Easy access
Our list of commonly used tools facilitate your work and research online.
Spotlight - LibKey
Nomad & libkey.io
"Single click access" with Libkey Nomad: The browser extension provides a direct PDF link via popups "Download PDF" to, among others, licensed content on publisher websites, PubMed or Wikipedia.
Or get directly to the article you are looking for via libkey.io by DOI or PMID: the website combines information about e-journal holdings of the University of Bern, authentication and article linking to give you direct access in seconds.
The integrated "Unpaywall" function automatically finds Open Access articles as well.
Spotlight - DOAJ
Directory of Open Access Journals
The "Directory of Open Access Journals" is an international database of journals from all subject areas which are freely accessible directly on the net after publication: a central point of contact for your research.
All articles made available correspond to the current scientific standard and have been checked by peer reviews. The aim of the website is to strengthen visibility, access and impact factor of Open Access publications.
Further information on Open Science and scientific publishing at the University of Bern can be found here.
Don’t Spend Your Life Searching!
Lean Library - your library in your browser
Due to technical difficulties, this tool is only available with limited functionality, presumably until early 2022.
Search Tools
Lean Library
An add-on for all common browsers except Explorer. It helps to get to full texts faster via Google, PubMed and various databases.
Browzine
Journals of Bern University Library at a glance: practically browse, save and organise your favourite journals and articles from our collection.
Open Access Button
With this Open Source metasearch engine for Open Access articles you can easily get around paywalls or request access from registered authors.
LibKey Nomad
Add-on for all popular browsers that generates links to full texts, which are licensed by the university library or freely available online.
Open Knowledge Maps
To get a quick overview of a specific topic: Open Knowledge Maps shows related research and the most important papers on it.
Core
This metasearch engine for Open Access articles is enriched with a lot of additional data, grants free access and has a useful recommendation tool.
Unpaywall
This browser extension provides access to full texts for open access articles (signaled by a lock icon on the right side of the screen).
Google Scholar Button
This add-on allows you search directly from a web page in Google Scholar, find full texts and export references. Not available for Safari.
Reference Management
Courses at Berne University: Comparison of Reference Management Software
Zotero
Free of charge and easy to use: This reference and literature management program for all operating systems is perfect for beginners.
EndNote
Reference management, bibliography and research tool in one package: this software is best used for advanced applications.
Citavi
From a simple citation to a complete bibliography: including a function for knowledge organization. Not available for Mac.
Mendeley
This free literature management software for all operating systems comes with an integrated "Team Plan" that simplifies collaboration.