We know that finding academic literature and conducting research is an important part of completing most of your assignments. On this page you will find a variety of relevant sources which we hope will help with your studies. Remember to also check out our referencing guides.
Are you new to RGU? Have a look at our 'Welcome to the Library' pages for on campus students and online learning students!
Don't forget, you can always join one of our workshops or contact us if you get stuck or just need some help, we're happy to advise!
Browse the collections
Why not check out our extensive collection of books and e-books related to your area of study?
Remember that you can always search for specific books or topics using our LibrarySearch Tool.
Your Library Workshops
We offer free, informal workshops on various Library topics throughout the academic year and we would encourage you to come along if you'd like to improve your skills in:
- referencing correctly
- using the new LibrarySearch tool
- efficiently using effective search strategies to find relevant material for your assignments
- using RefWorks
Here are the upcoming Library KnowHOW workshops relevant to Communication and Media. We hope to see you there!
Useful Links
Google Scholar
Google Scholar can be a useful additional source when looking for journal articles. While our collection includes access to around 53 million journal articles (and growing!), unfortunately we will not have access to all materials you find on Google Scholar, so remember to check whether we subscribe to the resources listed in the results.
All our databases
Did you know that we currently subscribe to over 200 databases covering all subject areas taught in RGU? And you can access them for free! Have a look through our extensive list and discover something new!
A-Z LIST OF DATABASESDatabase List For Mapping
- Business Source Complete This link opens in a new window
- database covering all aspects of business and management.
- includes both full-text and abstracts, material includes journal articles, magazine articles, market research, company reports and more.
- Emerald This link opens in a new window
- a selection of journals covering business & management, librarianship, marketing, property, industry, engineering and training.
- full-text for current titles is 1994 - present with backfiles 1898 - 1993, some abstracts also available.
- SAGE Journals Online This link opens in a new window
- full-text journals in a wide range of subjects including business, humanities, social sciences and science.
- Wiley Online Library This link opens in a new window
- full-text journals and eBooks covering a large range of subject areas.
- SpringerLink This link opens in a new window
- full-text journals and conference papers in the sciences and social sciences (current years, plus archive).
- Taylor & Francis Online This link opens in a new window
- full text journals in business, humanities, social sciences, and science, technology and medicine.
- also includes free archives in geography, planning, urban and environment.
- International Newsstream This link opens in a new window
- information from more than 660 of the world's top newspapers, plus additional newswires and news sites.
- Lexis + (formerly Lexis Library) This link opens in a new window
- a range of legal resources including legal journals, specialised case reports, eBooks, and the Stair Memorial Encyclopaedia of Scots law, also includes UK newspapers including Scottish papers.
- Times Digital Archive This link opens in a new window
- full-text facsimile of more than 200 years (1785 - 2019) of The Times newspaper.
- British Periodicals : Collections I and II This link opens in a new window
- a full-text archive journal collection covering a range of subjects including social science, science, art, architecture, and more, from the 1680s – 1930s.
- British Cartoon Archive This link opens in a new window
- social, political and economic cartoons including the Carl Giles collection.
- many of the images included have cleared for non-commercial education use, see the FAQ for more details.
- Radio at BUFVC: LBC/IRN Audio Archive This link opens in a new window
- archive of Independent Local Radio programmes, 1973-mid 90's.
- click on Sign In, search for Robert Gordon University and enter your username and password.
- British Library Sounds This link opens in a new window
- selection of recordings from the UK's national sound archive.
- please be aware the audio will be of archival quality i.e. the original recording quality and because many of the recordings are historical they document the context of a specific time, and the attitudes, opinions and language of the people who created the material.
- Web of Science - Core Collection This link opens in a new window
- this link lets you search the WOS core collection which includes: Arts and Humanities Citation Index, Science Citation Index, Social Science Citation Index, the Book Citation Indexes, the Conference Proceedings Indexes, Current Chemical Reactions, Emerging Sources Citation Index and Index Chemicus.
- we would recommend this as the main search option for Web of Science.
- if you would like to search any index individually please use the edition drop down menu to make your selections.
- includes details of journal articles, conference papers and chapters covering all subject areas.
- can also be used to see how many times an article has been cited in later articles to trace the development of a topic
- abstract only database - full-text can be checked for using the "Full Text @ RGU" link.
- Henry Stewart Talks: Business and Management This link opens in a new window
- videos of online lectures, and some case studies, on a range of topics related to business, finance, marketing and management (regularly updated).
- SAGE Communication & Media Studies and Language & Linguistics This link opens in a new window
- journals in communication, journalism, language, linguistics and media.
- Gale Primary Sources: 19th Century UK Periodicals Part 1 This link opens in a new window
- periodicals published in the UK between 1800 and 1900.
- RGU has access to Part I: Women's, Children's, Humour, and Leisure.
- Scopus This link opens in a new window
- this database covers a large range of journal articles, conference papers etc. across all subject areas.
- abstract only database - full-text can be checked for by using the "Full Text @ RGU" link.
- you may be asked if you want to create an account. Searching can be done as a guest. Creating an account will let you create alerts etc.