Literature and patent research
Tips for a successful search
Searching for information is part and parcel of academic work. The FAU University Library can help you search for literature and patents in several different ways. One example is the patent research system in the Science and Technology Branch Library. This provides access to the database of the European Patent Office.
You can search literature using the University Library catalogue or in licensed subject databases. Via DBIS, you can find bibliographical databases, full text and fact databases or image databases which you can use for presentations or PR purposes. University staff have answered the most important questions on literature searches in the FAQs.
For journals which are available locally, for example in the Main Library, the Science and Technology Branch Library, the Economics and Social Sciences Branch Library, the Education Sciences Branch Library or Branch Library 02JU (law), you can arrange for articles to be scanned by the internal copying service FAUdok and have them sent to you as a PDF file.
There is no need to worry if you can’t find a book or an article in the University Library. The interlibrary loan service means that you can get literature from other libraries sent to any of the main libraries at FAU. You can even arrange for literature to be sent to your place of work or your home. These direct delivery services have to be paid for, however. Information on this and answers to the most important questions are available on the University Library website.