From the First Year to the Final Year of your degree, your module lecturers will want to see that you have read and understood research in journal articles and then used that academic debate as evidence in your assessments. Journal articles are usually:
You can browse all the journal titles held at Aston University Library via the A-Z List
Your key databases for the business disciplines
Keyword searching is generally what you use when you are first beginning a search. Try to break down your topic or research question into the overall main ideas; these main ideas become simple keywords which you may use to search a Library database.
It's useful to keep a keyword list when you are researching a topic. This will help you remember the words you have already tried searching, the combinations you have used, and any new words you noticed in search results that you want to try in your searches later.
Watch this short video to help you improve your search skills:
The reference for a journal article usually looks something like this:
For example:
Clough, H., & Closier, A. (2018). Walking the talk: Using digital media to develop distance learners’ digital citizenship at the Open University (UK). Reference Librarian, Vol 59 (3), pp 129-133.
There are two main ways to find the full text of a journal article from a reference:
to access full text
When you find an article you would like to use in your piece of the work, the reference details can be found in the following way:
Many journal articles are now freely available online as they have been published "open access" in addition to their publication in a subscription journal.
You can use the following search tools to find open access journal articles:
If the item you would like to read is not available via Aston University Library, you can request the item from another Library. This is called Inter-library Loan. This service is available to all University students and staff.
Aston University is a member of the SCONUL Access reciprocal scheme which allows members to visit and use University libraries in the UK and Ireland. You are eligible to join the scheme if you are
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 Vacation Access scheme.
SensusAccess is provided by Aston University to enable students and staff to convert documents into a wide range of alternative media.
It is an automated document conversion service that will help enable you to convert your readings, slides and lecture notes into formats that work best for you. For example you could convert an image only PDF or JPEG file to a word document, MP3 file or e-book.
SensusAccess is great for supporting different learning styles, and for providing help when reading text in a foreign language.
SensusAccess is entirely automated and the documents you submit to the service are automatically deleted once they have been converted. You do not need to worry about keeping your privacy as SensusAccess does not store personal information.
More information on the service can be found on our services for users with additional needs webpage https://www.aston.ac.uk/library/services/additional-needs
The following journal articles have been published recently in the areas of business & management. If you would like to be alerted to journal articles in your specific area of interest as they are published, see the Keeping Up To Date tab.