LibGuides: Getting Started With Your Paper / Project: Find Materials

Finding Materials

Where to look next?

The bulk of your research may require sources such as journal articles, academic book chapters, or primary sources.

Your professor may require using a certain amount of a specific source (e.g., 5 peer-reviewed journal articles), or leave it up to you. Scroll down for advice on finding different types of materials! If you get stuck in your search, please contact the library for help.

Finding Materials: Resources

Summon is the library's discovery tool that lets you search across a variety of resources (print and e-books, article databases, newspapers, etc.) at the same time. Therefore, it is an excellent place to begin your research.

Start your search on the library home page, or get started using the search bar below.

Once you have clicked "Search," use the left side of the page or the Advanced Search feature to narrow your results by content type, date, subject area, and more.

You can find and access articles/journals using Summon as well as subject-specific databases. Additionally, you can find print journals by searching the UMSL catalog (see Books tab).

Library Databases
- A complete list of databases to which the library provides access. Search by name, subject, or content type.
Subject Guides
- Online research guides prepared by UMSL librarians for each subject area. These guides usually link a selection of databases that are appropriate for your subject.
Journals by Title
- Best if you already know the name of the journal you are looking for, or would like to browse a very general subject area.

You can also find great sources by searching in an interdisciplinary database (offers resources for more than one subject area). Some suggestions are linked below.

JSTOR
- This link opens in a new window
JSTOR contains articles and books, usually at least 3-5 years old, from scholarly sources. Some journals & books are available from as far back as the 1800s. For more recent material, try using Summon or one of the individual databases. ** In response to the COVID pandemic JSTOR has extended free access to an extended list of journals until June 30, 2022. **
UMSL has access to the following JSTOR Collections:
- Arts & Sciences I (economics, history, political science, sociology, ecology, mathematics, and statistics)
- Arts & Sciences II (additional journals for many of the disciplines in Arts & Sciences I, plus journals in several additional disciplines: archaeology, classics, and African, Latin American, Middle Eastern, and Slavic studies)
- Arts & Sciences III i(languages and literature, music, film studies, folklore, performing arts, religion, feminist & women's studies, and the history & study of art and architecture)
- Arts & Sciences IV (business, education, and law, psychology, public policy and administration)
- Health & General Sciences (historical scientific journals, health sciences)
- Books at JSTOR (50,000+ titles)
- Early Journal Content (journals published in the United States before 1923 and published in other countries before 1870)
Researchers and students may also be interested in JSTOR's Data for Research beta site, a free, self-service tool that allows computer scientists, digital humanists, and other researchers to select and interact with JSTOR content. The Data for Research site contains a set of web-based tools, including:
- a powerful faceted search interface that can be leveraged to define content of interest through an iterative process of searching and results filtering
- word frequencies, citations, key terms, and ngrams utilized for conducting analysis of document-level data
- topic modeling (classification of subject headings at the article level), a powerful tool for content selection and filtering
- downloadable datasets containing word frequencies, citations, key terms, or ngrams associated with the content selected
- visualization tools
Academic Search Complete
Academic Search Complete is a scholarly, multidisciplinary full-text database, with several thousand full-text periodicals, most of which are peer-reviewed journals. In addition to full text, this database offers indexing and abstracts for many more journals, monographs, reports, conference proceedings, etc.

The database features PDF content going back as far as 1887, with the majority of full-text titles in native (searchable) PDF format.

This resource is partially funded by MOREnet, the Missouri Research and Education Network.
Project MUSE
- This link opens in a new window
- This link opens in a new window
Project MUSE's Standard Collection provides full-text access to scholarly journal titles, primarily in the Humanities and Social Sciences.

You can look for material in two ways: "Search" to find a particular topic. By default only available content is shown. "Browse" to peruse all book and journal titles and tables of contents abstracted in MUSE. You can also uncheck the option "Only content I have full access to" when viewing your results to find abstracts of additional material.
If an item is not available through Project MUSE, it may be available in other UMSL collections or through Interlibrary Loan. Click the "Find Full-Text" link to check if the Libraries own a journal full text through another source (online or print). If the item is a book, check the UMSL Library Catalog under the book title or book author.
SSRN
SSRN is an open-access online preprint community providing valuable services to leading academic schools and government institutions. Specializing primarily in social sciences, including economics, law, corporate governance, and humanities, SSRN is branching out into other science disciplines. Most, but not all papers are free.

In addition to using Summon, you can also find library books several other ways:

Look in the Databases A-Z list for e-book collections (use the second drop-down menu to filter)
Browse the library in person
- Books are organized using the Library of Congress system (to explore, see the LOC Outline). Books about similar topics will be shelved together.
- Have a call number, but not sure where to start looking? See the library floor plan.
Search using the UMSL, MERLIN, or MOBIUS catalogs.

About Catalogs

Use the search box below to look for books and other materials held by UMSL or other libraries. It does not search our subscription databases for things like online research articles, streaming audio, etc.

UMSL Catalog: Materials held at UMSL.
MERLIN Catalog: Materials held at UMSL or other libraries in the UM system.
MOBIUS Catalog: Materials held at libraries in the MOBIUS consortium, including some public and special libraries.

Books at other libraries are usually free to request! If you're looking for something you can't find at UMSL or through MERLIN/MOBIUS, place an interlibrary loan request.

Thomas Jefferson Library and the Mercantile Library hold a variety of materials useful as primary sources for research on St. Louis/Missouri history as well as waterway and railroad transportation.

The Library also subscribes to databases that offer digital access to sources such as photographs and other artwork, newspapers, government documents, etc. Many are also available for free online! The resources below should help you navigate these options. If you have questions or get stuck, please contact the library!

Online Primary Source Resources List
News & Newspapers
A-Z Database List: Primary Sources
Subject Guides (some guides provide links to subscribed and free primary source collections available on the web)

Getting Started With Your Paper / Project

I need resources for __________ subject.

Finding Materials

Where to look next?

Finding Materials: Resources

About Catalogs