One of the most convenient features found in many online databases is a link from an article title in your search results to the full text of the journal article. Just click on the link to access the complete text and graphics, usually in an HTML file or a PDF document. This feature is particularly useful if you are searching from outside of the Library or if we don’t have a print subscription to the journal you want to read.

But what if the full text of an article isn’t available in the database that I’m using?

No worries! The article citation will include a FIND FULL TEXT button, which enables you to find out if the full text of this article is available somewhere else in the Library’s electronic resources. Click and a list of online databases containing the full text of your article will be displayed. Click again and the article will appear on your screen! If it isn’t available electronically, the FIND FULL TEXT button will tell you if the Library has a print copy of the journal you want. Finally, if all else fails, it will provide you with a link to our interlibrary loan service.

What if my professor gave me a reference and I want to find the full-text?

Again, you’re only a few clicks away. This time, search the Library Catalogue for the JOURNAL TITLE (not the article title) to find out about our print subscriptions as well as a listing of databases that include full text articles from your publication. Connect to a database that covers the date on which your article was published, and away you go. Each database handles this a little differently, so follow the database’s instructions for searching for a particular article within a specific publication.

Want more information? Ask at the Information & Research Assistance Desk.