LibGuides: Crime Scene Science: Essential resources

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Essential resources

Searching for information

The following resources are considered the most useful for your course.

Scopus
Easy to use and comprehensive, Scopus is the world’s largest abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature covering 20,500 journals.
Can I access this resource?
To access Scopus you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student or member of teaching staff at a TUCP College
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Scopus licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (Q-T)
Web of Science
An abstracting & indexing database covering over 12,000 journals via the Science Citation Index Expanded, the Social Sciences Citation Index, and the Arts and Humanities Citation Index. Conference proceedings for science and social sciences & humanities are also indexed.
Can I access this resource?
To access Web of Science you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student or member of teaching staff at a TUCP College
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Web of Science licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (U to Z)

Writing

This is the general guidance from the School of Health & Life Sciences (SHLS) for the presentation of assessed written work.

Please also check the assessment criteria for any specific guidance for the academic work.

SHLS: Student guidance for the presentation of assessed written work (2025)

Being critical

It is important with all information, to think critically about the quality of the information. See the Critical Thinking guide for more support with this.

Critical appraisal uses a structured approach to examine how the research has been conducted. You can use a framework to evaluate and critique the research methods used, looking at areas such as the methodology, to assess the strengths and weaknesses of the study and potential biases.

The Critical appraisal guide provides basic level support for appraising qualitative and quantitative research papers. The guide includes frameworks to appraise research.

Other useful resources

We have provided links to some key resources for your course below and in the additional tabs.

For a more comprehensive list of resources for life sciences, click on the link below.

Comprehensive list of resources for life sciences

Science and social science resources

ScienceDirect
An extremely popular comprehensive database of primary literature which provides the full-text of more than 2,500 peer-reviewed scientific, technical and medical journals.
Can I access this resource?
To access Science Direct Journals you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student or member of teaching staff at a TUCP College
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Science Direct Journals licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (Q-T)
Cambridge University Press Journals
Cambridge University Press journals cover a broad range of subjects including all the main subjects in the humanities, social sciences and hard sciences. Their key areas are applied science, environment and conservation, agriculture, neuroscience and biomedicine, history, area studies, language and linguistics, political science and international relations.
Can I access this resource?
To access Cambridge University Press Journals you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student or member of teaching staff at a TUCP College
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Cambridge University Press Journals licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (A-D) (This link opens in a new window)
Sage Journals Online
Sage Journals Online provides access to a range of collections including life and biomedical sciences.
Can I access this resource?
To access Sage Journals Online you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student or member of teaching staff at a TUCP College
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Sage Premier licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (Q-T)
SpringerProtocols
SpringerProtocols is the world’s largest database of life sciences protocols. These ‘recipes’ allow scientists to recreate experiments in their own laboratories. SpringerProtocols contains more than 28,000 protocols, most of which come from the classic book series “Methods in Molecular Biology.”
Can I access this resource?
To access Springer Protocols you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student or member of teaching staff at a TUCP College
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Springer Protocols licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (Q-T)
ASSIA
ASSIA is a bibliographic database which gives references (with abstracts) to the literature of the applied social sciences, including social policy, social services, society, family issues, economics, politics, employment, race relations, health, education and youth work. The abstracts are taken from over 550 English language journals from 16 countries. Coverage is from 1987, with information being updated monthly.
Can I access this resource?
To access ProQuest databases you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource.

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms for ProQuest can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (M-P) (This link opens in a new window)
PsycINFO
PsycINFO contains citations and summaries of journal articles, books, technical reports and dissertations in the field of psychology and related disciplines such as psychiatry, physiology and sociology.
Can I access this resource?
To access PsycArticles, PsycINFO & PsycTESTS you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the PsycArticles, PsycINFO & PsycTESTS licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (M to P)
Taylor and Francis Online
This journal collection covers social science and humanities, science & technology and medical subject areas.
Can I access this resource?
To access Taylor and Francis Journals Online you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student or member of teaching staff at a TUCP College
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Taylor and Francis Journals Online licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (A to Z)

MEDLINE
MEDLINE is the main source for bibliographic coverage of biomedical literature. It covers 4,600 journals from 1950 to the present.
Can I access this resource?
To access EBSCOhost databases you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student or member of teaching staff at a TUCP College
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Ebsco licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (E-H)
EMBASE
EMBASE is a major biomedical and pharmaceutical database indexing over 3,500 international journals in the following fields: drug research, pharmacology, pharmaceutics, toxicology, clinical and experimental human medicine, health policy and management, public health, occupational health, environmental health, drug dependence and abuse, psychiatry, forensic medicine, and biomedical engineering/instrumentation.
Can I access this resource?
To access Embase you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Embase licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (E to H)
Health Research Premium Collection
Health Research Premium consists of the following databases: Medical Database; Consumer Health Database; Healthcare Administration Database; Nursing and Allied Health Database; Psychology Database; Public Health Database.
Can I access this resource?
To access Health Research Premium Collection you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource
Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Health Research Premium Collection licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (E to H)

Lexis Plus (formerly LexisLibrary)
Lexis Plus (Lexis+) is a legal database containing UK, EU and international case law, legislation, legal journals, commentary texts, current awareness, and news. The database provides access to full text online legal and news information services and contains a range of practitioner texts including Butterworths Company Law Handbook and Butterworths Family Law Service as well as All England Law Reports, Encyclopaedia of Forms and Precedents, and Halsbury's Laws. A full-text collection of several UK broadsheet, tabloid and local newspapers is also included.
Can I access this resource?
To access Lexis Library you must be either:
- A UK-based Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A UK-based member of Teesside University Faculty or Library staff
- A TUCP student
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
The licence for Lexis Nexis includes the following terms:
- The material available on Lexis Library is only for educational purposes directly linked to academic coursework
- You may only print one single hard copy of up to ten documents
- You may only download one single copy of up to ten documents
A copy of the full terms of the Lexis Library licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (I to L)
Westlaw UK
This is a database which searches for cases, legislation and journals both for the UK and EU. Searches can be carried out for journal articles using the Legal Journals Index or UK Journals which gives some full text articles.
Can I access this resource?
To access Westlaw UK you must be either:
- A UK-based Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A UK-based member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Westlaw UK licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (U to Z)

Royal Society of Chemistry Journals
Access to selected current RSC journal titles and the RSC journal archive.
Can I access this resource?
To access Royal Society of Chemistry Journals you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University staff
- A TUCP student or member of teaching staff at a TUCP College
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
A copy of the full terms of the Royal Society of Chemistry Journals licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (Q-T)
SciFinder
SciFinder is a research discovery application that provides unlimited access to the world's most comprehensive and authoritative source of references, substances and reactions in chemistry and related sciences.
SciFinder is for educational use only.
Commercial use of your University account is strictly prohibited.
To use SciFinder you will first need to create an account - see below for information

By registering for a SciFinder Account, you agree to the following terms:
1) I am a current faculty, staff member, or officially registered student of Teesside University
2) I will use SciFinder ONLY for my own academic research
3) I will NOT use SciFinder for commercial research or for research that involves patentability searching
4) I will not share my unique username and password with any other individual
5) I may store no more than 5,000 records in electronic format at any one time
6) Violations of these terms may result in Teesside University losing SciFinder access
- Register for a SciFInder account
You will need to register with your name and contact information. The email address you provide must be your Teesside University email address.
You will be prompted to create your own username and password for SciFinder. An email will then be sent to your Teesside University email address with a confirmation link that you must click within 48 hours in order to confirm your registration. Please note that you must be on campus when you set up and verify your account.

I have already registered with SciFinder
If you have already set up your SciFinder account please follow the link below to log in.
You will first be prompted for your Teesside University username and password, followed by your SciFInder username and password.
- Connect to SciFinder
Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
All databases are provided for educational use only.
Users may:
1. Use the product solely in the ordinary course of Academic Research;
2. Store search results in electronic form, provided that at any one time, no more than 5,000 records are stored by each User
3. Search only for themselves;
4. Share their search results in a reasonable, limited way with you Users working on the same or related research projects; provided, however, such sharing may not result in: an aggregation of the electronic records stored by individual Users, or the creation of any central source of electronic records.
Stored records must be deleted when they are no longer needed by the Users for the relevant research project, or, if a student, after the completion of your degree programme, whichever occurs first.
A copy of the full terms of the SciFinder licence can be found below.
List of electronic resource licences (Q-T)

PubChem
PubChem is the world's largest collection of freely accessible chemical information. Search chemicals by name, molecular formula, structure, and other identifiers. Find chemical and physical properties, biological activities, safety and toxicity information, patents, literature citations and more.

British Standards Online
Full-text access to British Standards. Teesside University students do not have to pay for standards that are part of our subscription.
Please read the Copyright Information before using British Standards Online.
Can I access this resource?
To access British Standards Online you must be either:
- A Teesside University undergraduate or postgraduate
- A member of Teesside University Academic staff
- A member of Teesside University Library staff
- A TUCP Student
If you are not a member of any of these groups then unfortunately our licence does not allow access to the resource

Use of licenced material
All electronic databases are covered by licences, and failure to adhere to the terms of the licences could result in the University losing access to these resources.
The licence for British Standards Online includes the following terms:
- The material available on British Standards Online is for educational use only
- You may only print one hard copy of any document
- You may only make one electronic copy of any document and this may not be copied or circulated electronically
- Copied extracts must be deleted on expiry of the subscription
The full British Standards Online licence can be found by following the link below
List of electronic resource licences (A-D) (This link opens in a new window)

Anatomy TV
Made from real scan data and verified by experts, Anatomy TV brings essential accuracy to anatomy and physiology teaching in an interactive format.

Journals

Journals - what and why?

What are journals?

They are: An image of several journal titles

like magazines but of a scholarly nature
published at regular intervals
contain articles on a variety of topics
the articles are written by multiple authors.

Why should I use them?

using information from journals will keep you up to date and informed of new developments in your subject
journals articles give you more detailed information in a more scholarly and concise format
quality research - academic rigour - peer reviewed.