ABSTRACT
The library catalogue is accessible online, letting students do bibliographic searches and mark up reading lists at any time. Many libraries offer short-loan arrangements for material that lecturers have recommended as essential. One of the changes from school to university is the emphasis on reading articles in journals. Journals contain collections of articles written by experts, published in every area of academic study. Skills students will draw on include researching, evaluation, information literacy, information retrieval, information technology, flexible thinking and scheduling. When researching to complete academic assignments concentrate on peer-reviewed journal papers and textbooks written by academics. Many module reading lists are hyperlinked to electronic versions, making searching very fast. Searching for “mountain bikes” finds resources specifically referencing mountain bikes, ignoring resources that mention mountain and bikes individually. Popular articles in papers and magazines written to entertain are unlikely to provide credible academic evidence.
