Getting Started
Videos
- How to Search with Discover SMU Libraries in 4 Easy Steps (3 min)
- Using Limiters in Discover SMU Libraries in 5 easy steps (2 min)
- Access Results & Capture Citations in Discover SMU Libraries (3 min)
Research Guide
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the Discover SMU Libraries search?
- What does Discover SMU Libraries search?
- Is the SMU Libraries catalog still available?
- What if I am not finding the resources I need when using the new Discover SMU Libraries search?
- Who should use the Discover SMU Libraries search?
What is the Discover SMU Libraries search?
The SMU Libraries provide the Discover SMU Libraries search in order to provide one simple search interface for a wide range of library resources. It searches through a massive collection of books, scholarly journals, newspaper articles, e-books, dissertations, conference proceedings, and numerous academic databases. Rather than search for all of these things in separate databases, the Discover SMU Libraries search lets you find them all at once, quickly and easily. Even better, it's tied directly to what is available through SMU Libraries, online or in print.
What does Discover SMU Libraries search?
The Discover SMU Libraries search includes the SMU Libraries catalog, SMU Libraries Digital Collections, over 200 Research Guides authored by librarians from all SMU Libraries, the SMU Digital Repository, and almost 300 million items provided by publishers and vendors through SMU library subscriptions and open access databases. Some databases and journals have full-text indexing; others are indexed just by citation information (e.g., title, author, abstract, etc.). Here are some of the major publishers and databases at least partially indexed in the service:
- Alexander Street Press
- American Economic Association (EconLit)
- American Institute of Physics
- American Medical Association
- American Museum of Natural History
- American Psychological Association
- Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
- Bioline International
- Britannica Academic Edition
- Cairn
- Cambridge Scientific Abstracts (CSA)
- Cambridge University Press
- CAUSEWeb
- Community of Science
- CrossRef
- EDP Sciences
- Elsevier
- Emerald
- Érudit
- Facts On File
- Future Science Group
- Gale
- GPO
- Hindawi Publishing
- Houghton Mifflin
- IEEE
- Institute of Physics
- Johns Hopkins University Press (Project Muse)
- Kluwer Law International
- Landes Bioscience
- Lavoisier
- LexisNexis
- Library of Congress (American Memory)
- Maney
- Modern Language Association of America
- Museum Tuscalanum Press
- National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)
- National Agricultural Library
- Nature Publishing Group
- Optical Society of America
- Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)
- Oxford University Press
- ProQuest
- SAGE Publications
- SMU Libraries Catalog
- SpringerLink
- Taylor & Francis
- Thieme
- Walter de Gruyter
Is the SMU Libraries catalog still available?
The SMU Libraries catalog is still available for searching SMU Libraries collections. The catalog search does not include articles, research guides, or individual items from digital special collections.
What if I am not finding the resources I need when using the new Discover SMU Libraries search?
Although a wide range of resources are indexed and accessible in the service, your research may still require the use of one of our specialized databases.
Who should use the Discover SMU Libraries search?
The Discover SMU Libraries search can be used by anyone: undergraduate students new to the Libraries, graduate students, and professional researchers. Its breadth of coverage and ease of use make it an ideal first place to look for articles, books, and other research.
Many will find that the Discover SMU Libraries search results point them to all the information they need for a class paper or long-term research project. Other researchers will want to dig deeper or use search tools not available through the service: specialized databases remain available for all subject areas.
