Databases

Digital Library of Chinese Classics is a comprehensive scholarly resource designed to support advanced research in Chinese and comparative literature, as well as intellectual history, political history, philosophy, and religion.

Key features of the platform include high-quality critical editions with detailed editorial notes, an advanced faceted search function, and an integrated Student’s Dictionary of Classical and Medieval Chinese.

The platform includes a substantial collection of 510 core classical texts, comprising approximately 200 million characters. This is equivalent to 282 printed volumes or about 140,000 pages. The collection is organized according to the traditional four-category bibliographic system: it includes 190 texts in the Classics (經 Jing) category, 56 in History (史 Shi), 85 in Philosophy (子 Zi), and 127 in Literature (集 Ji). Additionally, it features 52 recently excavated manuscripts from various sites across China.

Gale’s The English-Language Press in China, 1827–1974 is a digital archive that brings together those newspapers and periodicals from 1820s to the 1970s. This digitized archive represents an invaluable resource for scholars engaged in research and teaching on British colonialism and semi-colonialism in China, the history of treaty ports, modern Chinese history and international relations, as well as the development of English-language journalism in China.

IET Inspec Direct is a premier scientific and technical database, serving as an essential resource for subject-specific and interdisciplinary research across the global fields of physics, engineering, electronics, and computer science. It provided researchers, engineers, and information professionals with unparalleled access to a meticulously curated collection of literature.

The database’s core strength lies in its deep, expert-indexed coverage of four key disciplines:

• Physics
• Electrical Engineering & Electronics
• Computers, Control & Information Technology
• Mechanical, Production & Manufacturing Engineering

Containing over 20 million records and growing, Inspec remains a definitive tool for discovering the world’s leading research, from seminal historical works to the latest innovations.

IET.tv is the online video platform of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), offering a wide range of multidisciplinary engineering and technology content. It serves as a crucial resource for academics, professionals, and students.

The platform features 8,500+ subtitled videos and 8,500+ videos with full transcripts. It covers key sectors, including Communications, IT, Manufacturing, Control and Automation, Power, Transport, Electronics, Management, and Healthcare Technology.

Content includes university seminars, unique teaching materials, expert interviews, and keynote presentations on advanced topics. It also provides professional development resources for continuing education, recordings from major IET and external events, as well as bite-sized news and demonstrations.

Sage Campus offers a comprehensive suite of self-paced courses focused on critical academic and professional skills, covering essential topics from information navigation and research methods to data literacy and data science, all enriched with interactive content and formative assessments to support learners at every stage of their academic journey.

Remark: To get started, please create a personal account and sign up for the course you are interested in.

Sage Catalyst is a digital collection of e-textbooks in the social sciences. Subjects include Business, Psychology, Sociology, Media, Nursing, Education, and Research Methods. It offers unlimited online and offline access through dedicated platforms, featuring key functionalities such as text-to-speech 'Read Aloud' capability.

Remark: To access, please create a bookshelf account using your PolyU email address if you do not have one.

Sage Research Methods: Data and Research Literacy is an online platform designed to foster research and data literacy. It provides books, videos, and practical tools to support researchers through each phase of a project, from initial design and ethical review to data analysis and the dissemination of findings. The resource covers core concepts and detailed methodologies spanning qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research across the social, behavioural, and health sciences.

Key features include in-depth video interviews with practicing researchers, step-by-step instructional guides, real-world case studies, and practice datasets. By providing these resources and real-life examples, Sage Research Methods helps students and researchers build the skills necessary to conduct their research papers.

Sage Skills includes the following resources:

Business Skills empowers learners to develop and practise the real-world capabilities essential for a successful transition from academia to the modern workplace. This is achieved through interactive self-assessments, immersive virtual scenarios, downloadable datasets, and expert insight. This dynamic digital resource, curated in collaboration with academic and professional experts, currently covers the following 10 modules:

• Data Analytics
• Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, and Accessibility
• Entrepreneurship
• Finance Basics Skills
• Leadership
• Marketing
• Operations Management
• Organizational Communication
• Professionalism
• Workplace Conflict and Negotiations

Student Success helps students learn the practical academic and personal skills needed to thrive during their time in higher education and beyond. Enhanced with interactive self-assessments, virtual scenarios, and videos, this digital resource offers two collections with 15 modules.

1. Student Success: Essentials features 10 core modules, including:

• Academic integrity and referencing
• Academic Writing
• Communication and Interpersonal Skills
• Critical Thinking
• Data Literacy
• Diversity, Bias, and Impacting Change
• Information Literacy
• Personal Development and Well-Being
• Research Skills
• Study Strategies and Assignments

2. Student Success: Succeeding in Your Final Year features 5 modules, including:

• Digital Literacy
• Financial Literacy and Budgeting
• Finding Your School-Life Balance
• Securing Your Future
• Your Final Research Project