Addressing concerns related to online reading materials is paramount as the internet establishes itself as the defining medium for literacy in higher education institutions among the current generation. Globally current debates consistently underscore the relevance of online reading materials to scientific research writing among university students. The current study explored the students’ urge to access online reading materials based on four selected universities in an urban geographical context of Uganda. Using a cross-sectional exploratory research design comprised of mixed approaches, we used descriptive statistics and Analysisof Variance (ANOVA) to investigate the disparity in accessed online reading materials across the universities. An ordinal logistic model established the factors that influence access toonline reading materials. The study revealed that university students exhibited moderate utilisation of online resources, primarily accessing materials through platforms like MyLOFT,Google Scholar, University online catalogs, Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) and Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB). Additionally, the findings underscored notable variations in the mode of access across the studied universities, with access influenced byfactors such as sex, type of degree pursued, availability of university ICT equipment, and the research level of students. These insights shed light on the need for tailored strategies to enhance online reading materials accessibility and to support diverse student populationsin their academic pursuits, such as subscribing to the publishers of scientific journals. This may improve students’ scientific research writing skills and completion rate, which have remained a formidable challenge in higher education institutions in Uganda.