Open-access texts for a first literature search

Not every student starts with a database subscription or a university login. The point of this reading path is to show where real, usable material can be found for free.

Good starting points

• OpenStax textbooks for broad subject grounding
• arXiv and SSRN for preprints in science and social science
• DOAJ for peer-reviewed open-access journals
• Project Gutenberg for public-domain primary texts

How to use them

Begin with one subject, collect a short list of sources, and write down the questions that keep appearing. That is usually the beginning of a research direction.