Library: Computer Games: Databases, journals and articles

Resources for Games

The Library provides a wide range of resources to support you in your research.

Databases are one of the best types of resource to get familiar with.

We use the term ‘database’ to describe searchable collections of online resources which contain items such as journal articles, books, and images. Using the databases recommended for your subject will help you find reliable information from trusted sources.

What are Articles, Journals and Databases and why are they important?

As a student in higher education your tutors will be looking for evidence that you have used a wide range of resources in your studies. Journals are one such resource. They can provide up to date, specialised information on topics which are not always found in books. There are two main types of journal.

Academic Journals for example:

International Journal of Web Information Systems

Trade, general and professional magazines for example:

IT Now
PC World

It is useful to understand how articles, journals and databases fit together,

Databases

The A-Z of Databases page provides access to all of our subscription Library databases so you can find the best resources for your research. You can locate the database you require by selecting the appropriate letter below, or select a subject from the Subject drop-down list to see all the recommended databases for that area. You can also use the Database Type drop-down list to show just Full-text databases, eBooks, articles etc.

Journal titles for games design

A link to some full text journal titles for computer games

Searching for articles on games design

You should be able to access eResources by following the links below and logging on with your usual Staffordshire University username and password (the details you use to logon to BlackBoard). If you need help accessing eResources there is help on the web site in the Current Issues guide.

Full text articles that can be viewed, saved and printed using:

JSTOR Archival Journals and Primary Sources Collection This link opens in a new window
JSTOR is a digital library of journals, academic ebooks, images, and primary sources.
The collections include top peer-reviewed scholarly journals as well as respected literary journals, academic monographs, research reports from trusted institutes, and diverse primary sources. JSTOR is part of ITHAKA, a not-for-profit organization that also includes Ithaka S+R and Portico.
Journals
JSTOR contains the full-text of more than 2,800 journals from 1,200 publishers, with publication dates ranging from 1665 to 2020 (for certain titles). Journals are available in more than 75 disciplines in the humanities, social sciences, and sciences and mathematics.
Ebooks
JSTOR contains more than 150,000 ebooks from academic publishers. The ebooks work just like journals, offering unlimited use and DRM-free chapter downloads in PDF format.
Primary Sources
The primary source collections currently available on JSTOR are multidisciplinary and discipline-specific and include select monographs, pamphlets, manuscripts, letters, oral histories, government documents, images, 3D models, spatial data, type specimens, drawings, paintings, and more.
Login Link: https://shibboleth2sp.jstor.org/Shibboleth.sso/Login?entityID=https%3A%2F%2Fshibboleth.staffs.ac.uk%2Fidp%2Fshibboleth&target=https%3A%2F%2Fshibboleth2sp.jstor.org%2Fshib%3Fdest%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fwww.jstor.org%252Fshibboleth

Alternative login: http://ezproxy.staffs.ac.uk/login?url=http://www.jstor.org
ACM Digital Library This link opens in a new window
The full-text database includes the complete collection of ACM's publications, including journals, conference proceedings, magazines, newsletters, and multimedia titles.
Link: http://ezproxy.staffs.ac.uk/login?url=http://portal.acm.org/dl.cfm
Education Research Complete This link opens in a new window
A collection of full-text education journals. It is a bibliographic and full-text database covering scholarly research and information relating to all areas of education.

*Please Note if the above link is not working try this alternative link
(however the alternative link will not give you access to your saved searches)
Login link: http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?authtype=shib&custid=s7383539&profile=ehost&defaultdb=ehh

Alternative link: http://ezproxy.staffs.ac.uk/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?authtype=ip,uid&profile=ehost&defaultdb=ehh
IEEE Xplore This link opens in a new window
Full text to the majority of the publications from IEEE . Includes thousands of articles and the IEEE/IET Electronic Library (IEL)
ScienceDirect - Elsevier This link opens in a new window
ScienceDirect is a leading database of peer-reviewed science, technology and health information trusted by researchers, teachers and students around the globe.
Link: https://auth.elsevier.com/ShibAuth/institutionLogin?entityID=https%3A%2F%2Fshibboleth.staffs.ac.uk%2Fidp%2Fshibboleth&appReturnURL=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencedirect.com/science/search
Alternative Link: Back up Login link

ScienceDirect Freedom Collection (pre-2000 subscribers):2012-2016:Year 3 - NESLi2
Statista
Statista.com is a leading provider of market and consumer data. It consolidates statistical data on over 80,000 topics from more than 22,500 sources and content includes statistics, reports, outlooks and infrographics for a wide range of industries.
Scopus This link opens in a new window
Scopus is the largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature: scientific journals, books and conference proceedings. Delivering a comprehensive overview of the world's research output in the fields of science, technology, medicine, social sciences, and arts and humanities, Scopus features smart tools to track, analyze and visualize research.

Note: Please register for an individual account, as this gives you access to more personalised features including permissions to save and download searches.

Some print journals

Some journals are only available in print and are located in Thompson Library on the ground floor. You may browse the journals and use them in the library building. Photocopiers and scanners are in the library and you are allowed to copy articles for your own use.

Search Google Scholar

Google Scholar This link opens in a new window
Google Scholar provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature. From one place, you can search across many disciplines and sources: articles, theses, books, abstracts and court opinions, from academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories, universities and other web sites.

Linking Google Scholar to your University account

Computer Games