Printer FriendlyHow to Find Articles
- Select a database. Go to Foley's library's homepage , then choose one of these options.
- UNDER FIND ARTICLES - Select a database appropriate to your general subject area
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UNDER RESEARCH GUIDES - Select the research guide for your area of study to find a list of the recommended databases for that discipline.
2. To find and select articles:
- Enter keywords or subject headings related to your topic in the search box(es) of your chosen database.
- Read the abstract (if available) and select appropriate articles for your research.
NOTE: Searching for articles and getting good results may take a little practice. For help, contact Foley Library or view these EBSCO tutorials (for tips on searching our EBSCO-provided databases). Look here for tutorials on other library resources.
How to Get Articles
Get the Full Text online - Not all articles are available online, but you can find many that are. Once you have identified the articles you want by reading the abstracts, look for an icon or link that will take you directly to the article. The links to the articles will be one or more of these options:
- Full Text Options - Takes you to the journal's record in Periodicals at Foley
- Link to Full Text - Opens a new window with the article citation and a link to a PDF, HTML or text file.
- Text - Text version of the article.
- HTML - (Hypertext Markup Language) The document format language used on the World Wide Web.
- PDF - Portable Document Format. An electronic "photocopy" of the article that must be read with Adobe Acrobat.
What's the difference in format? Most people prefer the PDF version because it is like a photocopy of the article, but if you have dial-up access or an older (and slower) computer you may decide that text or HTML versions work better for you.
If the full text is not available directly from the database then…
Check Periodicals at Foley for the journal title.
Why? Because Foley subscribes to a number of databases and not all of them provide online access to the same articles. If the article you need isn't available from the database you were searching in, it may be available in another one. Occasionally article links in the databases do not work smoothly. By searching Periodicals at Foley you are usually able to connect more easily to the online articles that are available through Foley. NOTE: Not all articles are online! Some may be available only in paper format, but you can STILL get a copy!
Order through ILLiad. If it appears that the full-text is not availalble through Foley resources, request the article from ILLiad.
Click on the link to ILLiad from within the article record on the databases.
OR
Login to ILLiad and fill out an Article Request Form.
Your article will usually be delivered to your ILLiad account within a few days. You will get an e-mail message when it arrives.
Can't I just send you a list and have you guys do it? Sorry, but we do not have the time or staff to re-enter each of the titles on your list into a request form. We prefer that you do it yourself through ILLiad. But if you are having major trouble with your computer (or your internet access) and have a deadline to meet, we can work something out.
The title of my article looks like it will be perfect for my research, why should I read the abstract? The age old saying "you can't judge a book by its cover" works for articles too. Especially if you are requesting an article through ILLiad, read the abstract to determine how essential the article is to your research. ILL is free to you, but expensive for us and often a title that really looks good is only a book review or a 1/2 page editorial!
The article you sent me is in Portuguese! Oops! Usually we will contact you before ordering any non-English article you have requested. You can check that yourself by noting the language the article is in before requesting it. There is usually a notation on the article's full record indicating the language of the article.
My article isn't online, does that mean I can't get a copy of the full text? Long, long ago, way back in the 20th century and even earlier. . . articles were always published in paper format. Even today, paper may be the only format available for a journal. Distant students may use ILLiad to request ANY article you cannot get online. The paper copy will be scanned into a PDF file and posted to your ILLiad account. Local students may have to make a trip to Foley Library if the article they want is only available in a paper-format journal here. The point is. . . articles that aren't available online are still accessible!
I find stuff using Google, why do I need to use the databases? Well, Google certainly is an easy-to-use search engine and you will find "stuff" on Google, but for the type of research you will be doing at Gonzaga, you NEED our databases! Google doesn't search everything that's online and the online peer-reviewed journals you need for your research usually require a subscription in order to view the articles. The library already has subscriptions to many online journals that support the curriculum and the best way to access them is through the databases. If we don't have access to something, use ILLiad and chances are, we'll be able to get it for you. Note: For some great tips on using Google (because we all use it, don't we?) check out this page from the University of Washingtion Health Links website.