User Guide

Below we have compiled a selection of frequently asked questions and answers to assist you in using the eBook Collection.  We recommend that you check this section before contacting us as it is likely to provide you with a fast and straight forward answer to your question. If you find that your particular query is not covered below then do not hesitate to use the Contact page to send our team an email and one of our team will respond to you as quickly as possible.

What is the eBook Collection?
The eBook Collection is the electronic pdf files of a wide range of RSC books dating back to 1968.  The content includes 738 individual books and over 10,000 individual chapters which are indexed with DOI numbers.

Why can I view some of the pdfs in an eBook but not all of the pdfs? 
All visitors to the eBook Collection have free full access to the following content:

• table of contents
• preface
• front matter
• first chapter          

for every eBook.  All further content is protected and a license is required to view that material.  To find out more about licensing the eBook Collection visit the Licensing Info page.  If you have purchased a license but are having trouble viewing pdfs please contact our eBook support team using the Contact page in the left hand navigation column.

How can I get access to all the content in the eBook Collection?
To view the complete content of the eBook Collection a license is required.  To find out more about this please visit the Licensing Info page in the left hand navigation bar.

How do I search for a content?
The eBook Collection offers three key search capabilities -

Quick Search 
Using the quick search box on the eBook Collection Homepage simply type in an author name, book title or key word and the Google powered search engines will present you with the most relevant results, showing a selection of both book titles, chapters and books series.  The quick search box appears on all search result pages and book pages to enable you to move quickly through the Collection. 

Browse Functions 
In the the left hand navigation bar of the eBook Collection there are four browse functions which enable you to browse through the content by book series, subject areas, copyright year or by A-Z.  Simply click on the browse function of choice and quickly locate relevant information.

Advanced Search
The Advanced Search page (found in the left hand navigation bar) offers the opportunity to search by keyword, title or author in combination with words that should be excluded from the search. The presentation of results can also be tailored to suit the users needs i.e. books only, chapters only, date, relevance.

Why is it that the keyword I entered is in the title of a book but that book is not showing up as being the most relevant in the search results?
The search engines actually search the content of the books for the number of times that a key word appears in the text, this means that although the word appears in the title of the book, it does not necessarily appear most frequently within the book relative to other books in the Collection.  Thus the search engine does not identify it as being of most relevance.  If you know the title of the book you are searching for the A-Z browse function also offers quick and convenient location of information.

I can not locate any titles published in 2007?
The data for our 2007 titles is still being worked on and the first upload of data will take place in April this year.  We will continue to update the eBook Collection throughout the year.  The best way to find out when new information has been added is to register for eBook Collection Alerts.

The author I am searching for is not being shown but I know they wrote for the RSC?
Not all books from the RSC are included in the eBook Collection so it may be that their book was not included.  To double check you can contact our team through the Contact page and they will be happy to answer your queries.

How do I buy a print version of the books in the eBook Collection?
All the books in the eBooks Collection are available on a print on demand basis.  Simply use the "Buy Print" button  which appears on the book page to view the price and add to your shopping cart.  Follow the subsequent instructions to proceed to the check out.

The page I am viewing appears to contain incorrect bibliographic information, what should I do?
If you are worried or concerned regarding the information you have seen in the eBook Collection please contact us using the Contact page in the left hand navigation and please include a copy of the URL you were on when you saw the error.

Should you have any further questions do not hesitate to contact us, we welcome your feedback!