on Skills for Study:-
When evaluating websites use the following checklist to assess the reliability of the information:
who is the author and what authority do they possess?
are any claims supported by reliable evidence?
is the information biased?
is the information up-to-date?
who is the site aimed at?
are links from the site working and pointing to other reliable sites?
Are you being met with paywalls when searching on the web or unsure if you should have access to articles you come across? There are a range of browser tools and extensions you can download to help.
Check out our How can I access full text anywhere? guide to find out more. We recommend downloading the Lean Library browser extension to enable easier searching on the web. Find out more about Lean Library.
Sarah Lewis
she/her
Academic Subject Librarian for Lincoln School of Creative Arts
