Discover the best information, whether you’re a new Interior Design student starting your first assignment, or delving into a research project.

 

Key resources

Finding information for your assessments

Developing strong information searching skills saves time and brings results. Finding Information Skills covers everything you need for academic searching. Take the Finding Information Skills assessment for a personalised action plan.

  • Reading Lists

These are set up by your tutors to guide you to good quality, relevant and useful materials to help you with your studies. They are a great starting point before doing your own research - find out more about your Reading Lists.

  • Library Search

Library Search can make your academic life easier by helping you find a range of reliable and trustworthy sources for your work. It contains a wealth of information to help you make the most of your studies, including books/eBooks, journals/eJournals, articles, databases, and more.

Using Library Search may feel daunting at first, but don't worry, we have a range of guides on how to find relevant resources.

Library Search

Key resources for interior design students

Databases

Databases are searchable collections of good quality, academic material, particularly journal articles. They can be small subject specific or large collections covering a wide range of subject areas. Most databases provide access to full-text items.  

Digital buildings archive containing drawings, images, articles and projects.
Contains art and architecture magazines dating from 1895 - 2005. The issues are presented as full-colour page images.
A database of more than 3,000 projects and buildings from the last 30 years.
Provides information on all aspects of the human impact on the environment and includes extensive content on global warming, green building, and much more. 
A great place to start a search on most subjects. Access to book chapters as well as articles is especially useful.
Collection of indexed journal articles, books, drawings and other types of resources in architecture.

Market Research

Use these resources for market trends and sizes, consumer research and analysis of industries and the companies operating within them.

Predicts consumer, lifestyle and product design trends. It’s a key industry resource for designers working in a wide range of areas, from fashion, beauty and home interiors to hospitality, travel, finance and more.
A trend forecasting company. You can follow upcoming trends, get inspiration, and build concept boards, and colour palettes with their workable tools.
Visually interesting and inspiring. Helps designers understand markets and consumer attitudes, behaviours, and decisions.
Market research reports on a range of UK sectors. Also includes access to Mintel Trends which provides evidence-backed insights on how today's consumer thinks, feels and acts.

Industry Websites

Industry websites provide information, resources, and updates related to a specific sector or type of business. They can be valuable resources for staying informed about industry trends, accessing research materials, and discovering more about organisations and industry professionals. 

Provides information about artists and exhibitions, research reports, reviews and campaigns. A really useful way to keep up-to-date on what's going on in the visual arts.
An inspiring selection of images, free for use in education, from a huge variety of art and design collections.

Newspapers & Magazines

Newspapers & Magazines

Newspapers are a great source for reviews and comment on film, television, theatre, and performances.

The Library gives students and researchers access to wide-range of Newspapers.

You can also find a wide range of magazines in the Library and some digital magazines via library search, such as:

A selection of articles from digital archives of over 50 different publications, each addressing the issues of Black Lives Matter with one section dedicated to music.
A bi-monthly print magazine and website. The magazine focuses on commercial creativity, covering design, advertising, photography, branding, digital products, film, and gaming.

LinkedIn Learning

LinkedIn Learning offers more than 9,000 professionally produced online courses covering a wide range of technical, creative and professional skills.

Always use our institutional link to log in – you will need your University email address and password. The first time that you log in, you will be taken through a setup process to discover courses tailored to your interests.

Discover more in our video: Using LinkedIn Learning at Salford

Print Books

You can borrow print books from the Library. The location details below are a guide, it is best to use Library Search for exact location of items:

Classmark Subject Area
690 Built environment
363.9 Heritage buildings
Study skills

Study better

  • University Assessments

Whilst studying at Salford you will need to complete a range of assessments. We provide a range of guidance on how to approach the different assessment types you may come across. 

  • Referencing

We provide eLearning, written guides, and an extensive list of referencing examples. 

  • Skills A-Z

We have developed eLearning over a wide range of subjects for you to develop your academic skills at home and in your own time.

Here to help

Workshops

We offer online and face-to-face workshops to help you develop your academic skills. These engaging, interactive sessions cover a wide range of topics which take place throughout the year, so check up on the list regularly.

Click on a workshop title to book onto the session via Advantage. If a session has no remaining spaces, sign up to the waiting list in case a space becomes free!

Here to help

One to one appointments

You can book a one to one appointment with your Academic Support Team to discuss finding information, academic and writing skills, or digital support.

Follow the link below, choose your school and what you'd like support with, then select your chosen time slot and book on through Advantage.

Can't find what you need?

Contact the Academic Support Team using this form. You can also see who's who in the Team.