Doing Research
Reference Shelf
Online Reference Sources
This is a collection of reference websites complied by the Library staff at the University of Stirling. This site is also available in from the social bookmarking website Del.icio.us.
Books, bibliographical sources, theses and citation guidelines
Education, Higher Education and Research
Local Resources and Family History
Newspapers, news sources and magazines
Telephones, Postal Directories and Yellow Pages
Electronic Information, Internet Information
Books, bibliographical sources, theses and citation guidelines |
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| Resource Title | Description |
| Amazon Bookshop | A catalogue of more than 1.5 million titles, as well as a variety of other resources. |
| enterbooks.com (from Dawson Books) |
An online bibliographic research tool that gives access to an extensive book title database of both in-print and out-of-print titles from the UK and around the world. Access |
| Internet Bookshop | Europe's largest online bookshop, with a catalogue of 1.4 million book titles. |
| John Smith & Sons Bookshops | Information on each of their outlets, including the Stirling University Campus shop.
Includes a searchable database of books, indicating which titles are in stock. |
| Library Catalogues |
A collection of links to library catalogues and sources compiled by Stirling University Library staff. |
| Academic books auction | Auction site for secondhand books for University, College and School. Based in Edinburgh |
| Bibliofind | A searchable database of nine million old, used, and rare books offered for sale by thousands of booksellers around the world |
| University of Stirling - Guide to citing references | Guidelines on how to cite and reference a wide range of publications (both printed and electronic).
Examples of how to cite material are given for the most commonly used types of publications. |
| Web of Knowledge - Conference Proceedings Citation Index [Guide] |
Provides details of scientific and technical papers presented at over 4000 international conferences.
Access - only available to registered students and staff of the University of Stirling. |
| Index to Theses | Electronic equivalent of Index to theses with abstracts accepted for higher degrees by the Universities of Great Britain and Ireland (1950 to date) plus The Retrospective Index to Theses (1716 - 1950). Covers theses accepted from 1761 onwards. Abstracts provided from 1970 onwards. Access - only available to registered students and staff of the University of Stirling. |
| Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations |
Searches for full text electronic theses from around the world |
| STORRE: Stirling Online Research Repository | A collection of full text research theses produced by Stirling University students |
| Intute Repository Search | Searches across 55 UK academic research repositories, including the University of Stirling, to find reports, conference papers and journal articles |
| OPENDOAR | Directory of Open Access Repositories, use this to search for repositories or for their contents |
Dictionaries |
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| Resource Title | Description |
| Roget's Thesaurus | Online version of Roget's Thesaurus from the ARTFL project at the University of Chicago. |
| WWWebster Dictionary |
Online English dictionary from Merriam-Webster. |
Oxford English Dictionary online (2nd edition and additions). Access - only available to registered students and staff of the University of Stirling. |
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Online dictionary of Middle English (spoken 1100 - 1500) |
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| Dictionary of the Scots Language | Online editions of the Dictionary of the Older Scottish Tongue and the Scottish National Dictionary |
| ARTFL Project: French-English Dictionary | Looks up single words in a simple French - English Dictionary. Around 75,000 words are included. |
| German-English On-line Dictionary | Translates English phrases to German and German phrases to English.
Allows Boolean searching. |
| English Hungarian Dictionary | Translates English to Hungarian.
Provides access to a Hungarian to English dictionary. Allows Boolean searching. |
| Lexin Swedish-English Dictionary | Translates Swedish to English and English to Swedish. |
| freedict.com | List of free online language dictionaries. Two way dictionaries in the following languages: Afrikaans, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Latin, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swahili and Swedish. |
Job hunting resources |
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| Resource Title | Description |
| This is a recruitment website owned and created by the academic community; advertises job vacancies for academic institutions from around the world.
Can browse by job discipline or search by keyword. Use jobs.ac.uk/scotland to see vacancies in Scotland only |
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| NHS Scotland Jobs | NHS Scotland online recruitment website |
| NHS Jobs | National Health Service recruitment site for England and Wales |
| Jobs go Public | A source of job vacancies in the public and not for profit sector. Results can be focused on specific sectors, regions and categories |
| Prospects - the UK's official graduate careers website | Website offering a wide range of advice for graduates, including career profiles, job hunting information and details about postgraduate study |
| CareerJet | An employment search engine. CareerJet allows you to specify keywords from a job title or company and / or a specific location |
| University of Stirling Careers Service | Guidance on job hunting from the University Careers Service |
Education, Higher Education and Research |
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| Resource Title | Description |
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Contains information about UK grant-making trusts and foundations, and advice for individuals seeking funding from UK trusts. Some ACF publications can be downloaded free of charge, including guides on applying to UK trusts from within and outwith the UK. Also has useful links to related sites. |
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The Student Awards Agency for Scotland is part of the Scottish Executive. Its purpose is to deal with financial support and give advice to eligible Scottish students in higher education throughout the United Kingdom, together with certain related roles in connection with student loans, hardship funds and educational endowments. |
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| Braintrack | Worldwide university index on the Internet. Contains Internet addresses of universities, polytechnics, colleges and other higher education institutions all over the world. |
Portal giving access to information, resources and networking opportunities for the learning and teaching communities. Includes learning and teaching organisations in FE and HE, a funding search facility, learning and teaching projects and an online discussion forum. |
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| ACU (Association of Commonwealth Universities) Homepage | Resources for overseas study at this site include info sheets about study in different Commonwealth countries, a course finder and access to the ACU bulletin which reports on global developments in the HE sector. |
| ODELUCE |
'ODELUCE - Open and Distance Education through University Continuing Education' is a site which contains links to a variety of directories of online and distance courses in the UK. |
| UCAS | Website of the organisation which processes applications to full time undergraduate courses at universities in the UK |
| Research Councils UK | A partnership between the UK's seven research councils: Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) |
Facts and Figures |
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| Resource Title | Description |
| The CIA World Factbook | Information on countries including total area, boundaries, climate, disputes, population, political system and economy.
Reference maps in high and low resolution, International Organisations Directory, The United Nations System and some useful tables are also on this page. |
| What Time is it? | The World Time Engine provides the time in millions of locations around the world. Enter a town, city, postcode or co-ordinates to see the local time. |
| Measuring Units Conversion Tables |
Tables for conversion from/to metric, imperial and US measurement systems. Includes calculators for converting length, area, volume/capacity, mass, and temperature. |
| Universal Currency Converter | Convert from one currency to another in a couple of clicks! |
Series of guides to over 270 countries and territories. Includes articles, features, demographics, geography data, interactive maps, satellite photographs, and links to web resources on each country. Topics can be searched for by keyword or by drop-down menu
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Local resources and family history |
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| Resource Title | Description |
| Genealogy Research Guide | Large selection of useful family history links compiled by Stirling University Library Staff |
| Stirling at a glance | Useful information on Stirling's demographics, housing, economy, etc.
This is part of the Stirling Council web site. |
Links to demographic information about Stirling in the 2001 Census |
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| Stirling Online |
Lots of information about Stirling, from information for visitors (accommodation, attractions, history, food and drink, shopping) to the local resident (citizens guide, Stirling Council, business). |
| Hebridean Web | From the Western Isles Council - a listing of websites which relate to the Outer Hebrides, includes music, arts and craft, education and local organisations |
| Hebridean Connections | Useful source of historical and genealogical information about the Western Isles |
| Welcome Inverness | Guide to the city of Inverness; includes information on local restuarants, shops and culture |
Government and politics |
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| Resource Title | Description |
Website of the Scottish Executive. Includes recent publications, news releases, contact details and background information. |
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Includes information on: how the Parliament works; MSPs; agenda and decisions; and the Scottish Parliament Official Report (a record of the proceedings of the Parliament and its committees) |
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| Scottish Parliament live | Watch proceedings at the parliament as they happen |
| Scottish Parliament Official Report | A record of the proceedings of the Scottish Parliament and its committees. (Very like Hansard for the UK Parliament).
Each issue is posted on the Web by 8:00 on the following working day. |
| UK Parliament Live Webcasts | Viewers can choose to watch the Commons, the Lords, Westminster Hall or select committee sessions. |
| UK Parliament website | Official website for the UK parliament. Includes information on the Houses of Commons and Lords, as well as enquiry information. |
| Electoral Commission | You can use the Electoral Commission's website to find out which constituency you live in. |
| Direct.gov.uk | Website of the UK government. Please note a lot of the information on this site relates only to England. To find information about Scotland, please see the Scottish Executive and local council websites. |
| European Parliament | Information about the European Parliament. This website is available in all offical languages of the parliament. You can use this website to find your MEP (Member of the European Parliament) and information about how the parliament works |
| United Nations Homepage | Detailed information on all aspects of the United Nations, including pages on the UN's role in peace and security, economic and social development, human rights, international law, current issues on the UN agenda ... |
| Stirling at a glance | Useful information on Stirling's demographics, housing, economy, etc.
This is part of the Stirling Council website. |
Links to demographic information about Stirling in the 2001 Census |
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| The Highland Council | Information from Highland Council including a profile of the region |
| Comhairle nan Eilean Siar | Website of Comhairle nan Eilean Siar - the Western Isles Council. Includes a fact file section which gives details of the local economy, labour market, population and a socio-economic overview |
| Moray Council | Website of Moray Council, includes information on council services and links to other useful local sites |
| Scottish Neighbourhood statistics | Produced by the Scottish Executive, this website gives straightforward access to data relating to health, education, housing and crime for all communities across Scotland. Enter a postcode and see information about a locality. |
Health and Medicine |
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| Resource Title | Description |
| Health Rights Information Scotland | Contains information about for patients in Scotland about health rights. Information is available in English, Lithuanian, Bengali, Urdu, French, Hindi, Polish, Chinese, Russian and Punjabi. |
| Patient UK |
A UK directory which aims to help non-medical people find information about health issues. Contains links to hundreds of health and illness websites and also contains a comprehensive listing of national self help groups. |
| NHS 24 | Website of NHS 24 - the confidential health and advice information service for Scotland. This site includes details of pharmacy opening hours, a self-help guide and an NHS health encyclopeadia. NHS 24 also offers a 24 hour helpline, call 08454 242424 |
| Scotland's Health on the Web (SHOW) | Health information for and about Scotland. Includes a quick search tool to find your nearest NHS GP, dentist, A&E and pharmacy services. |
Travel, transport and maps |
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| Resource Title | Description |
| Lonely Planet Online |
Web version of famous travel series: contains summaries of all countries covered in the books plus updates and advice from experienced travellers. |
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From the Rough Guides travel series online - over 10,000 destinations included. |
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Gives timetable information for any journey within Scotland or from Scotland to main points in the UK using public transport. Includes flights, buses, trains and ferries. |
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| Transport Direct - Britain's free online journal planner | Online travel planning website |
UK train journey information. The Live Departure Boards facility allows you to view station departure boards for some of the stations on on the National Rail network. You can search by using the Alphabetical listings or narrow the search by clicking the geographical location of your station on the map. |
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UK railway timetable which also allows you to book tickets online |
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| First Scotrail | Timetables, online booking and special offers from the major train company in Scotland. Also includes information on Sleeper services |
| National Express & Scottish Citylink Coaches |
Travel information, online booking and more for coach services with destinations all over Britain. |
Routes and timetables for the Royal Mail's Postbus service throughout Britain. |
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| First Edinburgh buses | Online timetables and route information for the Stirling area from First buses |
| Caledonian McBrayne | Timetables, special offers and booking information from the Hebridean and Clyde ferry company |
| Sustrans | Sustrans is a sustainable transport charity. Their website includes route information for the national cycle network across the UK and Ireland |
Search any UK postcode, placename or business to find a map of the area. It is also possible to get directions from one place to another. |
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National Library of Scotland Digital Library - Maps from their Collections |
Selection of online maps of Scotland from the 16th to the 18th century. 3 sections: Maps of Scotland 1560 - 1769; Pont's Maps of Scotland c. 1583 - c. 1596; Military Maps of Scotland (18th century). All the maps are searchable by keyword for a specific place, and can be viewed close up. |
Search any UK postcode or placename to find a map of the area, zoom in and out just by clicking on the map. Also has a searchable world map facility. |
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| Digimap | An online service that allows you to view and create maps of any location in Great Britain using Ordnance Survey Map data. You can also download OS map data for use in other software packages, such as Geographical Information Systems (GIS), drawing software and CAD. You need to register before you can use this service. Access Available on and off campus for University of Stirling staff and students only. Registration is required and will take up to two working days. See our user guide for more information. |
Newspapers, News Sources, Magazines |
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| Resource Title | Description |
| BBC News |
24 hour news updated in real time. |
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On-line digest of The Herald (Glasgow) newspaper. Not a reproduction of the the entire print edition but does include the day's news, business, sport and opinion pieces. Has a searchable archive. |
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| Evening Times | Online version of Glasgow's Evening Times. Includes archive back to 1998 (searchable jointly with archives of The Herald and Sunday Herald). |
| The Scotsman | A condensed edition of the paper version.
Covers: news, sports, general features, culture, politics and business. |
| The Financial Times | Highlights from the current day's edition are free but other services require a subscription.
Includes: prices from the London stock exchange updated every 15 minutes, background information on over 11000 worldwide companies, stock market indices and economic indicators. |
Has its own editorial team, who use the same news sources as the print Telegraph but may select different stories. Includes searchable archive. Updated daily since November 1994. |
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| Guardian Newspaper | An enhanced online version of the Guardian and Observer newspapers combined.
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| The Independent | A selection of articles from the paper version.
The headings included are: UK news, International, Business, Sport, Columnists, Comment, Letters, Education+, Network+, and Media+. Archvie material is available for only some of the headings. |
NexisUK (previously Lexis Nexis Business and News) is a collection of databases containing over 1,300 newspapers, newswires and magazines from all over the world. Access - only available to registered staff and students of the University of Stirling. |
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| Le Monde |
Online version of French daily newpaper, Le monde. Includes an index going back to 1987. |
| El Pais Digital | Online version of the Spanish newspaper, El Pais . Includes an index going back to 1976. |
| Spiegel Online | Online version of the German weekly news magazine, Der Spiegel. Includes index back to 1998. |
| Die Welt | Online version of German newspaper, Die Welt. The complete edition is available free online, but you must register first. Includes a searchable archive back to 1995. |
| The Times Higher Education | News, discussion and resources for those with an interest in Higher Education. |
| Stirling Observer | Online version of the local newspaper the Stirling Observer. Not all the content of the printed version is available from this online edition |
| Inverness Courier | Electronic access to the Inverness Courier local newspaper |
| Stornoway Gazette | Online version of the Stornoway Gazette with links to local services in the Western Isles |
| Pressdisplay.com | Local and national online newspapers |
Arts |
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| Resource Title | Description |
| Information on music, literature, sport, funding and current local events | |
| MacRobert Arts Centre | Details of what's on at the MacRobert Centre on the Stirling campus |
Telephone and Postal Directories, Yellow Pages |
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| Resource Title | Description |
| International Dialing Codes from BT | List of dialing codes for coutries across the globe. Also includes time zones and internal area codes |
| Yell.com | From the Yellow Pages, search for the phone numbers of companies and services (e.g. dentists) across the UK |
BT's phone books on the internet. Provides business and residential telephone numbers when you input a required name and partial location. The information is free. |
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| Royal Mail Postcode/Address Finder | Royal Mail's online postcode directory.
You can find any postcode within the UK by entering the address. Alternatively if you do not know the address but have the postcode the Address Finder can help you. The service is free but there are limits to the number of searches you can perform each day |
Electronic Information, Internet Information |
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| Resource Title | Description |
| Directory of Open Access Journals |
A listing of free, full text, quality controlled scientific and scholarly journals, aims to cover all subjects and languages |
| JISCmail | Mailing list service offering a directory of electronic discussion lists for the UK higher education and research community. |
| The Wayback Machine - Internet Archive | A free service allowing people to access and use archived versions of past web pages. The Internet Archive's enormous collection of web sites, dating back to 1996 and comprising over 10 billion web pages is fully searchable by URL or by 'Special Collection'. |
| UK web archiving consortium | Acollaborative project including the British Library and the National Library of Scotland to preserve a selection of UK websites |
| BBC Webwise | A guide to using the internet for novice users |
Miscellaneous |
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| Resource Title | Description |
| VolunteerAbroad.com |
Volunteerabroad.com is the directory for international volunteer programmes. Browsing by country provides you with a list of opportunities in that country plus useful background information about the country. Links to StudyAbroad, JobsAbroad, TeachAbroad and a directory of American universities. |
| Volunteer Centre Network Scotland | Searchable directory of volunteering opportunities across Scotland |
| Charity Choice | An encyclopedia of UK charities on the Internet. Search by category ie animals / children /environment, for links to relevant charity home pages. Focus search allows searching by geographic area and type of charity. |
| The UK's regional charity finder |
Database containing details of thousands of local and national charities |
| Office of the Scottish Charity Regulator | Website of the independent regulator of charities in Scotland |
| Famous Quotes and Authors | Online source of over 25,000 quotations. Copyright information is displayed on the website. |
| Acronym Finder | Searchable databse of more than 61,000 common acronyms and abbreviations. Emphasis on the fields of computing, technology, and telecominications. American bias. |
| All that JAS: Journal of Abbreviation Sources | Gathers together a variety of web sites that list or provide access to the full title of abbreviated journal titles. Sites are organised within broad subject groupings ie general, biosciences, chemistry ... |
Meanings and origins of phrases, sayings, cliches and quotations. |
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| Citizens Advice Scotland |
Scotland's largest independent advice network. "Adviceguide" contains guides to dealing with a variey of topics from health to taxes to housing. |
| Biographical Dictionary |
Very brief biographical information about over 27,000 notable individuals from ancient times to the present day. Searchable by name, birth or death years, positions held, professions, literary and artistic works, miscellaneous achievements, and other keywords. |
If there are any other website you would like to see included in this list please email: library@stir.ac.uk
page last modified 2 December, 2009
