ScienceDirect is a multidisciplinary database of  journals and some e-Books published by Elsevier. Despite it’s name, you will be able to access a wide range of peer-reviewed, academic publications on science and non-science subjects – including Physical Sciences and Engineering, Life Sciences,  Health Sciences and the Social Sciences and Humanities.

It is one of the many databases searched by Discovery. We always recommend Discovery as the best place to start your research, but for a comprehensive list of search results its always best to follow this up by going to the individual databases.

Another benefit of using the database directly you can create a free account which lets you save your searches. You can also create email alerts which can periodically let you know if any new publications matching your search terms have been added.

Whilst we provide access to a large range of content on ScienceDirect, we don’t provide access to everything on the site. Look for the green or orange grid symbols next to the search results to show you what you can access. If you find something you need but can’t access, you might be able to request it through our Interlibrary Loan service.

Did you know:  You can search just for images to include in your presentations and assignments by using the Advanced Search feature. Make sure you still remember to cite and reference them correctly.

Access the site through the Database A-Z List or through the Discovery home page.

Guides and More Information 

The ScienceDirect Help pages give lots of information on how to use the site effectively.

There are also a range of videos on the official ScienceDirect YouTube channel.

For more help using ScienceDirect or any of our other databases, you can contact your Library.

Want More?

For a full list of the other databases searched by Discovery, go to the guide on our ‘Finding Resources‘ page. Each database has similar functionality, but cover a different range of publications. They include databases by publishers such as

• Wiley
• Taylor & Francis
• Springer

All the databases can be accessed through our Database A-Z List

Our Literature Searching Power Hours can help you identify the best databases to use and how to use them. Visit our website to book, or look at the materials under the ‘My Organisations’ section on Vision.