Free Online Scholarly Resources: General Resources
The Web offers quite a bit of free content for researchers, scholars, and academics. Some of it is good, some of it is not so good. This guide provides a brief listing of good online scholarly resources that are free.
Publishers Providing Free Access because of COVID-19
-
Audiobooks from AudibleFree audiobooks for kids and teens for as long as schools are closed
-
Contemporary Openly Licensed eBooksNearly 500 OA books cataloged by the Library of Congress. Always free to read and free to reuse!
-
COVID-19 Research Articles from Public Library of Science (PLOS)Open access articles are always free.
-
Handbook of Public Health EthicsThe entire Oxford Handbook of Public Health Ethics is available for anyone to access. Its content primarily focuses on the laws and restrictions imposed during medical emergencies.
-
Lever PressSeven titles available (open access publisher).
-
Patents open during COVID-19Various companies and scientific agencies pledge to "make our [patents] available free of charge for use in ending the COVID-19 pandemic and minimizing the impact of the disease."
-
University of Georgia Press15 most taught titles from Univ of Georgia Press for the foreseeable future.
-
University of Michigan PressOver 1,000 html books free to read until Oct 30, 2020
-
USU PressOffering its title for free "An Epidemic of Rumors: How Stories Shape Our Perceptions of Disease" by Jon Lee
-
Select MoviesFrom various publishers/studios via Kanopy
The section below shows expanded resources for those with a U of U login
-
ISO Standards...to support global efforts in dealing with the COVID-19 crisis. They are freely available in read-only format.
Free Index: Google Scholar
- Broadly search for scholarly literature
- Includes articles, theses, books, abstracts and court opinions
- Explore related works, citations, authors and publication
- Tips for Advanced Searching
Free Scholarly Works: Books and Articles
CORE, the Open Access Repository for the Humanities
- full-text, interdisciplinary, social repository designed to increase the impact of work in the humanities
- millions of titles digitized from libraries around the world
- freely accessible academic books
- affordable, quality textbook solutions
- freely available academic research from nearly 2,500 institutions
Free Social Networks: ResearchGate.net and Academia.edu
- create a profile
- produce a list of publications
- upload copies of papers and associated data
- share project or experiment failures
- track and follow research publications of others in your field
- review statistics related to your research
- seek a job or recruit for a job
- sign up
- create a list of publications
- add copies of papers
- monitor analytics and statistics
- follow other researchers
Evaluating Information on the Web
The Web offers a wealth of information, but not all of it is equally accurate or reliable. Evaluate and cite your sources carefully.
The CRAAP TEST provides useful concepts and questions to consider:
- Currency: When was the information published/posted/last updated?
- Relevance: What is the importance of the information given your topic or information need?
- Authority: Who is the author/publisher/sponsor of the information?
- Accuracy: Is the information reliable, truthful, and correct?
- Purpose: Why does this information exist?
Get Help

Allyson Mower
Contact:
University of Utah, Marriott Library
295 South 1500 East, Room 5103
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
295 South 1500 East, Room 5103
Salt Lake City, UT 84112
(801) 585-5458
WebsiteNeed help? Contact us
Phone: 801-581-6273
Email
In-Person
Schedule a Research Consultation
More Subject Guides