Databases on Trial
Databases on Trial offers temporary access to selected electronic resources for evaluation. Explore these databases during the trial period and help the Library assess their value for teaching, learning, and research.
Databases on Trial
Research Resources
Explore research resources available to the VUT community. These platforms provide access to academic literature, research databases and AI-powered tools to support your research, assignments, projects, teaching, learning and final-year studies.
Discover tools that can help you improve your academic research, explore scholarly literature, access specialist information, manage references and enhance your research workflow.
Reaxys – Chemistry Research Database
Reaxys is a comprehensive chemistry research database from Elsevier providing access to chemical substances, reactions, properties, synthesis information, bioactivity data, scientific literature and patents.
It supports chemistry-related teaching, learning and research through advanced chemical searching and synthesis-planning tools.
What You Can Explore
Chemical substances and properties
Chemical reactions and synthesis information
Bioactivity data
Scientific literature
Patents
Advanced chemical searching
Synthesis-planning tools
Trial Access
Trial start date: 21 September 2026
Trial end date: 23 October 2026
Access: Visit Reaxys
Reaxys Help and Learning Resources
Visit Help within Reaxys to learn more about the platform. The Help section includes guides, videos and webinars to help users get started and make the most of the database.
Paperpal AI – AI-Powered Academic Writing and Research Support
Paperpal AI is an AI-powered academic writing and research platform designed to support researchers, academics and students throughout the research and publication journey.
Through the Paperpal Pack, the VUT community can access a suite of advanced AI-powered tools designed to improve research productivity, academic writing, literature discovery, citation management, language enhancement and research integrity.
The Paperpal Pack provides end-to-end research support, helping users move from literature discovery and research preparation through to academic writing and publication.
Paperpal AI Research and Writing Tools
End-to-End Research Support: Support across the full research lifecycle, from literature review through to publication.
Literature Discovery: Search and analyse more than 250 million scholarly publications using AI-powered summaries and research insights.
Academic Writing & Citations: Generate structured academic content, manage references and support more than 10,000 citation styles.
Language Enhancement & Translation: Improve grammar, clarity and academic tone, as well as paraphrase and translate content across more than 50 languages.
Research Integrity: Access tools for plagiarism checking, AI detection, reference validation and journal-fit assessment.
AI-Assisted Research Figures: Use Illustrate to create AI-assisted research figures and export publication-ready, high-resolution SVG visuals.
How to Access and Activate Paperpal AI
Visit the Paperpal and Editage Membership Portal.
Sign up using your university-registered email address and password, or log in if you already have an account.
Once logged in, click “Have an activation code?” in the top banner near Manage Subscription.
Enter the activation code provided below to unlock full access.
Start using the Paperpal Pack and explore the available AI-powered research and academic writing tools.
Paperpal Activation Code
Activation code: ALL-A-TRAIL-UB0BRK-NYY
Paperpal AI Walkthrough
New to Paperpal? Watch the walkthrough to familiarise yourself with the platform and learn how to use its research and academic writing tools.
Video walkthrough: Watch the Paperpal AI Walkthrough on YouTube.
Make the Most of VUT Library Research Resources
These research resources provide the VUT community with opportunities to explore additional academic, specialist and AI-powered tools beyond the Library’s existing collections.
Use these resources to:
Find scholarly literature for assignments and research projects
Access specialist chemistry and scientific information
Support literature reviews and academic writing
Improve academic writing, grammar and language
Discover and analyse scholarly publications using AI-powered research tools
Manage citations and references more efficiently
Support final-year and postgraduate research
Enhance teaching and learning
Explore these resources and make the most of the research tools available to the VUT community.
CAS SciFinder Discovery Platform (Trial Access)
Trial Period: 3 August 2026 – 2 October 2026
The CAS SciFinder Discovery Platform is a comprehensive scientific research platform developed by CAS. It provides researchers, academics, librarians, and students with powerful tools to discover, analyze, and manage scientific information across chemistry and related disciplines.
What you can do with SciFinder
The platform enables users to:
- Search scientific literature from journals, patents, conference proceedings, and dissertations.
- Find detailed information on chemical substances, reactions, formulations, and materials.
- Search using chemical structures, molecular formulas, reaction schemes, keywords, authors, or patent numbers.
- Explore bioactivity, pharmacology, toxicity, and regulatory information.
- Track research trends and identify emerging technologies.
- Discover commercially available chemicals and suppliers.
- Export references and save searches for future use.
Boingwadišo
All users must create a CAS SciFinder account before accessing the platform.
Register here:
https://scifinder.cas.org/registration/index.html?corpKey=57DBCDB9X86F3503FX1690EE913976641A6F
Access During the Trial
Available: 3 August 2026 – 2 October 2026
The trial provides access to the following CAS resources:
CAS SciFinder and ChemZent
A next-generation scientific research solution providing access to:
- Chemical reactions
- Chemical substances
- Scientific literature curated by expert scientists
Log in: https://scifinder.cas.org
CAS Formulus
A comprehensive formulations database that helps researchers develop products more efficiently and cost-effectively.
Log in: https://formulus.cas.org
CAS Analytical Methods
Provides quick access to analytical methods from leading journals and patents, making it easier to locate, compare, and understand laboratory methods.
Log in: https://methods.cas.org
Training and Support
To help you get started with the platform, please make use of the following resources:
- CAS SciFinder Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- CAS SciFinder Quick Start Guide
- CAS SciFinder Video Tutorials
- CAS Formulus User Guide
- Additional information about CAS SciFinder and ChemZent
- Additional information about CAS Analytical Methods