FINDING FULL-TEXT ARTICLES – text version

Now that you’ve done some searching in the database and have found an article you want to read, you’ll need to get the full article. Penfield Library subscribes to over 16,000 periodicaltitles, most online. So it’s likely we have the article you need, but there are several places that it could be.

The first place to look is in the database you are searching. You will see many links that say full text – with either html or pdf links to the entire article. I recommend the pdf version, if available, since it is the exact duplicate of the original print – with all the photos and charts. Here is an example from a database results list of what these links look like:

If you choose the pdf version of any article, you also need to know what the printer icon looks like. For good printing results find this icon, located in the toolbar just above the article page image.

If you don’t see a “full-text” link next to the article you want, the next best thing is the “360 Link to Full Text”. Clicking on this link launches a search of all our article databases, and the catalog, looking for the article you need.

You’ll get a results screen that looks something like the picture below. These “article” links will go directly to the article text.

The“journal” link that says “Penfield Library – check catalog for holdings” means that we own the journal title you needin paper, but not necessarily the specific issue you need. So remember the date of your articleand click on the link to check the catalog. Look at the “library holdings” information, which will give you the information on the dates of coverage we have at the library.

For a journal that you find in the catalog you will need to come to Penfield Library to get the article. Our paper journals are on the second floor, shelved alphabetically by journal title.

It’s not possible for every library to own all the journals, so sometimes you will get this message: “Article not available from Penfield Library.” But don’t worry, when this happens you will also see a link for Interlibrary Loan. If you submit an Interlibrary Loan request, we will get the article for you from another library.

Now I hope you feel more confident about finding the full-text of the articles you need. If you have any questions remember to Ask A Librarian.