Course resource help for Education and Early Years/Early Childhood Studies

Find out about:

• How to get help using the Library - by email, Live Chat, in person, make an appointment
• Library services for disabled people and Alternate formats
• Check our Life and study balance page to find out about the Library Wellbeing Zone, Sensory Study Space and collections of self-care resources.

Find out about Headington Library services, study spaces and opening hours

Group, quiet and silent study spaces are available throughout each floor on levels 2-4. If you look at the map of Headington library, you'll see we use traffic light colours to indicate whether a space is for group work, quiet work or silent work. The map also shows where you can find computers and printers.

The main section for print books in Education and Child Development books is on Level 2 of the Headington Library, so you may decide to study there, but you can work on any floor. This is what you'll find on Level 2:

• Zone B - Silent study space
• Zone C - Quiet space containing Child development and psychology books 
• Zone D - Quiet space containing computers and Education books
• Zone E - Group work space containing the Primary Teaching Collection (classroom resources)

Guides

• Using the Library when you are off-campus
• Using Oxford Brookes Library: a guide for Education and Early Years students in our partner colleges

What happens if I need to return a book to campus?

We appreciate that PTE and PGCE students will have school placements, while MA and EdD students may only be on campus periodically. 

• If you’ve borrowed an item from the Primary Teaching Collection, you will have it for 6 weeks.
• If you’ve borrowed books from the main Library, these will be automatically renewed for a week at a time, unless they are requested by another student. If this happens, we will email you at your Brookes email address. 
• You will have a week to bring back the requested item. NB If you are concerned that you will not be able to return a recalled item as it’s difficult for you to get to campus, please alert us by emailing library@brookes.ac.uk so that we can see if we can help.  
• You can check what you have out on loan by looking at My Library account - there's a link to this on the Library home page. Alternatively, go to LibrarySearch and Sign in to see your current loans.

Can I use other libraries?

If you live at a distance, you may want to explore options for joining a university library nearer to home. The SCONUL Access Scheme is a reciprocal scheme which allows many university library users to borrow or use books and journals at other libraries which belong to the scheme. The scheme covers most of the university libraries in the UK and Ireland. Check whether the university library you wish to use is part of the scheme and apply to use on the SCONUL Access webpages.

Find out more from our page Access to other libraries

Check this guide Using images in your assignments (Google slides) which covers:

• Understanding copyright
• Finding free to use images
• Crediting and referencing images

For high quality photographs & other images, try these digital image databases mentioned in the guide above:

• Bridgeman Education
• JSTOR database (incorporating ARTstor) offers an image search enabling you to find high-quality images from around the world, including artworks, maps, photographs, and more.

Collections of high quality, free to use photos and images - all mentioned in the guide above:

• Unsplash
• Pexels
• Pixabay

Box of Broadcasts (BoB) is an online archive of films, TV and radio programmes. You can create your own clips from programmes and include them in presentations. Learn more from Getting started with BoB (guides).

Find and use your module reading list

If you’re not sure where to start reading for any assignment, remember your module will have a reading list. 

Your reading lists should be linked from the module’s Moodle course. 

You can also find them on our Reading Lists search (look up the module code, module title or lecturer’s name)

Using your reading list:

• The list may be organised into sections, such as the weekly schedule of topics. You can use the Table of contents (top left) to jump to the section you want. 
• Your tutors may have labelled items to help you to prioritise your reading. Essential readings are items you're expected to read as preparation for your classes. 
• You'll also see recommended and optional resources that will be useful when you're doing assignments.

Find out more from our video How to find your reading list

Find and use any reading list

You can also access any reading list - whether you are taking the module or not - via the Library web site:

• Go to the Library home page and choose the Reading lists tab above the LibrarySearch box. Type in the module code or name.
• Alternatively go directly to our reading list page.

Think about what you already know about the topic, what sort of additional information you still need, and where you will find that:

• Definitions of words, or brief explanations of concepts - you need an encyclopaedia or dictionary. You can find these on LibrarySearch (eg search for encyclopedia early childhood) or take a look at the Resources section above - Dictionaries and reference books for links to online reference sources.
  
  
• Background knowledge on a topic - this is likely to be in textbooks. Check the reading list for your module first! Then you can also use LibrarySearch to search for books (use the Books and E-books tab, or search first then limit to Books).
  
  
• In-depth research findings - these will probably be in journal articles and research reports. See the tips below on finding journals and articles. Research reports may also be on the Web sites of the organisations that did the research.
  
  
• Statistics - check out the Statistics section of our Key Education organisations and Web sites reading list.
  
  
• For help with choosing the best sources, have a look at the Making good reading choices section of our Academic Integrity Moodle course.
  
  
• For more in-depth help with choosing the right sources, check out the Context Hexagon from York University Library.
  
  
• It’s important to keep track of everything you read, so check out our Referencing information as well.

Use LibrarySearch to find out what books we hold

Use LibrarySearch to look for books and e-books available in the Oxford Brookes Library. Just type in the author, title or subject that you are interested in. Limit your search results to books and/or e-books.

Check the video guide on the right for tips on how LibrarySearch works.

Find print books in the Library

• Every book in Headington Library has a call number. This is the code written on the label on the side of the book. Books are arranged in numerical order, using these numbers. For example this book Understanding and using educational theories, by Karl Aubrey and Alison Riley is shelved at 370.1 AUB.
• Look at the signs on the wall in between the stairs and the lift on Level 1 to see which range of call numbers is on each level. You will find a detailed map on each level, and you can also download a library map 
• Education books and resources are on Level 2 in Zones C, D and E.

Borrowing, returning and placing holds

If the book is on loan to another user, you can put a hold on it. If it's on the shelves, it's quicker for you to go and get it yourself. Find out more about borrowing and returning books and placing a hold from:

• How to...Borrow and return items
• Library essentials quick guides
• Using the Library when you are off-campus

NB If your module textbooks are in high demand and you're struggling to access them, please inform your Module Leader and email the Library (library@brookes.ac.uk)

You can find all our print books and e-books by using the “Books and e-books” tab on LibrarySearch, or doing a general search first and then filtering your results to Books and e-books.

We have hundreds of core textbooks for Education available as e-books. 

NB If your module textbooks are in high demand and you're struggling to access them, please inform your Module Leader and email the Library (library@brookes.ac.uk)

Our e-books are on various web platforms and will allow different options for reading and downloading. In some cases you can download the whole e-book to a laptop or tablet for a limited number of days; in others, you can print or download very limited numbers of pages. Our e-book packages also let you add your own online notes to a book or make lists of your favourite e-books. Check our eBooks page to find out more about accessing and downloading different library e-books. 

In order to download many of our e-books, you need to have the Adobe Digital Editions programme or app on your computer/device. You can download the Adobe Digital Editions programme for free. 

Academic journals are key sources for educational and child development research.

• Articles published in these journals are written by specialists in the subject and they provide an insight into current thinking, debate and research in the field. 
• Journals can be good sources of up to date information on current topics which may not be covered by books. 
• Usually have a specific focus. They may report an in-depth research project carried out using specific research methods (quantitative/qualitative/mixed).
• Scholarly journal articles have to be doing something new (covering a gap in the literature), but also built on existing research. They often include a literature review

Peer-reviewed articles have been checked by other experts in the field. This is an important form of quality control for published research:

• Explainer: what is peer review?
• What is peer review? The role anonymous experts play in scrutinizing research before it gets published

LibrarySearch

LibrarySearch can be a good place to start if you want to find journal articles written on a topic. Put in keywords for your topic, then when you get the results refine them to Format - Article. You can also refine to Year - eg Last 10 years - and Peer Reviewed (under Content Type).

Databases

For a more specialist search, we recommended that you use our One-stop search of key Education databases to search for journal articles. Browse through 'What other databases are recommended?' to find other useful databases (in the Resources section above). NB All these databases will require you to use your Oxford Brookes login to access them.  

For best results, plan your database search carefully - use our 'finding journal articles' worksheet to help you. You can also check our slides on finding journal articles and research for Education, "Where's the Evidence?"

Google and Google Scholar

• Google Scholar is a freely available search engine that focuses on scholarly sources. 
• Google isn't recommended for finding academic sources but may be useful for other searches, for example looking for an organisation's web site.
• Get more from Google - tips on using Google and Google Scholar more effectively.
• Install the free LibKey Nomad browser extension to make sure you can access any articles provided by Brookes, wherever you are on the Web.
• Remember that you need high quality reliable sources for your university work. Take a look at our guide to Evaluating Web sources for tips (Word & PDF versions available).

Looking for a specific journal

• Go to the Library home page and select the 'Journal titles' tab.
• Type in the journal title eg British Educational Research Journal
• Find the journal on LibrarySearch and click on the title.
• Click on the 'Access journal' link to connect to the journal homepage.
• The journal site may offer a search function and will also allow you to browse. If browsing, use the year, volume and issue numbers to find the correct journal issue. Articles in each issue will be listed in page order, so use the page numbers to find the specific article.

Looking for a specific article

You may want to do this if you're following up a reference found in a bibliography:

• Try looking up the article on LibrarySearch. Use the author's surname and a few keywords from the article title.
• If you can't locate the article in this way, follow the steps above to look up the journal title and check if we have access to the journal and issue you need.

If we don't have the journal or issue you want, you can use the interlibrary loan service to request a free copy of the article.

Here is an example of an article from an academic journal which follows a very common structure:

Oxley, E. and McGeown, S. (2023) 'Reading for Pleasure Practices in School: Children’s Perspectives and Experiences,' Educational Research, 65(3), pp. 375–391. 

Always start with the abstract: a summary of the article’s content that appears at the beginning. Look at this to help you decide if an article is relevant for your own research. 

Journal articles often have this structure: Introduction - The research study - Discussion/conclusions. 

1. Introductory section: the author will usually set their article in the context of previous research. Notice all the in-text citations, e.g. (Allred and Cena Citation 2020). These are sources that the authors read before conducting their own research. 
2. The research study: this will form the main part of the article
3. Discussion/Conclusions: Where the author highlights what they found out. 

When you're searching for sources, you don't have to read the article in full at this stage. Scan through the abstract, introduction and conclusion to see if it's relevant to your own research topic. If the article looks useful, download the PDF and read it later, making notes as you go. Don’t forget to record all the details of the article for your reference list.

Install the free LibKey Nomad browser extension to make sure you can access any articles provided by Brookes, wherever you are on the Web.

Use BrowZine to browse our electronic journals online & set up alerts for favourite titles. You can use it within your browser or download the free app.

Find out more about both of these resources from our Journals page

Always check the assignment brief to see whether any use of AI is permitted. If you have used AI, you must acknowledge it.

Key pages for Brookes guidance:

• *New* AI Guidance at Oxford Brookes from IT Services
• Check the CAD guidance on Artifical Intelligence for:
  • A list of Brookes-approved tools e.g. Microsoft Co-pilot (could be useful for suggestions of keywords for searching)
  • CAUTION checklist for you to assess your use of AI
• Make sure you understand the Academic conduct procedure: Misuse of AI 
• All students must take the Use of Artificial Intelligence Moodle course.

The Library page How to… Use AI tools for research has details of suggested tools that you can use to expand your literature search, including Keenious and Research Rabbit.

These AI tools work differently to Gen AI tools. They’re specialised tools built on collections of academic work, however you should still verify what you find by checking other sources.

Keenious is an AI tool which can help you expand your literature search. Use your Google account to access.  You can type/paste text in the box or upload a file - something you’ve written or an article you’ve found. Keenious will then suggest:

• Ways to help you explore the article in more depth
• Other articles to read, based on that text (related research)

NB Keenious only retains uploaded documents for 24 hours.

Research Rabbit is designed to help you find “more articles like this”. When you build up a collection of papers, it will generate a visual map which also highlights other papers you might have missed. You need to create an account.
You can:

• Search by keyword
• Search for a specific paper
• Upload a document to find related papers

Take care when using chat tools like ChatGPT and Gemini in an academic context. They are often not appropriate for literature searching:

• If you ask them for information they will generate text, but without searching the literature.
• They cannot perform comprehensive searches of the journal literature as library databases do.
• AI tools often do not reveal how they search or what sources they use.
• They are prone to “hallucinations” - they often invent plausible references which do not exist.
• Be wary of summaries generated by chat tools - they may miss or misrepresent key arguments and will often reflect bias.

Be sceptical. Check carefully and verify with multiple sources.

What AI *can* be used for: 

• Making connections between research papers - see the page How to… Use AI tools for research
• Suggesting keywords. 
• Explaining concepts. 
• Helping organise notes.

• Past undergraduate dissertations are not in the Library - ask your module leader or course administrator how you can access them; some may be available online eg in Moodle
• Postgraduate dissertations are held online as e-dissertations and e-Theses. You can find them on LibrarySearch - do a broad keyword search (such as MA education) and then use the menu on the left to limit Format to “Thesis/dissertation”. 
• Literature searching - you will need to make good use of our help on planning a search for your assignment and finding journal articles (see above). You may also need education statistics and key Education organisations and documents. Also check out York University Library’s Context Hexagon for help choosing the right sources. Once you have used all those, if you still need further help, you can contact the Library for advice or an appointment.
• For your dissertation you will almost certainly need resources we don’t have in Brookes Library. You may need to use interlibrary loan, apply for a Bodleian reader’s card, or use the SCONUL Access scheme to access other University libraries.
• Don’t forget to look at the reading list for your dissertation module, if there is one, for recommendations of research methods books and other useful resources. We also have a general Dissertations and independent research reading list.

If you're doing an MA, MPhil or EdD, take a look at the new guide Resources for Education research which gives advice on:

• Getting help from the Library
• The best places to search for resources
• Keeping up to date with journals
• Finding related research
• Tools to help you keep track of your sources
• Using libraries beyond Brookes