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Site SearchFinding Full Text Articles Online and in Print
I. Finding Articles in the Online Catalog
II. Using the A-Z List to Find Full Text Articles
III. Using the Eli Catalog to Find Articles in Print
IV. Interlibrary Loan
This web page is designed to help you find full text articles online and in print. It will show you how to find online databases, use the A-Z Journal List, the library's catalog, and how to get Interlibrary Loan forms.
If you need any help finding databases, articles, or journals, please don't hesitate to ask for help at the Reference Desk by phone at (208) 282-3152 or by Ask a Librarian email.
I. Finding Articles in Databases
There are several ways to find articles and articles citations (such as searching print indexes, electronic databases and so on), but among the most popular ways to find articles is to use the Eli M. Oboler library's online databases to find articles and citations. These databases are online periodical, book, thesis, and government document indexes that are frequently updated and sometimes have the added bonus of providing access to full text articles.
To begin your search, go to the library's homepage. Our address is www.isu.edu/library.
Choosing a Database
Once you're at the library's homepage, click on Resources by Subject, listed under Research and Resources on the right side of the page. This will show you a list of subjects covered by our databases. These subjects include History, Political Science, Physics, Engineering, Folklore, and more.
Choose the subject that best fits your topic. For example, if you're looking for articles on one of Shakespeare's plays, try looking under Theatre or either of the Literary Criticism pages for a database. If you're looking for articles on agriculture in Idaho, try the Biology. Once you've chosen a subject, click the subject link to see a list of databases that index journals, books, theses, and government documents in that subject. You can always go back and try other subjects and other databases.
Once you've selected a subject, you will see a page that looks like this:
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Reading the Chart
This page lists all the different online databases for the subject in this chart form. Each column has important information about the database that can help you to decide which database is the right one for your topic:
- The first column contains links to a paragraph or two about the database. Just click on the
icon for information about what kinds of materials the database covers, how many titles are covered, how many years are covered, notes about using the database, and so on. - The second column has the names of the online databases. Clicking on the database name will take you into the database. Titles with a ‡ after their name are citation databases only.
- The third column tells you who provides the funding for each online database.
- The fourth column tells you how many people can use these databases at any given time. If you are having problems getting into a database, it may be because too many people are trying to access this site at once.
- The fifth column tells you about any access restrictions. If you are having problems accessing a database, it may because you have to be on campus or in the library to use it. Clicking the link will give you more information about the different kinds of access restrictions.
- The last column tells you if the index is in print, electronic, or CD-ROM format.
Search Results: Citations and Full Text
For help performing searches, please ask at the Reference Desk, use the specific online database's help file or go to Research & Resources.
A successful search will give you a list of citations for periodical articles, book chapters, essays, or other materials. Citations for periodical articles will tell you the title of the article, the author, which journal it appeared in, when it was published, which volume and issue the article was in, and the page the article starts on. Citations for books, theses and so on, will provide similar information.
Helpful Hint: Write down, e-mail, or save to a disk all citation information. Not only will this help you locate articles in print or in online sources, but you will also need the full citation for bibliographies and works cited pages if you are using these articles to write a paper.
In addition to citation information, many of the online databases will tell you if full text is available. Each database is different and will take you to the full text in a different way. The majority of the online databases will take you through a series of links to the full text. Generally, these links will be labeled 'text' or 'full text.' Or there will be an icon that looks like a page, like this one from Education Full Text 
, that you can click on. Once you arrive at the full text, you can print it, e-mail it, or save it to a disk.
If full text is not available from the database, the A-Z List is your next step for finding the text of the articles you need.
II. Using the A-Z List to Find Full Text Articles
The A-Z List is a searchable database that lists nearly every journal the Eli Library has in its collection, as well as every journal we have access to online through databases and full text journal services like Kluwer's, JSTOR, MUSE and others.
To get to the A-Z list, go back to the library home page and use the Quick Link menu or click the link that says Find Articles, listed under Research & Resources on the right side of the page, and click the link that says A-Z Journal List.
You will then see a page that looks something like this:
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Finding Journals on the A-Z List
To find a particular journal on the A-Z List, use the Find box in the upper right of the page. Type in the journal name as it appears in the citation.
Helpful Hint: Avoid using abbreviations. Abbreviations will not always find the journal you're looking for. If you can't tell what the abbreviation stands for and the computer can't find the abbreviation, try using Periodical Title Abbreviations: By Abbreviation, a very helpful book available at the Reference Desk on the 1st Floor.
If the journal is available in print or online, you will see entries like this one:
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Click on Check ELI to find out which issues are available in print here at the library. Click on any of the other links (i.e. Corporate ResourceNet, LexisNexis Academic, etc.) for full text articles. Each database displays periodical volumes and issues in a different way. Much like accessing full text in an online database, you are going to have to go through a series of links to get to the article you want.
If you cannot find a source in the A-Z List, search the library catalog. Then, if you still cannot find the journal, see section IV for information about Interlibrary Loan.
III. Using the Eli Catalog to Find Articles in Print
If you cannot find full text for an article or if the A-Z List only refers you to the catalog it means that your next option is to track down the article in print.
If you're in the A-Z List, click Check ELI to go right to the journal record in the library catalog. If you're not in the A-Z List, to get to the library catalog use the Library Quick Links menu.
The catalog's search page looks like this:
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Important Note: The catalog does not search for journal articles. It will only find you journal titles, book titles, audiovisual material titles, and government documents. You must use the databases to find citations for journal articles.
To find journals in the catalog, select Journal/Magazine/Newspaper Title in the Search By box, then type the name of the journal in the Search For box. If we don't have a particular title, this message will appear on your screen:
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If the library has issues of the journal you're looking for, you will either see the record for the journal or, if there is more than one title that matches the words you typed in, you will see a list of titles. If you see the list of possibilities, click the title that most closely matches your title for the full record.
Important Note: You must go into the journal record to check the dates the Eli library covers. The dates you see on the results list may not reflect the years we have available here at the library.
The full record for a journal looks like this:
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If you cannot find the journal you are looking for in the A-Z List or in the catalog, then consider requesting a copy of the article through the library's Interlibrary Loan service.
IV. Interlibrary Loan
Interlibrary Library loans are done completely online. To get the online Interlibrary Loan form, go back to the catalog's search page. Above the search box, there is a row of green buttons that look like this:
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Click the button that says Request. Login. You will need your ISU ID Number to do this. You will then need to select the kind of form that you want. You can request a book, a copy of a chapter from a book, or a copy of an article. Once you've selected a form, it will be displayed on the screen. Fill in as much as you know. The more information you provide, the easier it is for us to find the right article.
If you need help at any point, either with choosing a database, performing searches, or filling in Interlibrary Loan forms, please don't hesitate to ask at the Reference Desk on the 1st Floor of the Library.