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swisscovery

The FHNW swisscovery platform provides you with ways to find media from the FHNW libraries and around 500 other Swiss libraries that can be accessed through the national library network.

Perform a search

Simple search	All search categories are searched simultaneously (title, keywords, etc.)
Advanced search	Search categories can be searched specifically. Terms can be combined with Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT)
Search for a phrase	Words in inverted commas must appear in exactly the same way in the search results. Example "fake news"
Placeholder/truncation	The asterisk * and the question mark ? help you take different spellings into account when searching. Example: Yogurt -> yoghurt, yoghurt, yoghourt... Yogurt? -> yoghurt, yoghurts, yoghurt pots...
Filters	Filters can be used to narrow down search results according to specific criteria (e.g. publication year, resource type)

Detailed description: https://swisscovery.help/en/#sea2

Search profile: FHNW, articles and more, swisscovery, swisscovery plus

In the search profile «FHNW» you will find all media and electronic resources available in the FHNW libraries (except Vera Oeri Library). FHNW members can have these resources delivered to one of the FHNW locations free of charge.

In the search profile «Articles and more» you will find full texts of electronic articles and chapters that are available to FHNW members.

In the search profile «swisscovery», you will find not only the media of the FHNW Library but also the physical and online media of more than 500 libraries that are part of the network. Please note that the online media of other university libraries are generally not accessible. As a member of FHNW, you can have physical media delivered free of charge to any FHNW location.

In the «swisscovery plus» search profile, you will additionally find resources from the Renouvaud network (Vaud library network) and electronic documents without full-text access.

Detailed description: https://swisscovery.help/en/#sea1

Borrow and reserve items

Pick up on site
If the item is available in your preferred library, you can order it using the «Borrow» button.

Further ordering options
If the book is not listed in your preferred library under «Pick up on site», you can order it from another library and have it delivered to your preferred library. Select the pick-up location from the drop-down list. For transparency, any fees incurred and the estimated delivery time are displayed. Confirm the delivery by clicking on the «Send order» button.

View online
Electronic resources are accessible via a link to the provider. Important: Access is only possible within the FHNW network or by VPN from outside the network.

Digitalisation Order

You can order individual parts or chapters of a resource as a scan (PDF format). Please state the title, the author(s) and the desired number of pages. You can order a maximum of 50 pages per order for CHF 5.00. For copyright reasons, a maximum of 75% of a document can be scanned.

Find freely accessible articles

Open Access stands for free, unrestricted and cost-free access to scientific information on the Internet.

Find open access publications

The following databases and search engines are suitable for searching for open access publications:

Overcoming the paywall

Many scientific articles are behind a paywall, i.e. are subject to a charge. You can however often find free versions that have been made openly accessible. To find them, use special search tools such as web services, apps or browser plugins. These tools automatically search in the background for an openly accessible version of the article.

AI-tools to support literature search

AI tools are a good supplement to traditional search methods in swisscovery or specialised databases, but cannot replace them. AI-generated content is not always completely accurate. Results should be carefully checked and critically scrutinized when using any tool. You should therefore carefully weigh up whether and when it makes sense to use an AI tool to support your research. You should also observe your university's guidelines on how to use AI tools and how to document/cite the results.

The "Virtual Competence Centre: Artificial Intelligence and Scientific Work" provides an overview of current AI tools that are suitable for supporting scientific work:
https://www.vkkiwa.de/ki-ressourcen/ki-tools/

The FHNW Library promotes the critical examination of and sensitisation to the use of AI in studies through its range of courses and events, which is constantly being further developed

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swisscovery

Find freely accessible articles

AI-tools to support literature search

Further information