Zetoc provides access to the British Library's table of contents of journal articles and conference proceedings. It enables you to search for information on articles and conference papers published since 1993, and it covers over 20,000 journals. It enables you to set up an email alert so that you receive emails automatically when new data is loaded into Zetoc that matches the searches that you have set up. It enables you to set up RSS feeds for journals.
Zetoc Search provides three search interfaces, for just journal articles, just conference proceedings or both articles and proceedings. Enter information into the search boxes provided and run a search in order to retrieve a hit list of search results. You can then view the full record by clicking on the relevant number for the article. Within the full record you have options to facilitate access to the full text.
Conference search includes searches for papers and reports from conferences, congresses, workshops and symposia.
Zetoc Alert is a current awareness service that sends emails directly to you every time new data is loaded into Zetoc that matches your criteria. You can set up Alerts for the tables of contents from particular journals, for keywords from article titles and for author's names.
Zetoc Alerts are sent on the day the new data is loaded into the database (the database is updated daily so this can be as soon as 72 hours after publication).
There is no limit on the number of Alerts people can create, although you are restricted to 50 journals or searches in each Alert List.
Please note that Zetoc Alert is only available via an institutional or Athens login (if you do not have a login, please contact your institution's library or general helpdesk).
Instructions on how to set up a Zetoc Alert are available, with full details of creating, modifying and transferring Alerts to new usernames.
Zetoc RSS enables you to subscribe to feeds for individual journals. You can subscribe to the feed in various ways, depending upon your chosen RSS reader. More information about Zetoc RSS.
Information regarding who is eligible to access the Zetoc service can be found in the About Zetoc page.
Full information about the access options available for Zetoc can be found on the Mimas web page at: http://www.mimas.ac.uk/access/summary/#zetoc
For HE and FE users the login required for Zetoc is usually your Institution username and password. Alternatively some Institutions use Athens authentication and in order to obtain an Athens username and password we advise that you contact the library or computing services helpdesk at your Institution. Further information regarding the access options available for Zetoc can be found on the Mimas web page at: http://www.mimas.ac.uk/access/summary/#zetoc
Zetoc includes over 20,000 research journals, which were originally chosen for inclusion on the basis that they were the most requested research journals. A significant number of journals are added on a monthly basis by the British Library and some journals cease to be included in the Zetoc data, usually due to supply problems.
You can request that a journal is included in Zetoc and we will forward requests to the British Library for their consideration. Please note however that in order for a journal to be included in Zetoc the journal must already be received by the British Library and be held at their Document Supply centre.
Does Zetoc include foreign language journals?
Foreign language journals are included, representing a range of languages
including French, German, Italian, Danish, Swedish and Norwegian.
Sometimes the British Library remove the journal if the format changes from hardcopy to CD or online and they don't have agreement with the publishers to use the online version. Also, if the hardcopy serial changes the format of the contents page, i.e. no list of article title, authors, page numbers etc. Journals may also cease to be included if the currency is very poor, i.e. issues have not been received for a couple of years and the publisher has not responded to enquiries.
To access Zetoc Search go to the Zetoc homepage and then follow the link to 'Search the Zetoc database'.
The main Search page provides three searching choices:
No, you cannot input your own Boolean operators in Zetoc. The only operator is AND and this is implicit i.e. if you input more than one word in the same search field, the search engine will automatically AND them. You cannot use parentheses either. This is a feature of the search engine.
You can use the truncation symbol * in Zetoc, but there is no wildcard character. The truncation symbol can only be used at the end of a word, not at the beginning. It must be preceded by at least the first 5 characters of the word.
Yes, you can save your hit list, or tag select records from your hit list as a text file by using the 'download' button at the top of the screen. You can usually import this text file into a local database, such as EndNote or Reference Manager, but you will need to have the correct import filter for this. Some software includes a filter for Zetoc, and some filters are available to download from the Z39.50 access pages on Zetoc.
Some bibliographic software allows you to make a connection to Zetoc and directly import your results. See the Z39.50 access pages for further information.
At the bottom of the Zetoc full record citation, under the heading of 'Further options', there is a link that may enable you to access the full text. The text of this link will vary depending upon which institution you are from, and you may also see an image, such as an SFX image.
Links to full text are as follows:
| Institution | Access |
|---|---|
| Institution with its own link resolver. | Links to electronic resources, including full text where available and where your institution subscribes to the journal. |
| Institution without its own link resolver. | Links to: Copac, a union catalogue enabling users to locate the journal in major UK research libraries, the British Library and the National Libraries of Scotland and Wales, Scirus, the science-based search engine, in order to facilitate users locating journals and accessing the full text and to Google Scholar |
We provide information for institutions to find out more about setting up a link to institutional resolvers.
No, you cannot make a request directly from Zetoc. We do provide a link on the full record page to facilitate this, and it will either provide a citation that you can print out or it will provide a form for you to fill in and print out. Either way, you will need to take this to your institution's library to make the request.
Before making a request, we would advise that you check the catalogue of your campus library to see whether the journals or conference papers are available in your library. Some journals may be available to you online, so do check your library's web pages for information on electronic journals or resources.
For institutions wishing to customise the ILL page in Zetoc for their users, please see the instructions for customising Zetoc for use in your institution.
Yes, Zetoc includes an integrated document ordering facility that allows you to order online any article in the database direct from British Library Direct, and pay by credit card. Simply follow the link to Buy now from the British Library at the bottom of the full records in Zetoc. If you have not used the ordering system before, you will be required to register, providing your contact details as well as an email address and a password that you can use for future access.
Delivery options
Current details regarding the delivery options available and pricing are available from the help files on the British Library Direct website.
This service is run by the British Library, not by Zetoc
support. Enquiries or requests for help with British Library Direct ordering
should be directed to the British Library:
e-mail: bldirect-help@bl.uk
More information: British Library
Direct FAQ
We make every effort to be accessible. Please see the Zetoc accessibility statement.
Please see the Zetoc Conditions of Use for further details.
We have a page listing the technical documentation, including service data mappings, XML data and Cheshire Prototype data mappings and other interface mappings.
Zetoc Search can be accessed via Z39.50, which is a protocol allowing a remote connection to a database. Your institution may use this to set up cross-searching of a number of databases. You can also use it from bibliographic software, such as EndNote and Reference Manager. For information on how to access Zetoc using a Z39.50 client, see the Z39.50 Access page.
Zetoc can be accessed as an OpenURL Target. For information on how to link directly to a record, or set of records, within Zetoc please see the page on accessing Zetoc as an OpenURL Target.
