Research students’
Skills Toolkit
SOLO (Search Oxford
Libraries Online)
SOLO is the primary search tool for
Oxford’s printed and online library
collections. It is divided into two tabs:
Oxford Collections is used to find
books, journals, conference
proceedings, reports, statistics, audio
visual materials and other library
holdings. It covers online materials
such as e-books and e-journals as well
as printed and physical items. It also
searches the Oxford Research Archive
for theses and research papers.
Journal Articles - searches across a
wide range of e-resources for articles.
This service does not cover all of our
online collection. For more in-depth
research and functionality we
recommend searching each database
independently via Oxlip+.
This task explores finding books and
journals in print and online using
SOLO Oxford Collections.
 To start: connect to SOLO @ http://solo.bodleian.ox.ac.uk
1. Finding and ordering books
 Search in the Oxford Collections box for The Student’s Guide to Research
Ethics by Paul Oliver.
 Click on Locations to find out where you can get this book
 Select any library to find out where the item is available and for further
options. This will open a pop up window showing where the item is shelved
(shelfmark) and its availability (Status) in all of the libraries.
 Some of items are kept off site or in closed bookstacks. To read bookstack
items you need to order them to be delivered to a library or reading room.
o Click “Request from stack” on the left.
o You will be prompted to log in with your University card barcode
number and your OLIS password. If you haven’t changed your
OLIS password it will be set to your date of birth in the format
30nov1987.
o Choose a reading room from the list
o You will be told at what time the item can be collected and will be
invited to confirm the request. On this occasion, however, please
choose “Cancel Request”!
2. Checking for different versions and editions
 Return to SOLO and do a New Search for Research Methods in
Anthropology by H Bernard.
 SOLO groups different “versions” of the same work together including
different editions and versions in different format (e.g. print, electronic,
audio-visual).
 Click on “1 of 4 versions” on the right.
o What is the most recent edition of this book?
Skills Toolkit
Research students’
o Connect to the electronic “version” by choosing Online access.
3. Finding journals
 Return to SOLO and do a New Search for the Journal of International
Affairs
 Connect to the online version by choosing Online access.
 A pop-up window opens with options for full text access. Notice that this
journal is available from several databases.
 Look for the date coverage for each database. This is given underneath the
Year, Volume etc boxes
o This journal is available on Chadwyck PAO Complete from
1952-2001 and on EBSCOhost Business Source from 1975
onwards.
o What is the date coverage for this journal on Factiva and
Proquest ABI/INFORM Global?
 Choose an appropriate database to find the article Lipman “Freedom of
Expression without Freedom of the Press” (Spring/Summer 2010, Vol. 63
Issue 2, p153)
3. Going direct to e-journals
 Return to SOLO and click on the OUe-Journals link at the top right.
 Type Time in the search box and select the Exact button. For one-word titles
such as Time, Nature or Science selecting Exact is the quickest option and
saves you scrolling through lots of results!
4. Limit and refine a search
 Return to SOLO and search for a topic of your choice (if you can’t think of one
try research methods)
Too many hits? Limit your search by using the drop down menus
beneath the search box, e.g.
 Change “All items” to specify a type of material, e.g. books,
journals, databases.
 Change “that contain my query words” to “with my exact
phrase”.
 Change “anywhere in the record” to specify “in the title”, “as
author/creator”, in subject, etc.
 Restrict the scope of your search by changing “in all
libraries/collections” to a Library of your choice or to Online
Resources.
 Use the Refine My Results panel on the left of the screen, to narrow by
Topic, Library, Language, Date, Creator (author), Resource Type or
Collection.
Remote access
If you’re not on the university network you can still access our e-journals and
other online library resources. On the SOLO home page click on Oxford Single
Sign On to log in from anywhere in the world.
Politics and International Relations Toolkit