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If you're new to Aston University then please check out the guidance on these web pages.  They include top tips, videos and much more.

We would also recommend you look at the LibGuides for information about Library Resources in your subject area. 

Undergraduates can borrow twenty 7 day or long loan books (these are held on 2nd and 3rd floors).  

Further information is available about finding, returning, renewing and reserving books 

If the book is not in the Library collection, you can ask the Library to purchase it or you could request the book via our Inter-library Loans service.

We aim to make our resources and facilities accessible to all users of the Library.  You can ask any member of Library staff for assistance when you are in the Library.  You can also submit files to SensusAccess to convert them into more inclusive and accessible formats.  This tool can be used by staff and students alike:
http://www.aston.ac.uk/library/sensusaccess/

There are some additional services that we offer to students with disabilities.

Aston University is a member of the SCONUL Access reciprocal scheme (UK and Ireland).  Aston University full-time undergraduate students are not eligible for SCONUL Access membership, but may be able to use other libraries on a reference only basis under the SCONUL Summer Vacation Access scheme.  

We are a member of the Mercian Collaboration, a professional network formed from SCONUL higher education libraries in the East and West Midlands of the UK. 

Find out more about our policies, regulations and performance standards


If you're new to Aston University then please check out the guidance on these web pages.  They include top tips, videos and much more.  

There is also a LibGuide for Researchers about the support available to you from your Information Specialists.

We would also recommend you look at the LibGuides for information about Library Resources in your subject area.

  • Postgraduate taught students can borrow twenty-five 7 day or long loan books.
  • Postgraduate research students can borrow  thirty-five 7 day or long loan books.

 

Further information is available about finding, returning, renewing and reserving books

If the book is not in the Library collection, you can ask the Library to purchase it or you could request the book via our Inter-library Loans service.

Make your publications 'Green'  or 'Gold'  Open Access to:
  •  Ensure they are eligible for inclusion in the next REF
  •  Comply with your funder requirements
  •  Increase the readership of your research outputs
Visit the "Open Access publishing for Aston authors"LibGuide

 

Managing your Research Data effectively is increasingly important to:
  • Engage in good research practice
  • Comply with your funder requirements
  • Share your data for re-use

Visit the Research Data Management LibGuide

The impact factor of a journal is a quantitative tool for evaluating the relative importance of a journal. It is a measure of the frequency with which its published papers are cited up to two years after publication.

To find out an impact factor use Journal Citation Reports. JCR is available within Web of Knowledge and is the key source of information about the impact of a journal, giving impact factors, cited half-life and immediacy index for each title. JCR covers specialties in the areas of science, technology, and the social sciences and is updated annually in two editions. The Science edition covers over 5,000 journals; the Social Sciences edition covers over 1,500 journals.

Citation databases are key tools in demonstrating the impact of an individual published paper or of a researcher's body of published work. They can be used to:

  • Demonstrate the impact of an article by the number of times it has been cited since it was published (citing references)
  • Use the author's references (cited references) to find the research that underpinned his or her work
  • Find related work in a field of research
  • Track the work of colleagues or competitors
  • Track the development of a theory
  • Identify influential (highly cited) papers and researchers or research groups

As no single database will contain complete information on who has cited a particular work, it is advisable to use multiple sources. 


To find out about how to use Aston University's citation databases to demonstrate impact of your work please view the tutorials below:
Scopus tutorial
Attend our summer series of Research Bites seminars for a quick refresher on a single topic or a comprehensive updating of your information and research skills.
Click on this link to access Aston Publications Explorer, Aston Data Explorer and Aston Research Explorer
Copyright is important because it protects the interests of those who create so you need to take care in referring to others' work to avoid plagiarism or infringements.  Please  check the guidance. 

We aim to make our resources and facilities accessible to all users of the Library.  You can ask any member of Library staff for assistance when you are in the Library.

There are some additional services that we offer to students with disabilities.

Aston University is a member of the SCONUL Access reciprocal scheme (UK and Ireland), which allows full-time postgraduate / postgraduate research students, academic staff, and part-time, distance learner or placement students to visit most of the university libraries in the UK and Ireland and use or borrow books.

We are a member of the Mercian Collaboration, a professional network formed from SCONUL higher education libraries in the East and West Midlands of the UK. 

Find out more about our policies, regulations and performance standards


Your LibGuide is your route to resources and databases that you won’t find on Google or Library SmartSearch.  See this video for more information, or just choose your subject area from the list.

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