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Explore is UCL Library Services' single search tool for finding journals, books, full-text articles, archive material and much more.
Getting the most from Explore
- What is Explore?
- Quick guides
- Getting help
- Frequently asked questions
- What to do if Explore becomes unavailable
What is Explore?
Explore is UCL Library Services' single search tool for finding journals, books, full-text articles, archive material and much more. Whether you're looking for items on your reading list or information for a project or research, you'll find it in Explore and you get instant access to any full-text we subscribe to.
Video - What is Explore?
This video (3'44") will give you an overview of what you can find using Explore, as well as basic instructions on how to carry out a search.
Quick guides
- "Searching UCL Explore" - a selection of videos for using Explore.
- Managing your account - including renewing books and paying fines and fees
Getting help
Frequently asked questions
- What content is available on Explore?
All resources Search everything in Explore Library catalogue Printed and electronic book and journal titles held by UCL Journal articles A remotely-held catalogue of millions of electronic journal articles and other full-text e-resources Digital collections UCL Library Services' digital collections UCL Discovery Open access documents from UCL's publications repository UCL Exam Papers Electronic copies of UCL exam papers UCL Archives UCL's archives catalogue UCL Journals Journal titles to which UCL Library provides access, both print and electronic UCL Reading Lists Links to lists by course code or title - What is the best way to search Explore?
If you know you are looking for a particular type of material, we recommend limiting your search to that type of material before entering your search terms. E.g. if you know you are looking for a library book, select Library catalogue from the drop-down list before typing your search.
If you are looking for the most relevant information (of any type) on a particular topic, simply type your search terms into the box and then look at your results. You can later narrow down your search results by type of material (e.g. UCL library books) if you wish, simply by clicking on one of the links to the left of the results.- How are Explore's search results ranked?
Explore uses a complex ranking called ScholarRank which is tailored to the academic environment. It starts by ranking results according to the presence of your search terms in their author/title etc. Then it ranks materials more highly if they are known to be more well-respected/used by academic users.
What to do if Explore becomes unavailable
If you find that Explore is unavailable, there are alternative information sources you can use, and other ways of accessing your library account