JSTOR
We are sure that you probably have this online resource handy at all times. But, just in case it has slipped under your radar, we would like to remind you of the value of the JSTOR digital library. A virtual store of academic journals, books and primary sources, JSTOR is a gem during times when access to your university library is limited. Ideal for short assignments and research projects, this online resource is a go-to for students of all disciplines. Most South African universities allow access to JSTOR through your e-library login details, so get researching!
ScienceOpen
ScienceOpen is a research and publishing network for the scientific community in academia. Undergraduate students may join ScienceOpen as a guest user without registering and still have access to their over 61 million Open Access articles and article records. Guest users are also able to read and download papers and share them with others via e-mail or social media. To write reviews on papers or create a personal profile, you must become a member (which is free of charge). If you are looking to expand your peer network in the science community or have a discussion about a paper you have read, ScienceOpen should be your go-to resource.
Zotero
Have you ever wanted your own personal research assistant? Meet Zotero! This nifty software tool is a great resource for honours and masters students working on full-length dissertations. You know how it goes - you are deep in research mode and accidentally close the tab of the journal article you were just citing. Now you can't remember the name of the article and it's disappeared from your search history! Don't fret. Download Zotero and add it as an extension on your browser. While you work, the software scans your searches for academic content, prompting you to save it to your Zotero library. You can also create folders for each project you are working on, create reference lists and bibliographies, share resources and sync your data across devices. What more could you need to ace that next paper?
Open Culture
Language majors and film students, check out Open Culture for a mass of online resources. From free e-books and films, to language courses and Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) from the world's top universities, Open Culture has all you need to keep reading, writing and learning during this difficult period. The site also offers over 200 free textbooks in a range of subjects, including business and management, chemistry, art history and many more.
Grammarly
Writing is no easy feat. Especially when you aren't able to access your university writing and language centre. If you are anxious about tackling assignments, essays and research papers alone during this time, turn to Grammarly. This digital writing and editing software can help take your essay from clumsy to clever with a few quick alterations. The Grammarly tool tracks so much more than just spelling errors, it can improve your active voice, your writing style and tone and help avoid plagiarism. Grammarly can be plugged into your Microsoft Office software too, making writing a breeze.
GoConqr
Are you a visual learner? GoConqr is just the online resource for you. Offering you a free and integrated suite of content creation tools for each step of your learning journey, such as flash cards, mind maps, quizzes, slides and flowcharts. This tool is particularly useful for students with large chunks of information to learn in short periods of time (looking at you, med students). Why not take some time during this break from normal university activity to discover all the ways GoConqr can help you improve your memory retention and ultimately your final test scores?
CORE
We understand that scouring the internet for the perfect journal citation can be frustrating, especially when you think you have found the right source, only to discover a paywall or a restriction on access to the full publication. Avoid all the nasty pitfalls of online research by visiting CORE - an aggregated, open access platform that does all the hard work for you. CORE brings together open access sources from repositories and journals worldwide and makes them available to the public, for free. Sign up here.
Having access to online resources will be pivotal during this period of lockdown. It's well worth investing in a reliable internet source to keep up with virtual classes, assignments and research. Check out our list of top recommended internet service providers to get yourself set up.