Research databases & open journals

Publisher digital library

ACM Digital Library

Access: ACM publications open access; premium tools may require institutional access

Start here for HCI and computing research, including CHI proceedings and ACM journals. ACM’s 2026 open-access transition covers its publications and related research artefacts.

Keep in mind: Distinguish full research papers from abstracts, posters and magazine commentary. Third-party records and premium discovery tools have separate access arrangements.

About this service or its access policy (opens an external website)

Publisher digital library

IEEE Xplore

Access: Mixed: open access and subscription content

Useful for robotics, wearables, interfaces and engineering research. Search its journal and conference literature when the experience depends on a technical system.

Keep in mind: Check the individual item’s access label. University subscriptions vary; a search result does not mean the full text is freely available.

About this service or its access policy (opens an external website)

Abstract and citation index

Scopus

Access: Main database requires subscription; limited free preview

Trace related research and citations across disciplines, especially when a UX question crosses computing, psychology and design.

Keep in mind: An index, not a full-text library. Citation counts measure attention, not the reliability of a finding; check each source and its publication type.

About this service or its access policy (opens an external website)

Citation index

Web of Science Core Collection

Access: Institutional subscription; coverage varies

Follow citations and search across research disciplines. Useful for building a documented literature search with explicit inclusion criteria.

Keep in mind: Your institution’s subscription determines coverage. Access to a bibliographic record does not guarantee access to the paper.

About this service or its access policy (opens an external website)

Scholarly search engine

Google Scholar

Access: Free search; full-text access varies

A broad starting point for papers, books, theses and author-hosted copies. Follow cited-by links and compare available versions.

Keep in mind: Results include different publication types and review statuses. Verify the published version, authors, venue and date before citing.

About this service or its access policy (opens an external website)

Open-access journal directory and index

Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)

Access: Free search; open-access journals

Find open-access journals across disciplines and countries, and inspect journal information before following links to articles.

Keep in mind: Directory inclusion is useful context, not a judgement on every article’s methods or conclusions. Assess the paper itself.

About this service or its access policy (opens an external website)

Full-text research archive

PubMed Central (PMC)

Access: Free full text; reuse licences vary

Find biomedical and life-sciences literature for health UX, digital interventions and patient-facing services.

Keep in mind: PMC is the full-text archive, distinct from the broader PubMed citation database. Check article type, version and review status; not every deposited item is a peer-reviewed research paper.

About this service or its access policy (opens an external website)

HCI journal

ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction (TOCHI)

Access: ACM open access

A focused route into HCI research through ACM’s journal collection. Use it alongside CHI conference papers to develop a deeper literature base.

Keep in mind: Read the methods and scope of each paper; a journal name does not establish that a finding transfers to your users or context.

About this service or its access policy (opens an external website)

Peer-reviewed design journal

International Journal of Design

Access: Open access

Research across design disciplines, useful for connecting interaction and product design with wider design inquiry.

Keep in mind: Match the kind of contribution to your question: a conceptual argument and an empirical evaluation support different claims.

Peer-reviewed UX journal

Journal of User Experience (JUX)

Access: Free online articles and PDFs

UX research, usability methods and research case studies, connecting academic work with practice.

Keep in mind: Examine participant selection, context and analytical methods before applying a result. Distinguish evidence from an author’s recommendations.

About this service or its access policy (opens an external website)

Peer-reviewed digital-health journal

Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR)

Access: Open access

Digital-health research relevant to co-design, usability, interventions and patient experience.

Keep in mind: Usability, acceptability and clinical effectiveness are different outcomes. Check which was actually evaluated and over what period.

About this service or its access policy (opens an external website)

Journal section

Frontiers in Computer Science: Human-Media Interaction

Access: Open access

Research connecting human–computer and human–human interaction through computational media.

Keep in mind: The section contains several article types, including original research, theory and opinion. Read the label and assess the evidence rather than treating every item as an empirical study.

About this service or its access policy (opens an external website)