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Mathematics Subject Guide: Finding resources for your assignments

Subject Guide - help and guidance on finding resources in your subject area

1. Start with Library Search for books, journals, articles and more.

Library Search is a great starting point but not everything is available there. If you want to search across all of our collections, search the databases too!

2. Use research databases to find articles, chapters and other academic papers in your field.

A research database contains detailed records of thousands of journal articles, book references and conference proceedings. These records usually include the article title, authors, abstract (a brief summary), keywords (to enable your search to find it) and more.

Maths Databases

The Maths databases are listed here, with more information in the adjacent tabs. 

LibKey

LibKey green teardrop icon

Use LibKey to help you get access to full text articles. 

Click the LibKey icon above to add the extension to your web browser. Select 'University of Exeter' as your institution and login using your Exeter IT login when prompted. 

Databases for your subject

The Current Index to Statistics is a bibliographic index to publications in statistics, probability, and related fields. It is produced by the American Statistical Association and the Institute of Mathematical Statistics.

This online database indexes the entire contents of over 160 "core journals", 1200 additional journals in related fields, and about 11,000 books. Most of the content in CIS is from 1975 - 2017.

It is hosted by AMS and there is more information on searching here.

 

JSTOR provides access to scholarly book, journal and primary sources via an easy to use search interface.

Use the How to Search JSTOR LibGuide for a general introduction to the service. The Mathematics & Statistics Resources on JSTOR guide will introduce you to the content available in this area. Mathematics & Statistics is a growing area of content on JSTOR and journals in this area come from prestigious societies and organizations such as the American Statistical Association, & the Institute of Mathematical Statistics

JSTOR also has a Vimeo channel for educational and instructional videos. 

MathSciNet is produced by AMS (American Mathematical Society) and is the authoritative gateway to the scholarly literature of mathematics.

Use it to:
• Quickly get up to speed on a new topic
• Look up a researcher’s body of work 
• Find an article or book and track its reference list
• Research a math department to prepare for a job interview

Use the QuickStart guide if you are new to this resources. This has lots of hints and tips to help you search effectively. You can also use the Help Index and FAQ sections for guidance.

More detailed guidance and information about the resource is available on the AMS website.

Access to thousands of abstracts for articles, conference papers and book chapters across a range of subject disciplines. Use SCOPUS to link to full-text holdings, find related items and track article citations.

For more information about how to search SCOPUS, see their range of tutorials.

Web of Science  (WoS) is one of the key research databases that enables you to search across global literature on a topic. You can use sophisticated search techniques to help pinpoint the information you need. You can also use WoS functionality to link through to full text (where available) and examine related references and cited references in order to broaden your research.

See below for brief instructions on how to search the database.

Make sure you visit the Web of Science guided tutorial, for a more detailed introduction to the database.

 

Finding the full text

Decorative image of a journal article

 

Some databases provide information about the content of a journal article, but may not provide full-text access to the actual article itself.

See the following tabs for tips on how to track down the full text.

Is there a  ‘Find this @ Exeter’ option next to your search result?

Image of the check for this at Exeter button

If so, click on the link to open the Full Text Finder Results.  This lets you know whether it has found a full-text source for the article.

If it has, you will see a link to the full text article:
  Image of the full text finder page showing what happens if the check for this at Exeter button finds full text options

If not, you can check Library Search to see whether we have a subscription to the journal by clicking the Library Title Search link (See option 3).

Make a note of the article details and carry out a search in Library Search.

Change your  Google Scholar settings to show links to University of Exeter subscribed content.

Go to Settings > Library Links and type University of Exeterinto the search box. The box below will appear.

Screenshot of Google Scholar Settings page with the Library Links tab highlighted in red

Make sure the University of Exeter box is ticked and click on Save. Run your search in Google Scholar - sometimes the link to the PDF will appear alongside the results, as shown below.

Screenshot of Google Scholar showing how a result displays with a PDF link after you have selected your Library from the settings page

You can also use the LibKey green teardrop iconLibKey browser extension to help you get easy access to full text articles. Select 'University of Exeter' as your institution and login using your Exeter IT login when prompted.

Further help

Found too many results? Too few? Are they relevant? See our Search Techniques guide for tips and tricks on making your search work for you.

Keep a record of the material you need to cite - visit the Referencing guide for more information.

If you have any questions, get in touch with your liaison librarian - choose your subject from the drop down list to find out their details:

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University of Exeter LibGuide is licensed under CC BY 4.0