Academic Search Engines & Directories | Research Keys, Part 2

Research Keys is a series of blog posts which will cover essential resources on search engines and information intelligence; directories and sites for kids, K-12 and university students; global search sites for jobs and travel; multimedia search engines; online library guides; content-rich subject guides by educators and professionals; resources by foundations, universities and governments; open access repositories; content curation sites; similar sites - their application in research; free Excel tutorials; global and European research scholarship websites. Although the focus is clearly on research, many of the resources are useful for business and individual targeted search (e.g. competitive intelligence sites; sites for jobs and travel; library guides and content-rich websites provide information in many areas and the websites are freely accessible; Excel resources)

Research Keys, Part 2 is a compilation of useful academic search engines and sites. You will access specialty sources and repositories, online journals, real-time news, images, references, tips on finding and narrowing a topic. Most of the articles were written by librarians working for online education blogs

Free Language Learning Resources

Here is a comprehensive list of language resources containing useful links to free language lessons, tutorials, podcasts and videos. Many of the websites are academic language directories while others are hosted by other directories or are maintained by people passionate about learning languages.

Research Posters & Presentations

Unfortunately, very few university programs worldwide (esp. outside US and in the social sciences) offer meaningful courses in academic writing & presentation relevant not only to theses writing but also to attending conferences and journal publishing.

Free Resources for All Writing Genres

This compilation of useful writing resources targets all writing genres and audiences - children, students, beginning, freelance and online writers.

Student Journals & Conferences

This post provides some resources for student journals and conferences: 

• The Undergraduate Journals & Conferences Directory (UJCD) is a frequently updated resource encouraging undergraduate scholarship in the US. Journals and conferences are grouped into subject categories. Several articles in favor and against the use of undergraduate journals are published on the website.

Open (text) Books: Online, Free and Serious

Here below is a list of the most important open textbook providers and some other repositories of open access educational content as well as content-rich websites curated by librarians and former educators. Although most of the resources target university students, some are geared toward K-12 students while others may benefit all lifelong learners.

• The Open Course Library (OCL) is a Washington-based initiative that has made available courses for free as an alternative to the costly traditional textbooks in the US. They have published on the website links to open access resources  - open textbooks, courses and other learning materials created and peer-reviewed by academics, and sponsored by foundations.