Access to some of the electronic resources that SOLO searches is restricted by the publishers to members of subscribing institutions. In order to prove that you are entitled to see these results, you will need to log in to SOLO with your Single Sign On.
SOLO will log you out after 30 minutes of inactivity. If you are using a public computer such as a quick search machine in a library remember to sign out when you have finished your search.
Please note: Electronic Legal Deposit is not the same as commercially available digital material - it is a special collection. All the Legal Deposit Libraries are bound by the same UK legislation that restricts access to this material.
For more information, please see our electronic Legal Deposit guide.
If you urgently require access to a book, please use our recommend a purchase form and the Bodleian Libraries will investigate purchasing an ebook or print copy for you.
How do I narrow search results to a particular library collection?
How do I sort/refine my search results?
How can I export my search results?
How do I search by journal title?
How do I search for an article?
How do I search for material that isn't in the Latin alphabet?
How do I save a search and set up updates for new articles?
What do the coloured circles/traffic lights, 
signify?
How do I order a scan of an article or chapter of a book?
How do I order items from offsite storage?
What do I do if the book I want is on loan?
How do I request an item from other libraries, beyond Oxford?
Use the drop-down menu to the right of the search bar to select a search option - keep scrolling down for more options (see narrowing your search results down to a particular library). 'Search Everything' searches both 'Oxford Collections' and 'Articles'. To refine your results further see How do I sort/refine my search results. Vary keywords to get different results.
Once you have submitted a search and retrieved some results, you can browse the hyperlinks in a bibliographic record for author and subject. If a book is a published as part of a series you can click on the link to see other titles in that series.
To browse databases that are relevant to your subject area go to the Databases A-Z list. Select your subject from the dropdown menu and a list of relevant databases will be returned for you to search.
or in advanced search you can tailor your keyword search in different parts of the bibliographic record using 'contains exact phrase', 'contains' or 'starts with', for example as below.
To return a list of subject guides relevant to an area of research, use a general search term in advanced search, for example, 'history' then select 'research guides' in the 'material type' menu in the drop down list.
You will return a list of all associated library guides for that subject which you can then browse through.
How do I narrow search results to a particular library collection?
In the list of resources to the right of the search bar, either start typing the first letters of the library or collection you wish to search or use the scroll bar to navigate through the list. Click on the location to choose it.
You can also refine your search results by library by using the search filter 'Library' on the left as described in the section below.
The three most recent searches with different locations will be remembered by the system for the duration of the session. They will display at the top of the list with a clock icon.
How do I sort/refine my search results?
If you find you are getting a lot of results, try adding in some more search terms or sorting and refining your searches as below.
On the left-hand side of the results screen, use 'Sort by' to order your search results.
Use the filters to refine your search. Navigate up and down the filters by using the side bar to the left of the results.
You can also exclude results with a particular value by clicking on the check box to the right of the entry in a facet list.
How can I export my search results?
You can export results from the brief results page (shown below), from a full record display (once you have clicked through to a particular title), or from your 'Favourites'. To export from brief results, click on the three dots and select your chosen option.
How do I search by journal title?
If a journal has many volumes/parts, use the filter to bring up the volumes/parts you would like to see.
How do I search for an article?
To search for a specific article or to browse articles select the 'Articles' search option.
Searching within articles does not provide records for all articles in our journals. If you cannot find a specific article, try searching for the journal title in 'Search Everything' or 'Oxford Collections'.
Note: If you copy and paste a complete citation as a search this may not return the article. You may find your search more successful if you remove some of the bibliographic details from the citation. For example, search only for article title and author.
If you need to complete a thorough literature or systematic review, you are advised to consult specialist databases in your subject area or to seek help from your subject librarian
Advanced Search has additional options to help make your search more specific. For instance, you can narrow down by title, publisher, year, and resource type (such as journals) amongst others.
The Bodleian Libraries holds rich collections of material in languages that do not use the Latin alphabet. Examples are Japanese, Chinese, and Arabic.
You can search for this material in SOLO by putting keywords into search fields, as you might search for anything else – however you may well need to transcribe your keywords into the Latin alphabet. In many but not all cases, non-Latin alphabets are transcribed into Latin using Library of Congress transcription. Best practice is to search in both original script and transliteration. Your Subject Consultant can give you more detailed advice, however here are some tips on searching for material in specific alphabets:
Chinese: Many Chinese records weren’t transcribed into Latin. Search in Chinese first for accurate results (either in simplified or traditional form):
Japanese: You can search in the Latin alphabet or in Japanese. If you search in the Latin alphabet, please follow the Library of Congress transcription (the Modified Hepburn romanization rules).
If you search using Japanese script, we would recommend going to SOLO advance search and using the language filter (choose 'Japanese' from the Language menu). This will help to filter out Chinese sources.
Korean: You can search in the Latin Alphabet, according to the Library of Congress system. This is the McCune-Reischauer system. You can also search in Korean.
Middle Eastern and North African languages (e.g. Arabic, Persian): Search in the Latin alphabet, using the Library of Congress transliteration scheme for the individual languages. You can also search using original script, but bear in mind that only more recent records added to SOLO include the original script.
Hebrew: Search in the Latin alphabet (using the ALA/LC Hebraica Romanization), but you should search in Hebrew letters as well; the former will include the older records, the latter most of the newer ones.
Languages that use Cyrillic alphabets (e.g. Ukrainian or Kyrgyz): Most of these titles are transliterated into Latin using the Library of Congress transliteration. First try the Latin Alphabets in the Library of Congress transliteration, then try Cyrillic. You can also try the British Standard transliteration system, and as a last resort the ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) system.
Caucasian languages (e.g. Armenian and Georgian): You can try Library of Congress transliteration into Latin, and the Armenian and Georgian (Mxedruli, Asomtavruli, and Nusxuri) alphabets.
South Asian Languages: We use the Library of Congress transliteration scheme for South Asian languages. Many records recently added to SOLO for South Asian language material also contain original script information, but only a small overall proportion of records currently have this, so please use transliterated Latin script for searching.
How do I order a scan of an article or chapter of a book?
If scanning is an option for any type of item, you will see the 'Scan & Deliver' option as below.
You will then be taken to the Scan & Deliver request form. It is clear on the form how much you can have scanned (not the whole book!) including advice that you can ask for the index or table of contents in addition to your final choice of chapter, as below.
How do I save a search and set up updates for new articles?
At the top of the page you can see the active filters you have chosen. Click on 'Save query'.
How do I order items from offsite storage?
You will need to sign in to your account in SOLO to order an item held in offsite storage. You have two options: 1) Request an electronic copy of an item to be sent to you via email using the Scan & Deliver service; 2) request the physical item to a reading room in a library. See the instructions below for both methods.
Requesting a physical item to a reading room
What do I do if the book I want is out on loan?
If all copies available to you are out on loan, you are encouraged to place a request. This will ensure that a copy is reserved for you on its return.
How do I request an item from other libraries, beyond Oxford?
If we do not hold an item in Oxford, it is easy to request an item from other libraries beyond Oxford. Simply click on 'Need more?' as below and fill in the form.
What do the coloured circles/traffic lights, signify?
The University's collections of ebooks, ejournals, online articles and databases available from our publisher subscriptions.
Full-text access to this item may be available but restrictions may apply. For example content on ORA.
Full-text access is not available, or only under very restricted circumstances. For example, Electronic Legal Deposit content which can only be accessed on Bodleian Libraries PCs.