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Faculty Services: Resources and Services

This research guide features resources and strategies for finding information and conducting research particularly relevant to faculty

Google Scholar

Google Scholar is as simple to use as the Google search engine but provides more academic results.

  • Scope  Google Scholar only contains citations for books and journal articles.
  • Very complete in the latest science, technology, engineering, medical, and social sciences.
  • Not as complete in the humanities and theology/religion
  • Use it in addition to Summon and our discipline-specific databases for a comprehensive "review of the literature."
  • Google Scholar also contains many “open access” resources that are available freely on the web.
  • Google Books shows books that have been scanned.and can be cited in your work.
  • Settings  Google Scholar can directly link to our subscription databases (such as EbscoHost or Proquest). 
  • Before searching, go to “Settings” and choose “Library Links” on the left.  Then search for “Liberty University.”  Choose all of the Liberty boxes including “Get it at LU” and click "Save."  
  • You can also choose a specific date range to find the latest research.
  • If you have works indexed in Google Scholar, you can create an author profile.
  • Accessing relevant articles  When an article you find is available in our databases, you will see “Get it at LU.” 
  • Click on this, and it will show you which databases contain the article.
  • Never pay for journal articles.  You can use “Journal Finder” to see which, if any, of our databases contain the article or request it via interlibrary loan.
  • When you find an article that is particularly applicable to your research, you can see whether others have cited that article when it says “Cited by (Number).”  If you click on that link, it will show you the other books or articles within Google Scholar that cited the original article. 
  • You can even “search within these results” for keywords of interest.
Google Scholar Search

Finding Copyright Cleared Images

  • Use Britannica Image Quest to simplify and improve your search for images for class PowerPoint presentations, reports, bulletin boards, publications, etc.
  • This subscription database provides two million rights-cleared (for non-commercial use) images from over 50 of the best image collections in the world.  
  • Cautions  Just because someone posts an image to the web does not mean that you are able to freely or legally reproduce it.
  • The source and copyright status of those web images is often unclear.
  • Even for rights-cleared images, you must give a source credit in theses, dissertations, and other published works.

Interlibrary Loan

  • If Liberty University does not own an item you wish to use, you may obtain books and journal articles from other libraries.
  • All journal articles will be delivered to you as a PDF within the ILLiad account you establish.
  • For residential faculty, items borrowed from other libraries can be delivered directly to your campus office.
  • Instructions for establishing and using an Illiad account are found at borrowing from other libraries.

Miscellaneous Resources and Services

The Teaching Professor

Published 10 times per year, The Teaching Professor is a lively, practical newsletter with a singular purpose: to provide ideas and insights to educators who are passionate about teaching.

The Teaching Professor helps you:

  • Overcome obstacles to effective teaching
  • Stay on top of the latest pedagogical research
  • Hear what's working for colleagues "in the trenches"
  • Hone your skills and stay on top of teaching innovations
  • Truly connect with your students

 MUST read for:

  • Teaching professors
  • Academic deans
  • New faculty
  • Faculty development staff
  • Department chairs
  • Administrators