It’s not too early to start thinking about your referencing. Once you have researched and begun writing your dissertation or project you must remember to correctly acknowledge the sources of any information which you refer to. This allows readers to trace the original material while also ensuring that you avoid potentially committing plagiarism.
To help you with your referencing, Library staff have prepared several online guides with useful examples. We have a generic guide on Referencing and Citing as well as other guides on specific referencing styles or subject areas:
Please be sure to look at the referencing guidance which has been provided by your department. You can read advice on avoiding plagiarism on the Student Learning Service’s website and you can check in MyAberdeen for materials on academic writing and avoiding plagiarism.
We also have access to a really useful book by Colin Neville called Complete guide to referencing and avoiding plagiarismwhich goes over topics from why you need to reference, where, the different referencing styles, plagiarism and how to express your own ideas in an assignment. Cite them right: the essential referencing guide by Richard Pears is another great resource, available to access online or in print from Floor 4 at shelfmark 808.027 PEA in The Sir Duncan Rice Library.
There are many different software solutions that will help you manage your references. RefWorks is a cloud-based reference management service that is free for all University of Aberdeen students and staff to use. See the library website for guidance on using RefWorks, and referencing in general.
Using reference management software allows you to import references from online databases and other sources. There are writing tools that work with the software, for example RefWorks includes a Reference Citation Manager plugin which allows you to automatically generate references from your RefWorks account while you write in Word.
We run occasional Information Skills Workshops for postgrads covering the main features of RefWorks and how to get started. Workshops for taught postgraduate students will be happening later in May. Check the course booking system for these and other workshops soon. Details will also appear on the Library website.
When enquiring about our Library Services or seeking IT advice, you can use our web-based enquiry management system called Freshservice.
To access Freshservice, please click on myit.abdn.ac.uk. You will be asked to sign in, using your University of Aberdeen (UoA) username and password. When you land on the homepage, please select the first option to Report an issue and a new window will open where you can submit details of your enquiry.
Once you have submitted your enquiry, it will be given a unique reference number (ticket number) in Freshservice, which will be emailed to your UoA email account. You will then be able to interact with staff members, ask further questions and receive support.
As soon as all actions and conversations have been concluded, staff will resolve the ticket, and you will receive an email to that effect. A subsequent email will follow with a short satisfaction survey, to offer you the opportunity to provide feedback on the process and on the outcome of your enquiry.
Welcome to the University of Aberdeen. We are pleased that you have chosen to study and do your research while using our resources. We also realise that you may have questions regarding how many books you can borrow, and our rules and regulations. Please read on to learn more about borrowing from the hundreds of thousands of high-quality books available in our Library Collections.
The table below shows you how many books you are able to borrow from our Libraries at any one time, depending on the type of Library Account you have.
Type of Library Account
Number of books you can borrow
Undergraduate Student
20
Taught Postgraduate Student
20
Research Postgraduate Student
40
University Staff
50
Temporary Services Staff
10
NHS Grampian Staff
10
External Members
10
SCONUL Access Students
5
How long can I borrow the books for?
The books available in all of our Libraries can be borrowed for different lengths of time, depending on how much they are expected to be used for teaching or research. See below for an explanation of the different loan types available and how you can easily identify them on the shelves.
Heavy Demand
How can I tell if a book is Heavy Demand?
There will be blue tape on the book’s spine, as well as the shelfmark. These books are core reading materials across all courses and therefore have the shortest loan periods in our collection. Please also be aware that you can only borrow 2 booksat a time from this collection.
How long is the loan?
1 day, due back 10.30am the next day – or Monday if borrowed on a Friday or over the weekend.
If borrowing before 10.30am please check the due date and time carefully – if the item is booked it will be due back at 10.30am that day. Check the screen and your receipt for the due date and time.
A few items are on 3 hour reference. You may borrow the item using the self-service kiosks in Heavy Demand but must return it within 3 hours.
Can I renew the loan?
No phone renewals are allowed. Renewals must be done in person, with the item present. This is because items must be returned by a specific time during the day and very often the item has already been reserved for another reader.
3- Day Loan
How can I tell if a book is 3- Day Loan?
There will be yellow tape on the book’s spine, as well as the shelfmark. These books have been recommended for reading on different courses.
How long is the loan ?
Return within 3 days, weekends included e.g. borrowed Wednesday, due back on Saturday. Holds may be placed to reserve these.
Can I renew the loan?
Items may be renewed as long as no-one else has placed a hold on the item.
Items will be renewed automatically for you if not requested by another reader.
If the book is recalled an email will be sent to your University account telling you when to return it.
You can renew 3-Day Loan items yourself via MyAccount in Primo, or in person at one of our libraries up to 9 times.
4-Week Loan
How can I tell if a book is 4-Week Loan?
There will be white tape on the book’s spine, as well as the shelfmark.
How long is the loan ?
4 weeks from date of borrowing, but they can always be recalled at any time by another user of the library, including over holidays.
If the book is recalled an email will be sent to your University account telling you when to return it.
Can I renew the loan?
Items may be renewed unless recalled or on hold by another reader. If the book is recalled an email will be sent to your University account telling you when to return it.
Items will be renewed automatically for you if not requested by another reader (Aberdeen University students and staff).
You can renew 4-Week Loan items yourself via MyAccount in Primo, or in person at one of our libraries up to 9 times.
Long Loan
How can I tell if a book is Long Loan?
There will be no coloured tape on the book’s spine, only the shelfmark.
How long is the loan ?
Until the end of the Summer term, but they can always be recalled at any time by another user of the library, including over holidays. If the book is recalled an email will be sent to your University account telling you when to return it.
Can I renew the loan?
Recalled items cannot be renewed. Before the annual return of books in May items can be renewed via MyAccount in Primo or in person at one of our libraries.
24 Hour Restricted Loan
How can I tell if a book is 24 Hour Restricted Loan ?
There will be a 24 Hour Loan label on the first page of the book. There will be no coloured tape on the book’s spine, only the shelfmark.
How long is the loan?
Return within 24 hours from the time of issue, weekends included, e.g. issued 16.45 on Tuesday, due back by 16.45 on Wednesday.
Can I renew the loan?
Restricted loans may be renewed as long as no-one else has placed a hold on the item. You can renew 24 Hour Loan items on loan to yourself via Primo up to 9 times.
Self Issue Machines and PINs
Set up your PIN now to access the self-check machines in our libraries!
Did you know that there is an automated system for issuing and returning books in both the Sir Duncan Rice and the Taylor (Law) libraries? Once you have set up your PIN you will be able to use your student ID card and issue books to your library account without requiring the assistance of a staff member!
How to set up your PIN:
You can either follow the instructions and the link sent to you by email shortly after you’ve registered, or you can visit any of our libraries (Sir Duncan Rice, Taylor (Law), Medical) and ask a member of staff to do that for you at one of the Information Points or Help Desks – don’t worry, it only takes a few seconds!
Library Fines
Following a steady reduction in the amount of fines in recent years, and in light of the current cost-of-living crisis, we have permanently stopped charging fines for overdue books. We have done this to ensure wider access to our resources and to ease financial stress on students and staff.
As fines were in place to encourage people to bring items back on time, we need everyone to play their part to make this work – support your University community by checking your University e-mail account regularly and returning items by their due dates.
If items are not returned on time, we will not ask you to pay a fine, but as other students need access to our items, your library account will be frozen and you will not be able to borrow any more items until the overdue item has been returned.
If the item has not been returned after two weeks, we will need to ensure we have a way to provide it to others, so we will begin the process of invoicing you for the replacement cost plus a handling charge.
We also conduct an Annual Return of Books every May across the library service, so please ensure that you keep an eye on your library account.
If you have any questions about borrowing books, or about using our libraries, our staff are always happy to help. Please email us via library@abdn.ac.uk.
A comfortable study and learning environment for all The Library is here to support your study and research by providing a range of study spaces to suit your individual needs. Members of staff can be contacted at any point, in person or via email/telephone, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch if you have any queries about the Library’s facilities and services.
Finding the information you want – using the resources Find books and journals in print and electronic format, museum objects, theses, images, exam papers and more just by using Primo, the Library’s discovery tool. If you would like help using the different functions within Primo, speak to a member of staff in the Subject and Enquiry Team, at the Information Centre on Floor 1 of The Sir Duncan Rice Library. Subject and Enquiry team staff can also be found on Floors 5 and 6 of the Sir Duncan Rice Library. Please contact us at library@abdn.ac.uk.
If you have a subject-specific question, need help constructing a search strategy or using one of our specialist databases, speak to the Information Consultant for your discipline. A detailed list can be found here.
Borrowing enquiries, fines, using the Heavy Demand section, collecting reserved items Speak to staff at the Information Centre onFloor 1 if you need help placing requests on books or collecting reserved items. Staff on Floor 1 can also advise on Inter-Library Loans and access to your borrower record. The Heavy Demand section is on the west wall of the building, next to the Information Centre. It contains books that are heavily used, a DVD collection, study spaces, self-service kiosks for borrowing and returning. It also contains MFDs for copying, printing, and scanning. Staff on Floor 1 can provide advice on how the Heavy Demand section works.
Copying/printing Speak to any member of staff on floors 1, 5 and 6 if you need help using the MFDs. Also, there are detailed guides on the notice boards behind the MFDs to help you understand the functions of scanning, printing and photocopying. These guides are available from the University’s Toolkit, found here. Remember to top up your printing budget! For information on paying for printing, click here.
IT-related queries Our IT service desk is the first point of contact for issues relating to connectivity, printing, username & password problems, remote access and more. The service desk is located on Floor 1 of The Sir Duncan Rice Library. You can also email servicedesk@abdn.ac.uk or call 01224 -273636 (this number also connects you to the Out-of-Hours service). Calls can also be logged through MyIT, a self-service facility for reporting problems.
Printing and binding your dissertation The University’s binding service is on 23 St. Machar Drive. Services include colour and black & white printing, soft and hard binding, lamination, large format poster printing and more. Tel: 01224 – 272578 Email: printshop@abdn.ac.uk
RefWorks See our RefWorks Library guides at www.abdn.ac.uk/library/support/library-guides-101.php#R (Navigate to our Library guides section on the Library website and select ‘A-Z’, then click on ‘R’ and scroll down to ‘RefWorks’)
For Research Postgraduates and staff, further instruction on how to use RefWorks’ advanced features is provided in our Literature Searching Essential Skills workshop series. These run 3 times a year. To search for and book these sessions, please see the course booking website. Alternatively, speak to one of the Information Consultants.
As many taught postgraduate students begin work on their dissertations or projects, the Library is running a series of online sessions to help you find papers on your dissertation topic, access e-resources, or understand how to get the best out of Google.
The three-part series takes place next week, on Wednesday May 25 and Thursday May 26, and will be delivered online via Collaborate. They are open to all PGT students.
The three parts cover the following:
Part 1 – Planning a search, resources, access and support
Part 2 – Primo, ebooks and Google
Part 3 – Scopus and Web of Science databases
To find out more and to book a place, please visit abdn.ac.uk/coursebooking – just change the category to ‘Library Information Skills’.
You may also find materials in our Refresher series of interest. The recordings in our Refresher series present techniques, tips and resources to help you find scholarly information and reliable support materials. The issues of plagiarism, referencing, planning a dissertation and writing a Literature Review are also covered.
As part of the University of Aberdeen’s support for Neurodiversity Celebration Week (March 13-19), the Library would like to highlight materials from our collection that contain a wealth of resources and research on neurodiversity and its impact.
Neurodiversity describes the many different ways that our brains can work and how we interpret information and see the world around us.You may also have friends and family who have conditions that come under this umbrella term. These include:
Autism
Dyslexia
Dyspraxia
ADHD
You may already be aware of the challenges that these conditions can pose, and unfortunately, the misconceptions that society has regarding them. However, they can also be a source of several strengths for individuals and collectively produce new and innovative products, services and research.
Neurodiversity
There are several perspectives on how different sectors of society work with neurodiversity and neurodiverse groups. In education, the following authors seek to empower and equip students and staff:
Current Issues in Developmental Disorders by Chloe Marshall: Covering a range of conditions both on the neurodiversity spectrum and ‘syndromic conditions’ like Down’s syndrome, Marshall explores contemporary research in developmental psychology across all these conditions, seeking to understand the neurological bases of neurodivergence.
Ethics and Neurodiversity by C.D Herrera: In strongly challenging the view that neurodivergent individuals are not eligible for civil rights, Herrera’s work fully examines the moral and legal framework of society and where and how it needs to change.
Autism and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are common conditions: with approximately 4% of people having ADHD and 2% diagnosed with Autism. (Source: Neurodiversity Celebration Week.)
People with autism and ADHD are widely considered to be highly logical, extremely detail-oriented, energetic and focused.
Autistic Community and the Neurodiversity Movement: An overview of the history of autism rights campaigning, which critically examines the developments in perceptions of autism, the successes of particular advocacy work, and how individuals have influenced the neurodiversity movement.
10% of the population are dyslexic, meaning that they are creative, dynamic problem solvers & storytellers. Similarly, 6% are dyspraxic, and thus are highly likely to be determined and strategic. (Source: Neurodiversity Celebration Week)
Dyslexia Included: A Whole School Approach by Michael Thomson: Based on the experiences of educators at a specialist school, this volume offers a range of tried and tested strategies and a wealth of advice for teachers in order to best help students.
Making Dyslexia Work for You by Vicki Goodwin: In a more user-focused approach, this book encourages the reader to put together their own ‘support package’: ideas, strategies and coping mechanisms that work for them in managing dyslexia.
More Information and Support
The University of Aberdeen is committed to providing a welcoming, secure and inclusive environment to all students, staff and visitors. The University’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Team offer a plethora of information, training resources and links to support, student organisations and both staff and student networks across diversity and equality issues. More information and contact details for EDI are available from the University website .
Did you know the quickest and easiest way to return library books is at the Returns Room through the self-return machines? You will find the Returns Room on the Ground Floor of the Sir Duncan Rice Library.
It’s as simple as placing the books through the slot one by one. As soon as they have passed through they are removed from your borrowing record.
You will also find an external slot on the right-hand side of the entrance to the Library. This means that you can return your library books anytime – 24/7!
Don’t forget to take your receipt as proof of your returned items.
Forgotten your student card? Don’t worry! You don’t need your student card to return books.
Heavy Demand books can be returned in the Heavy Demand Area on Floor 1 (using the self-issue/returns machine) or at the Returns Room.
Are you unsure about how many books you can borrow from our Libraries at any one time? Are you a little confused about how long you can keep them to study, use for research, or read for pleasure? Please read on to learn more about borrowing from the hundreds of thousands of high-quality books available on our miles and miles of Library shelves.
How many books can I borrow?
The table below shows you how many books you are able to borrow from our Libraries at any one time, depending on the type of Library Account you have.
Type of Library Account
Number of books you can borrow
Undergraduate Student
20
Taught Postgraduate Student
20
Research Postgraduate Student
30
University Staff
50
NHS Grampian Staff
10
External Members
10
SCONUL Access Students
5
How long can I borrow the books for?
The hundreds of thousands of books available in all of our Libraries can be borrowed for different lengths of time, depending on how much they are expected to be used for teaching or research. The tables below explain the different loan types available and how you can easily identify them on the shelves.
Heavy Demand
How can I tell if a book is Heavy Demand?
There will be Blue tape on the book’s spine, as well as the shelfmark. These books are core reading materials across all courses and therefore have the shortest loan periods in our collection.
How long for?
Can I renew the Loan?
Fines, if late back?
1 day, due back 10.30am the next day – or Monday if borrowed on a Friday or over the weekend.
If borrowing before 10.30am please check the due date and time carefully – if the item is booked it will be due back at 10.30am that day. Check the screen and your receipt for the due date and time.
A few items are on 3 hour reference. You may borrow the item using the self service kiosks in Heavy Demand but must return it within 3 hours.
No phone renewals are allowed.
Renewals must be done in person, with the item present.
This is because items must be returned by a specific time during the day and very often the item has already been reserved for another reader.
Please note: there is a steep scale of fines for late returns of Heavy Demand books!
75 pence per hour if returned after 10.30am
The fine increases hourly every hour the library is open
Three Day Loan
How can I tell if a book is Three Day Loan?
There will be yellow tape on the book’s spine, as well as the shelfmark. These books have been recommended for reading on different courses.
How Long for?
Return within 3 days, weekends included e.g. borrowed Wednesday, due back on Saturday. Holds may be placed to reserve these.
Can I renew the loan?
Items may be renewed as long as no-one else has placed a hold on the item.
Items will be renewed automatically for you if not requested by another reader.
You can renew 4 Week Loan items yourself via MyAccount in Primo, or in person at one of our libraries up to 9 times.
There will be white tape on the book’s spine, as well as the shelfmark.
How Long for?
Four weeks from date of borrowing, but they can always be recalled at any time by another user of the library, including over holidays.
If the book is recalled an email will be sent to your University account telling you when to return it.
Can I renew the loan?
Items may be renewed unless recalled or on hold by another reader.
Items will be renewed automatically for you if not requested by another reader (Aberdeen University students and staff).
You can renew 4 Week Loan items yourself via MyAccount in Primo, or in person at one of our libraries up to 9 times.
Fines, if late back?
20p per day, for items that have not been requested by another reader. Overdue recalled or on hold 4 Week Loan items are fined at the normal £1 per day rate.
Long Loan
How can I tell if a book is Long Loan?
There will be no coloured tape on the book’s spine, only the shelfmark.
How long for?
Until the end of the Summer term, but they can always be recalled at any time by another user of the library, including over holidays. If the book is recalled an email will be sent to your University account telling you when to return it.
Can I renew the loan?
Recalled items cannot be renewed. Before the annual return of books in May items can be renewed via MyAccount in Primo or in person at one of our libraries.
How can I tell if a book is 24-hour Restricted Loan ?
There will be a 24 Hour Loan label on the first page of the book. There will be no coloured tape on the book’s spine, only the shelfmark. Very few books have 24 hour loan periods.
How long for?
Return within 24 hours from the time of issue, weekends included, e.g. issued 4.45pm Tuesday, due back by 4.45pm Wednesday.
Can I renew the loan?
Restricted loans may be renewed as long as no-one else has placed a hold on the item.
You can renew 24-Hour Loan items on loan to yourself via MyAccount in Primo or in person at one of our libraries.
Fines, if late back?
50p for the first hour overdue. 5p per hour thereafter for every hour the Library is open.
Self Issue Machines and PINs
Set up your PIN now to access the self-check machines in our libraries!
Did you know that there is an automated system for issuing and returning books in both the Sir Duncan Rice and the Taylor (Law) libraries? Once you have set up your PIN you will be able to use your student ID card and issue books to your library account without requiring the assistance of a staff member!
How to set up your PIN:
You can either follow the instructions and the link sent to you by email shortly after you’ve registered, or you can visit any of our libraries (Sir Duncan Rice, Taylor (Law), Medical) and ask a member of staff to do that for you at one of the Information Points or Help Desks – don’t worry, it only takes a few seconds!
This coming Monday and Tuesday we will be showing hundreds of new students around The Sir Duncan Rice Library on the Library & IT Essentials Talk and Tour. This very popular event within the University of Aberdeen’s Welcome Week is fully booked. We will be running more tours on the Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of next week, for which there is no need to book. More details on these additional tours will be publicised soon but all new students are very welcome to come in and have a look around the stunning building anytime we are open.
InfoLinks 