Finding scholarly materials workshop handouts and videos
Presentation slides, handouts, webinar recordings and video tutorials from our Bodleian iSkills workshops on the theme of searching and finding scholarly materials.
If you need any document in Word or PowerPoint format for reasons of accessibility, please email usered@bodleian.ox.ac.uk.
We are working towards making our resources as accessible as possible and would welcome any constructive advice or feedback.
Getting started in Oxford libraries
- Getting started in Oxford libraries: presentation
Updated April 2022
Scholarly literature for your research
- Scholarly literature for your research: webinar
Recorded November 2021
- An introduction to finding stuff: presentation
Updated May 2020 - SOLO essentials exercise
Updated October 2020 - Creating an effective subject search query: presentation (in-person workshop)
Updated May 2022 - Creating an effective subject search query: presentation (online workshop)
Updated February 2021 - Building a search exercise
Updated May 2021 - Search techniques
Updated May 2021 - Subject searching exercise: SOLO
Updated February 2022
- Using SOLO: search techniques and tools
Updated May 2020
Download the SOLO search techniques transcript
Download the SOLO search techniques presentation - Create an effective search query
Updated May 2021
Download the effective search query transcript
Download the effective search query: presentation
Building a search exercise
- Finding articles – EBSCO exercise (Humanities)
Updated February 2022 - Finding articles – Historical abstracts exercise
Updated February 2022 - Finding articles – MLA exercise (English & Modern Languages)
Updated February 2022 - Finding articles – Proquest exercise
Updated February 2022 - Finding articles – Scopus exercise (Science & Social Science)
Updated February 2022 - Finding articles – Web of Science exercise
Updated May 2022 - Databases A–Z
Updated February 2022
- Theses – Beyond books and articles presentation
Updated February 2022 - Theses – Finding key links handout
Updated February 2022 - Theses – exercises
Updated February 2022 - Conferences – Beyond books and articles presentation
Updated February 2022 - Conferences exercise
Updated May 2022
- Finding theses video tutorial
Updated May 2020
Download the finding theses transcript
Download the finding theses presentation - Finding conference proceedings video tutorial
Updated May 2020
Download the finding conference proceedings transcript
Download the findings conference proceedings presentation
Google for academic research
- Google for academic research: presentation
Updated April 2021 - Google for academic research: workbook
Updated May 2019 - Google for academic research: webinar
Recorded April 2021
- Key Google tips: the 5-minute summary on using Google to find grey literature video tips
Download the Key Google tips transcript
Download the Key Google tips presentation - Part 1: Introduction to using Google for academic research
Download the Part 1 transcript
Download the Part 1 presentation - Part 2: Getting to know Google
Download the Part 2 transcript
Download the Part 2 presentation - Part 3: Personalisation in Google
Download the Part 3 transcript
Download the Part 3 presentation - Part 4: Locations in Google - Narrowing your search by language or geographical region
Download the Part 4 transcript
Download the Part 4 presentation - Part 5: Search techniques
Download the Part 5 transcript
Download the Part 5 presentation - Part 6: More search techniques
Download the Part 6 transcript
Download the Part 6 presentation - Part 7: Replicating Google searches
Download the Part 7 transcript
Download the Part 7 presentation - Part 8: Trying out Google with your own research question
Download the Part 8 transcript
Download the Part 8 presentation
Download the Part 8 worksheet - Part 9: Alternatives to Google - Bing and DuckDuckGo
Download the Part 9 transcript
Download the Part 9 presentation - Part 10: Google Scholar
Download the Part 10 transcript
Download the Part 10 presentation
Successful searching for Engineering and Computer Science; Chemistry and Materials; Maths and Physics
- Research resources for Chemistry and Materials
Updated May 2023 - Scopus handout
Updated May 2023 - Web of Science handout
Updated May 2023
- Research resources for Engineering and Computer Science
Updated May 2023 - Scopus handout
Updated May 2023 - Web of Science handout
Updated May 2023
- Research resources for Mathematics, Statistics and Physics
Updated May 2023 - Scopus handout
Updated May 2023 - Web of Science handout
Updated May 2023
Preparing for your literature review in the Social Sciences
- Preparing for your literature review in the Social Sciences: presentation
Updated June 2023 - Preparing for your literature review in the Social Sciences: workbook
Updated June 2023 - Preparing for your literature review in the Social Sciences: webinar
Recorded November 2020
- Using Google Scholar to search Oxford's ejournals
Download the Google Scholar video transcript
Download the Google Scholar slides - Developing a search strategy
Download the search strategy video transcript
Download the search strategy slides - Tricks for searching databases
Download the tricks for searching databases video transcript
Download the search databases tricks slides - Searching: how and why
Download the searching: how and why video transcript
Download the searching: how and why slides - Using the thesaurus
Download the using the thesaurus video transcript
Download the using the thesaurus slides
Discovering archives at the Bodleian Libraries
- Discovering archives at the Bodleian: presentation (in-person workshop)
Updated December 2022 - Discovering archives at the Bodleian: presentation (video tutorial)
Updated February 2020 - Discovering archives at the Bodleian: video tutorial
Updated November 2020
Download the archives at the Bodleian video transcript
Archives and modern papers for Social Sciences and History
- Archives and Modern Papers for Social Sciences and History: presentation
Updated November 2021 - Discovering archives at the Bodleian: presentation
Updated February 2020 - Discovering archives at the Bodleian: video tutorial
Updated November 2020
Download the archives at the Bodleian video transcript
Introduction to web archives for research use
DIY tools for small scale web archiving
Keeping up to date with research
- Keeping up to date with research: presentation
Updated May 2023 - Keeping up to date with research: workbook
Updated May 2023 - Keeping up to date with research: webinar
Updated November 2021
- Setting up email alerts in SOLO
Updated February 2020
Download the email alerts in SOLO video transcript - Setting up email alerts in bibliographic databases
Updated May 2020
Download the email alerts in databases video transcript - Journal alerts
Updated August 2022
Download the journal alerts video transcript - Journal alerts presentation
Updated August 2022 - Newspapers
Updated May 2020
Download the newspapers video transcript - JiscMail
Updated May 2020
Download the JiscMail video transcript
Sources for US history
- Sources for US history: webinar
Updated September 2021
Download the sources of US history transcript - Sources for US history presentation part 1
Updated September 2021 - Sources for US history presentation part 2
Updated September 2021 - Sources for US history presentation part 3
Updated September 2021 - Sources for US history presentation part 4
Updated September 2021
Online sources for historians
Information resources for modern global history
Newspapers and other online news sources from the 17th-21st centuries
Explore virtual reality and 3D printing
Get up to speed with finding papers for your studies
- Get up to speed with finding papers for your studies (MPLS) presentation
Updated October 2022
Sources for science
- Sources for science presentation
Updated February 2023
Related links
- Workshops
Book onto an available workshop - Books, journals and databases
Where to find books, journals and databases - Reading lists
Tips for using our electronic reading lists - SOLO
An introduction to SOLO: what is covers and guides for how to use it - Subject and research guides
Guides provided by our subject librarians - Theses and dissertations
Finding Oxford, UK and international theses