research paper sites for students

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20 Best Websites for Research for Students – 2025

October 20, 2024

For any project, finding accurate and useful research can be challenging. Without utilizing outside sources, forming a thesis and building an argument beyond a topic sentence can be hard. But, how do you know what is a credible source? Furthermore, how do you find these credible sources? We’ll reveal the best websites for student research that are credible and good for students of all ages.

Identifying the best websites for research

There are many research websites for students out there, but not all of them are trustworthy. Luckily, credible websites for research usually have several characteristics in common. Or, at least, you should be able to identify some key components before choosing your source material.

For example, a credible website will usually have the following information readily available:

• The Author(s)
• The Publisher
• The Publication Date

Being able to identify who wrote the article is important because then we can ask questions to validate the writer’s credentials. For example, is the author well-known in their field? Have they published research before? Do they have a degree in their field? If the answer to these questions is yes, then the author is likely credible.

Plus, if they are publishing their work with a reputable publisher, then the article was likely peer-reviewed. Peer-reviewed articles also typically indicate credible websites for research.

Best Websites for Research for Students (Continued)

Searching for peer-reviewed articles is also a good step to helping identify good websites for research. A peer-reviewed article means that the research was evaluated by other professionals in the same field before it was published.

Finally, identifying a publication date is important. Making sure that research is recent is always a good idea. That way, you can implement the most up-to-date data into your academic paper.

So, now that we know how to identify credible articles, let’s take a look at where you can find your source materials.

Research websites for students—All Subjects

These websites and databases allow you to research any topic and keyword. You are not limited to a specific subset of academic material.

JSTOR, standing for “Journal Storage,” is a digital library which helps users easily search for and find academic resources. The database comprises of journal articles, books, images, and other primary sources. To date, the database contains millions of source materials across a wide variety of academic disciplines.

Within the search feature, users can categorize the results by material from Journals, Book Chapters, Research Reports, Images, Books, Audio and Video content and more, to receive the most relevant results to their needs. Articles on JSTOR are peer-reviewed publications, making the archives a trusted source for academic research. Material from this database is considered scholarly content.

2)  Google Scholar

Google Scholar is different from the Google search engine. Though both search engines can be used the same way. Google Scholar only shows scholarly literature and articles in its results search, whereas Google does not provide this same feature.

Within Google Scholar, the results are displayed according to several key factors . These factors include how recently the article was cited, where it was published, and the author(s) of the piece. By evaluating this information, Google Scholar will likely provide relevant and trustworthy source materials and more credible websites for research than a regular Google search.

3)  Google Books

The purpose of Google Books is to provide a large and accessible digital library of printed resources. Books are scanned from libraries and uploaded online. To find these books, users can search by keyword or title. Books that are no longer in print or available can be found through Google Books, including titles that are out-of-copyright.

It is important to note that books that are not in the public domain will not be entirely free and accessible. In this instance, only certain pages are readily available online. However, an ISBN number can be found to locate purchasing information for the book, if it’s required for research purposes.

4)  Library of Congress

The Library of Congress is the largest library in the world and another example of good websites for research. It contains millions of books, films, videos, photographs, maps, and other important primary source materials. The purpose of the Library of Congress is to preserve these materials and provide equitable access to them.

Online, users can search for material through the website’s browse feature. Results can be sorted by Headings, Author, Subject, Names/Titles, Series/Uniforms Titles, and by Call Numbers.

5)  Refseek

Refseek is an academic search engine which aims to make academic information more accessible. Once a user has submitted a specific keyword, RefSeek then searches the Internet for relevant material. During every search, the engine reviews more than five billion documents at a time!

Essentially, this extra filter helps to weed out commercial content and provide more credible websites for research. So, academic sources tend to appear at the top of results list. Students can search for any topic of keyword.

6)  Virtual Learning Resources Center

This search engine indexes thousands of academic sources. By searching a keyword, the database browses thousands of webpages. The results then produce more  relevant material. Most of the shown results include webpages from research portals and public libraries.

Another draw of this resource is that results can be filtered by 17 different “school subject” topics, including results related to Social Studies, Music, History, and more. So, this could be one of the good websites for research for finding information relevant to a specific school subject.

7)  Educational Resources Information Center

Upon searching a keyword on this search engine, users can immediately filter results to show only peer-reviewed results. Additionally, they can also search for results which offer the free, full text.

After the results appear, users can filter by even more specific qualifications. These filters include the text’s publication date, a specific descriptor, the source of the material, publication type, and even education level. Plus, results can also be filtered by audience type and location (country).

BASE stands for Bielefeld Academic Search Engine. Upon a user search, the database searches millions of citations from over eleven thousand sources to provide the most relevant and accurate results.

Users can also utilize the Advanced Search option to find more specific materials. Filters in the Advanced Search option include the ability to look for certain components of a title or URL, document type, and access.

9)  Infotopia

After users search, results can be filtered by specific topic, like Health, Science, Technology, and Math, and by primary sources. This search engine is powered by Google but does offer more specific filters for research.

Infotopia also has the option for student-friendly sites and search engines, like kidtopia . In this case, this is one of the research websites for students that can be more suitable for younger children.

10)  Digital Commons Network

Digital Commons Network is a database powered by universities. The site has compiled free, full-text scholarly articles from over 700 institutions.

On the site, users can explore by a broad topic, like Medicine and Health Sciences, and then eventually become more specific. For example, within the Medicine and Health Sciences range, users can filter results by neurosciences, orthopedics, dentistry, and more.

11)  WorldCat

WorldCat is a catalog of library materials. Because the database is connected to thousands of libraries and collections, it’s a great tool for research. Results can be filtered by the type of source material, including books, videos, and more. Plus, searches yield both scholarly articles and other digital materials.

12)  Connected Papers

On this website, users can enter a keyword or title to begin their search. Interestingly, results on this site appear in a line graph format. The research is formatted visually. This system is employed to help users see how their papers relate to other articles and to track visual trends in real-time.

This style of research is also helpful for users looking for papers on a similar topic. By hovering over other suggested articles on the graph, users can read the abstract of an article that is similar to theirs!

13) Your University Library

Chances are, your university library has a wonderful website and access to a database just for students. When working on an academic research paper for school, the university library resources are a great place to begin.

Plus, students also have access to the university’s librarians to help answer questions and access other helpful resourses. Universities often also take advantage of the interlibrary loan system, connecting you to thousands of articles and resources.

Research websites for students – STEM-based

For students looking for research in the areas of science, technology , engineering, and math, there are specialized databases created for only academic finding on those topics. These are some good websites for research in the STEM field.

14)  Science.gov

Science.gov is one of the research websites for students that provides users with millions of scientific articles. Users can search results by utilizing specific keywords. The results can be filtered by author, by topic (or subtopic), and the date the article was published. Additionally, users can also filter results by type, meaning they can toggle between text-based results, relevant data, and multimedia results.

The website is free to use and is produced by the U.S. federal government. Material compiled on the site are research and development results from trusted scientific organizations.

15)  PubMed

Another search engine dedicated to compiling biomedical literature, PubMed provides users with results from scientific journal publications and online books. There are more than 30 million citations to search from, using keywords to find specific results.

Users can filter results by availability of the text, including if the full text is provided for free. Filters also include the publication date and in which stage the research was completed. For example, users can search by article type to find clinical trial data, meta-analysis, or systematic reviews.

16)  Research Gate

Research Gate is one of the credible websites for research that allows users to both find relevant publications and connect with their scientific community. With over 160 million citations, information is current and accessible. The database is also free to join.

This website may also be particularly useful for students looking to engage with others in their field. Research Gate features the opportunity for collaboration between scientists and can be used as a professional networking tool.

17)  WorldWideScience

WorldWideScience is a global tool, allowing users to access information from more than 20 participating countries around the globe. Users can not only access scientific databases but also multilingual translations of the work.

What makes this database unique is its ability to filter results by specific country and language. Users can also filter by topic, author, publication, and form of documentation (Full Text; HTML’ PDF). Additionally, academic papers, multimedia, data/software, and public access filters are available.

18)  Wolfram Alpha

Wolfram Alpha utilizes a different approach. Their goal is to collect, curate, and compute data to build upon existing scientific achievements. The website accepts input from users to build upon its knowledge and know-how as a search engine.

Users can have “conversations” with Wolfram Alpha about any topic. While there is an emphasis on computation, mathematics, science and technology, users can also ask questions about other topics. For example, there are options for society and culture and everyday life calculations.

Credible Websites for Research for Students (Continued)

19)  sciencedirect.

ScienceDirect is a database which allows users to search for peer-reviewed sources. Results yield articles and book chapters from relevant publications. Plus, users can also search by keyword to find results matching certain terms, or they can search by author. There are more than five thousand journals and 35 thousand books available through the database.

20)  CiteSeerX

A digital scientific library, this research index is home to thousands of articles, academic papers, and research. For users looking primarily for information on computer and information science, this would be a fantastic resource.

With over millions of documents and journals ready for download, users are likely to find exactly what they are looking for.

Research Websites for Students – In Review

Gathering enough evidence to create a compelling research paper can be tricky. Plus, with the rise of AI generative tools, checking to make sure that information is original and accurate can be just as challenging.

Luckily, teachers and professors can use AI detection tools to catch plagiarized work. It can also be a good idea to run your finished research paper through these tools yourself, to make sure that your information is properly cited.

Research can be one of the most challenging components of writing an academic paper. However, once you find good websites for research, you can be sure that your ideas are well-supported and reliable.

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Meghan Dairaghi

With a BA in English and an MFA in Creative Writing, Meghan has served as a writing tutor at the University of Missouri St. Louis and Maryville University. Additionally, Meghan has held editorial roles at River Styx and Boulevard, and was a prose reader at Farside Review . Most recently, her work has been featured in Belle Ombre , Flypaper Lit , and Mag 20/20 , among others, and she was nominated for the Mary Troy Prize in Fiction. 

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