Distance Learning at ISU Library: Finding Full-Text

So, you've found an article citation and you want to get the entire article. What do you do? Where do you go to find the article? You will need to find a copy of the journal.

Students taking all distance learning classes (and, therefore, are assumed to not have easy access to ISU's campus) can request that Interlibrary Loan send them physical materials owned by ISU's Cunningham Memorial Library. Some materials, such as DVDs and reference materials, do not qualify.

LinkSource is a software program that connects ISU databases together to allow access to full text. ISU uses the link Check For Availability or Check For Full Text. If full text is not available in your current database, click Check For Availability to see if it is full text within another ISU database. A new window will open on your computer. If possible, you will be linked directly to the full text article, but sometimes you are linked to the journal page and you have to browse to the appropriate date, volume, issue, and page numbers.

DO NOT BUY THE ARTICLE. If you are given an option to buy an article, don’t! Use our Interlibrary Loan (ILL) service to get the article for free. ILL costs are covered by your tuition.

1. To find articles on reserve, go to the ISU Library homepage at http://library.indstate.edu/
2. Scroll down to Quick Links and click on "Course/E-Reserves"
3. Then click on "Electronic Reserves & Reserve Pages."
4. You can browse for reserve items by course number, department, or instructor.

USING THE LIBRARY’S DATABASES

• From the library’s main webpage (http://library.indstate.edu), click on the “Articles & Databases” tab then click on the “Electronic Resources Home” link now listed underneath the blue bordered search box.
• Scroll down to the gold box that's labeled "Find e-journals, eBooks, and media by title or identifying number"
• Copy/paste or type in the journal’s title & click “search.” Databases that index the journal will be listed on the screen.  
• Click on listing that covers the publication date. The journal’s information page will appear on screen.
• The years that are indexed are listed on either the right or left side of the screen.
• Click on the year, then volume and issue.
• The indexed articles appear on screen and are usually listed in page number order.
• Scroll down the list until you find the article, click on it, then look on the page for links to the article’s full text.

USING GOOGLE SCHOLAR

Try using “Google Scholar” to find other institutions who may provide free access to the article’s full text:

• From the library’s main page (http://library.indstate.edu) click on the “Google Scholar” link that’s listed underneath the blue bordered search box.
• Copy/paste or type the article’s title in the search box and click “search.” (FYI: the page’s default is a search for “articles.” That box should already be check-marked.)
• From the search results, look for one that has a clickable link saying “All [#] Versions” and click on those words.
• Look to the right side of each search result and if any of them say “full-text [xxx],” click on that search result. The full text of the article should appear on screen. If it doesn’t, try clicking on another result.

If you have a citation and you need the full-text of the article

1. Check to see if the ISU Library has an online subscription to your journal
2. If not, check to see if the ISU Library has a print subscription to your journal
3. If not, order the article using the Interlibrary Loan service

​Interlibrary Loan (ILL) offers a service where ILL staff will find and obtain the full-text of your article and send it to you via the ILL software. However, they cannot promise when your requested material will arrive from the other library. Your article may arrive the same day you requested it or it may arrive two weeks later. You should plan for this when obtaining the most appropriate materials for your projects.

To find out if we have electronic access to a journal, check the ISU Library's gold-colored E-journals/E-newspapers database of online journals.

1. Go to the ISU Library homepage at https://library.indianastate.edu/
2. At the top of the webpage, click Services.
3. Click Electronic Resources.
4. Under Find e-journals, eBooks, and media by title or ISSN/ISBN: and to the right of Title begins with, enter the title of the journal, NOT the title of the article. Click Search.
5. A list of results appears with your words in the title of the journal. Scroll the list for your journal. When you find it, click the database name which contains the appropriate year for your journal article. The database will open in a new window. Browse to the appropriate year and article.

Different databases will do this differently. Some take you directly to the article; some to the webpage for the journal. Another opens the correct database but you have to search for the article you want.

To search for specific ISU print and electronic journal, magazine, or newspaper subscriptions, we recommend the following:

1. Go to the ISU Library homepage at https://library.indianastate.edu/
2. At the top of the webpage, click Searches
3. Click Classic Catalog. The Catalog window opens. Click Advanced Search
4. Search for the journal/magazine/newspaper title as a Title and the term "periodicals" as a Subject.
   
   Title: new york times
   AND
   Subject: periodicals
    
5. Examine all retrieved records for your journal, magazine, or newspaper. Read more detail about a journal by clicking on the title of the record. Look at the information under "Holdings" to see if ISU has the date you need.
6. Write down the Call Number and the Location (Periodicals, Gov Docs, Stacks, etc.).
7. In the ISU Library building, go to the shelving location and use the call number to find the correct journal. "Current Periodicals" are on the First Floor. All other print library journals and magazines are located in the library Basement.
8. Photocopy or scan the article using the (free) scanners or (fee) copiers on the First Floor.

​Students taking all distance learning classes (and, therefore, are assumed to not have easy access to ISU's campus) can request that Interlibrary Loan send them physical materials owned by ISU's Cunningham Memorial Library. Some materials, such as DVDs and reference materials, do not qualify.

Interlibrary Loan (ILL)

If ISU does not have either an electronic subscription, ScienceDirect access, or a print subscription that includes your article, go to Interlibrary Loan (ILL).

1. Go to the ISU Library homepage at https://library.indianastate.edu/
2. At the top of the webpage, click Services.
3. Click Interlibrary Loan.
4. Enter your ISU Username and Password, if asked.
   • If you have never used ILL before, you will be asked to register.
   • After you register, you may login to the ILLiad software system.
5. Under the heading New Request, select Article/Chapter.
6. Fill in the information and click Submit Request.
7. You will receive an e-mail when your article arrives. It will tell you to log into your ILL Account. Then click Electronically Received Articles.

Some older issues of journals are available on Microform or Microfilm in the ISU Library. This is when the journal pages have been placed on pages or reels of film. A Microfilm Reader can digitize pages from the Microfilm.

1. To view Microfilm or Microform item, Go to the ISU Library homepage at http://library.indstate.edu/
2. At the top of the ISU Library homepage, click the Find
3. Click Classic Catalog. The Catalog window opens. Click Advanced Search
4. Search for the journal/magazine/newspaper title as a Title and the term "periodicals" as a Subject.
5. Examine all retrieved records for your journal, magazine, or newspaper. Read more detail about a journal by clicking on the title of the record. Look at the "Holdings" to see if ISU has the date you need.
6. Write down the Call Number and the shelving Location (Microfilm).
7. Go to the Basement and find the Microfilm using the journal title and the call number.
8. Take the Microfilm back to the Microfilm Readers located in the Computer Cluster on the First Floor.
9. Using the instructions next to the Microfilm Readers, view the Microfilm and navigate to your article. Ask library staff for help, if needed.
10. Print, e-mail, or save the article.

Some ISU print journals are located in Remote Storage. This storage space is only accessible to library personnel. The library send staff to Remote Storage once a day in the afternoon to pick up requested items and bring them back to the Circulation Desk.

To request a Remote Storage item,

1. Go to the ISU Library homepage at http://library.indstate.edu/
2. Under Services, click the Borrowing.
3. Click request a remote storage item.The Remote Storage Retrieval Form appears.
4. Fill out the form and click Submit.
5. In the late afternoon or the next morning, go to the Circulation Desk and ask if your item has arrived.