GW Libraries for International Students

Navigate to  library.gwu.edu. Then select the "Books and Media" tab located directly underneath the site's main search bar. Type in the title of the book you are looking for or a few keywords that describe the topic you are interested in. 

TIP: Not sure what your search terms are? Learn how to Search Like a Librarian!

You will find books from GW Libraries as well as from eight other universities who are part of the WRLC (Washington Research Libraries Consortium). If a copy is available at Gelman you'll need to go upstairs and get the book. 

If a copy isn't at Gelman, but is a copy at another library, sign in and click the Consortium Loan Service Request Link. 

TIP: We don't have access to other universities' online materials. That includes their electronic journals and e-books.

TIP: We don't often have textbooks to borrow for graduate students. If you're an undergraduate check Top Textbooks. You might save costs by renting them from another company like Chegg, Big Words, Amazon or from the GW Bookstore.

GW Libraries has many databases you can use to find articles. Many are specific to a field of study. They are all listed through the yellow "Subject Databases" icon on the Libraries' homepage.

TIP: Not sure which one to choose? Watch this video.

TIP: Want a basic place to get started? Try the general database listed below:

Also take a look at other Research Guides. You might find one specific to your class or topic.

Popular Sources

• Examples include: newspapers and magazines like The Washington Post or The Economist.
• Written by journalists. Journalists are good writers and researchers, but they are not necessarily experts in the topic they are writing about. 
• Written for a broad audience. 
• Editors determine what is published. 

Peer Reviewed (sometimes called Scholarly or Academic

• The critical distinction is that articles are evaluated by other experts before they are considered for publication.
• Examples include journals like Nature or The Journal of Sociology.
• Written by experts
• Written for other experts in the discipline and also students.
• Include citations, like footnotes and a bibliography.

Scholarly Sources

• Scholarly or academic sources are also written by experts in their field, but they are not necessarily evaluated by other experts before being published.