University Students These Days Are Blessed + Some Tips For That Pesky Academic Assignment.

I find that the current generation is really blessed with so many tools to help them do well in education. I remember going to the library to look for materials. There was a time when search engines were not that widely used. As such, we had to slave away the entire day at the library combing through piles of research just to find materials.

I remember once upon a time when I had to take two buses to the library. It was not easy and I could only study until the library closed. Times have changed now and there are a few really cool tools that you can use to spend less time combing through materials and more time completing your articles or readings.

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Google Scholar

Ah yes, everyone's go-to site for research articles and sample pages of books. It is a great site for those of us who would prefer to spend the entire day at home instead of the library. One thing that I like about it is the advanced search function. It is very common to find students looking for different keywords to find the article that first their needs. However, if you are not using the advanced search feature, you are missing out.

This feature allows you to search for specific phrases and keywords. What is amazing is that it would help you look through thousands of online journals and books and find the ones that are most relevant to you. I remember having to borrow thick articles and books, carry them to the table and look through them. This would normally take me hours, at times, days to find the right materials. Google scholar now cuts that time down to mere hours, sometimes minutes.

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One of the biggest complains about Google scholar is, of course, the fact that not all the materials are free. There are some that require you to pay a rather hefty sum just to access them. As such, the next site may just be the one for you.

Sci-Hub

First, a disclaimer, I am not promoting this site, my thoughts are my opinions only and what is mentioned here is merely observation and I will neither confirm nor deny having used this site. With that out of the way, here is why sci-hub can really make a difference in your academic work. Remember, all those paid journals on Google Scholar? They can be accessed for free on Sci-Hub.

I should warn you however that Sci-hub utilizes torrents and is a platform where all these materials are 'shared'. As such, if you have a strong opinion against torrents and piracy, this is not for you. However, if you have a different opinion against it, feel free to check it out. You can do a quick Google search and after entering the site, just paste the URL or the article that you want to access. The one that requires you to pay.

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Conclusion

The purpose of this article really is for all you university and college students out there. Yes, it can be difficult at times having to pay for bus fare and finding time to look for materials to get that good result at uni. However, I do hope that the tips above are helpful. As for the suggestion to use Sci-hub, I leave that to you to decide. I am aware that there are many libraries that offer access to paid journals.

Conversely, there are some institutions that do not. Some of these insitutions use funds for marketing and new buildings instead of allowing students to access journals that will help them with their work. It is not my place to judge, however, if you are one of those students at such an institution, I hope this article finds you.