Services for students in collaborative partner institutions

Get a University of Bradford username and password

Activate your University of Bradford IT account if you haven't already done so. Each student must do this for themselves.

• After clicking on the link above, click on the 'Activate IT account (New Starters)' option.
• Enter your University (UB) number and security code. These should be available from your course administrator at your home institution.

You will receive your University of Bradford username as part of this process and you will create your own University password. The University of Bradford username will be up to 8 characters long. It is normally made up from your name and may contain a number.

Set a new University of Bradford password if you have forgotten it. You will need your UB number to apply for a new password.

If you need help finding your existing University of Bradford username and password, first speak to your course administrator at your home institution. If they cannot help you, please contact IT Servicedesk. Include your UB number in all correspondence.

Accessing library resources with your UoB username and password

Summon

Use Summon to find, for instance, journal and newspaper articles; and books in print and online. Summon searches across all the University of Bradford subscribed resources in a single search.

The Summon search box can be found on the Library homepage or by visiting the Summon search page directly.

For more information on Summon see the Library's Summon information page or take a look at the quick guide below.

Off-campus users

On arrival to the Summon search page, off-campus users will see a prompt to log in to gain access to extended content. Logging in at this point is not required but will show all Bradford subscriptions.

When searching Summon for items available online you will see a full-text link to take you straight to the document. In some cases an SFX window will appear instead with a full-text link to follow to the supplier's website. Look for the 'sign in' option and follow any instructions given on the site. Our information page on how to access online resources will assist in the process. See the section about Institutional Login in particular.

NB! In nearly all cases off-campus access to online resources requires your University of Bradford username and password.

Finding eBooks and eJournals

eBooks

Use the Library Catalogue to check if the University of Bradford has paid for online access to the eBook title you need.

• Click on the full-text link displayed on the catalogue record to visit the eBook website.
• Log in with your University of Bradford username and password.

eJournals

Use the Library Catalogue to check if the University of Bradford has paid for online access to the journal title and year you need.

How to search for a journal

• Type in the journal title.
• Follow the full-text link displayed on the catalogue record to the eJournal webpage.
• Log in with your University of Bradford username and password.
• Browse or search the journal for the article you need.

Finding databases

The University provides access to a number of journal article databases. Use these to find journal articles on a particular subject.

How to find suitable databases with Summon

• Use the Summon search box to start a search on a topic.
• The search results page will show results from journals and book titles. You will also see recommendations for databases for your topic.
• Follow the link to the recommended resource

How to find suitable databases via subject support pages

• Visit the library homepage and browse the subject support pages for suitable resources for your topic.
• Follow links to suggested resources.

Things to note for database searchers

1. Each database needs to be searched individually. Use KEYWORDS that best describe your subject area.
2. Many database include some 'full-text' content. Select 'PDF' or 'full-text' options to view whole papers.
3. In some cases you will not have the 'full-text' option but you will see an SFX link instead. Use this link to check for any full-text items that may be available for you to view.
4. If a link to full-text is offered within the SFX window, follow the link to the supplier website. 'Sign in' using the institutional login (sometimes called 'Shibboleth') as described in the section above on Summon. Log in with your University of Bradford username and password when prompted.

Remember that you will not have access to every journal article found in a database. Access is only available to journal titles the University subscribes to. The SFX service will do this checking for you if you are looking for journal articles. Another way to check if the Library offers full-text access to the journal content you need is to use the Library Catalogue and enter the journal title as shown above. See the instructions on our eJournals page.

Signing into Bradford resources from off-campus

In all cases off-campus access to online resources requires your University of Bradford username and password. Many of the resources use the OpenAthens authentication system. You DO NOT need a separate OpenAthens username and password. You simply use your University of Bradford login details.

Links from the Library Catalogue and Summon take you directly to the correct login pages. If you choose to visit one of our online services directly we strongly recommend you familiarise yourself with the advise given on our eResource help page.

Further help

Subject pages

Visit the Library Subject Support pages if you require further help finding information for you studies.

Contact details

Contact information for library staff and services at the University of Bradford are available online. The University also has an IT Servicedesk ready to assist.

Other helpful information

Visit the Library homepage for information on reading lists, referencing, plagiarism etc.