Books are a great place to start your research. They contain useful summaries about what's happening in your field and can help you to establish the key theories and background of your research. As well as books specifically covering your subject, the Library also holds lots of titles to help you develop your study skills.

Books contain references to other resources that you can explore for more in-depth information when you have understood the basics.

Journals, sometimes called periodicals, are collections of articles published regularly. Articles contain the most up-to-date research content and often go into more depth than books. They are a fantastic source of criticism and discussion of research.

Use YorSearch, the Library catalogue. Some books will be available as e-books that you can access online from anywhere; look for the View It link in YorSearch.

Each of your modules will have a reading list of suggested books.

Many of the books you will need will be located in the S section of the Library for Mathematics, although you may also need to look elsewhere.

If you know the name of the journal you need, you can search for it in YorSearch. Most journals can be accessed online by logging in with your University username and password; look for the View It link. Some will also be available in print in the Library.

Information about theses is available on the main Library website.

All University PhD and MPhil theses are available via YorSearch. Masters theses for some subjects are held in the Library for 6 years. 

All York research students registered in or after October 2009 are required to upload their theses into White Rose eTheses Online , a shared online respository for doctoral level theses from the Universities of York, Sheffield and Leeds.

You can also access theses from outside the University:

• British Library EThOS Service
  The British Library's electronic online theses service. Free access to over 400,000 full-text theses from UK universities.
• Proquest Dissertations and Theses - UK & Ireland
  A comprehensive listing of theses with abstracts accepted for higher degrees by universities in the United Kingdom and Ireland since 1716. 
• Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
  Use for searching for international theses. 

To start a more detailed search for articles and other research evidence, you will need to use online databases. These are collections of resources that allow you to search for articles from hundreds of different journals at the same time.

There are some great societies and organisations that can help you keep up to date with new developments in your area of interest. Here's a quick sample!