There are hundreds of academic journal publishers and thousands of scholarly journals on the market today. The best way to search across multiple publishers and journals is through an online journal database. While there are a growing number of freely-available open access journals through Google Scholar and online repositories, most academic journal articles require payment. The library subscribes to many key databases in your subject area so that you can access unlimited, high-quality full-text scholarly articles for free. Browse our full list of Databases A-Z.
Find full-text better.
The short answer is: No. For a variety of reasons, databases may provide only publication details from some articles, while others include the full-text. Full-text coverage dates for journal titles in the library collection can be found in the E-journals list.
Detailed Record
A record that represents and describes an article. The record usually includes the publication information about the article such as author, title, keywords, date of publication, but does not contain the content of the article. This information can also be called 'Record Details' or 'Article Details'.
Abstract
A brief summary of the article, usually 1-2 paragraphs in length. Find the abstract in the detailed record or on the first page of the full-text article.
Full-Text
The complete article. Look for HTML Full-Text or PDF Full-text.
When searching the library, look for the "Available Online" link. For example:
Within a database, look for a PDF or Download button or tab. For example:
- EBSCO records
- Proquest records
Other databases will provide similar links.
Whether you are searching the library, or searching within a database, look for a Full-Text or "Only Content I have Access to" filter. For example:
Most other databases will provide a similar filter, if full-text is not always available in that particular database.
Start by looking broadly for an online copy of the article:
- Search the library for the article's title and author's last name.
- Search Google Scholar. Google Scholar searches most major academic publishers and repositories worldwide (such as DOAJ, PubMed, etc.). However, not all articles available through Google Scholar are available for free, and you may hit paywalls.
- Find the journal's website to see if articles are provided for free.
Check to see if the library has any full-text coverage of the journal:
- For online access, look up the journal title in the E-journals list.
- For hardcopy access, look up the journal title in the library Catalogue.
If no copy can be found, you may need to:
- Request an Interlibrary Loan.
- Contact the publisher. They may provide free access to articles after you register on their website as a guest.
- Email the author(s) directly to request the full-text of their article.
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