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Distance students: Based in the UK

A guide to using our resources for distance students.
Mae'r canllaw hon hefyd ar gael yn Gymraeg

FINDit

 

FINDit is a simple, one-step search method for books, e-books, articles, DVDs and more, and includes a number of personalized features for you.

WiFi

Log on
Username -  in this format studentIDnumber@southwales.ac.uk e.g. 12345678@southwales.ac.uk
Password  -  your normal password

Plus
You can log on to eduroam at any participating institution across the world. Find out more on the eduroam website.

eBooks

Make the most of eBooks

eBooks are available 24/7, wherever you are as long as you have an internet connection. 

Postal loan service

Part-time Students and Distance Learners are able to request a range of resources via our postal loan service.

Click on a heading below for more information:

Inter-library loans

If you would like to access a journal article that is not within a USW subscription, you can request an electronic copy via our Inter-Library Loans service
More information about Secure Electronic Delivery is available.

Reading Lists

Online Reading Lists allow for quick and easy access to key course materials.  They include links to the Library Catalogue and online resources where available.  

If your module has a reading list then it will be available via Blackboard or Moodle.

Access to other academic libraries

The library is a member of a number of schemes that enable its members to use the facilities of other Higher Education libraries in the UK, including SCONUL access. 

Subject Guides

We have a wide range of subject guides.

Use these guides to find all the key resources in your area. Meet your Librarian and keep up to date with all the latest books and resources we have on your subject.

Use our How to Films for help with FINDit

Find lots more guides on our Guides Directory Page.

 

How to films

These short films will help you manage My Account, find books, ebooks and journal articles via FINDit. 

BoB - On Demand TV & Radio for Education (Learning on Screen)

BoB is Learning on Screen’s on demand TV and radio service for education that lets you record and view TV and radio online from over 65 free-to-air channels including an archive of over 2 million programmes. View on campus or at home (UK only).

  • Record TV and radio quickly and simply
  • View Over 1 million programmes available in the archive
  • Create clips to use in lectures or send to students
  • Save playlists of your favourite broadcasts and series
  • Never miss a programme with a buffer of 30 days

 

BoB Curated Playlists
This is a growing collection of curated playlists hosted by Learning on Screen and curated by academics on a diverse range of disciplines, subject areas or modules.

Google Scholar

What is Google Scholar?
Google Scholar provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature. In Scholar you can search across many disciplines and sources, including journal articles, theses, books and abstracts, from academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories, universities and other web sites. 

How is it different from Google?
Google has a broader scope than Google Scholar and looks for resources regardless of where they come from and who they are written by. Instead of searching the entire web, Google Scholar just searches for scholarly literature. This means you will get far more relevant, authoritative and up to date results.

Can I access full text articles?
Yes, but not always. Some articles are freely available, plus you can also set up Google Scholar to access the University’s journal subscriptions.

To do this click on Settings then Library Links. Type USW into the search box and select FINDit@University of South Wales – Viewonline@USW.Tick the boxes next to the results and save. You will now be able to access our subscriptions via Google Scholar.
 

Do I still need to use FINDit?
Google Scholar is a good starting point for your research, but please be aware that it doesn’t index everything. It is important to use FINDit as well to search our subscription databases and journals for relevant journal articles.

For more information have a look at our Guide to FINDit or contact your Faculty Librarian.

 

Google Scholar Search