Find the Full Text of Articles
Use the Find It Button to Find Full Text
Article indexes and databases don't always provide easy access to the full-text of articles you need. if Albertsons Library has purchased content, you may be able to find it relatively easily.
Watch for buttons or links that say Full Text, PDF, or HTML. And most importantly, watch for the Find It button within your search results. The Find It button will link you to the full text of the article in other indexes or databases, within online journal subscriptions, or will tell you if the Library has the print journal (i.e. in paper).
Here's an example of the Find It button in the American Chemical Society (ACS) Publications database
Here's an example of the Find It button in the Compendex engineering database
CAUTION: In some databases, the Full Text button (like the one shown above in Compendex) may link to the publisher's version of a full text article, which may require you to pay for access. The Library's Find It button will always send you to resources that are free to you or will give you an option to borrow them from another library without charge.
When you click the Find It button, you will see options for how you might get access to the full article
- "View Full Text" button, will take you a page where you can find the complete article
There may be more than one source to get the full article. Check the "Coverage" note to see what journal publication years are covered by each source
You may also see a DOI link, which means "digital object identifier", a persistent identifier used to uniquely identify an object. This link may or may not take you to the full article.
- "Available from Albertsons Library..." link means the Library has a paper copy of the journal. The link will take you to the Library's catalog record where you can find the journal call number, the address of the item in Albertsons Library.
Stop at the ASK Desk on the Library's first floor for help figuring out where to find the call number in the Library
- "Request Through InterLibrary Loan" button means the Library doesn't have the article electronically or in paper, but you can borrow a copy from another library.
When you click the "Request through Interlibrary Loan" button, you will go to an "Article Request" form that, when submitted, will ask the Library to retrieve the article for you from another library.
- You may be prompted to log in using your Boise State email and password
- You'll notice that the computer has already started to fill in the Article Request form for you. Before you hit the "Submit Request" button, verify that the information for the citation is correct! It doesn't always come out right
NOTE: For more information on Interlibrary Loan (ILL), go to the "Get Materials the Library Doesn't Have" section of this guide.
Finding Specific Articles
Did you know that Google Scholar is a great place to look for specific articles?
Type in the article title within quotation marks to make the search more precise. For example:
If you have your Google Scholar preferences set to show you Boise State University's library materials, you see a link to boisestate.edu to find the full text.
I have a Citation. How do I Find the Journal?
So you found a great citation, but you weren't in an article database or a place where there was an HTML, PDF, Full Text, or Find it Button. Try the Library's Journals Search.
From the Library's Main page, click on the Journals Box
You can search by Journal Title or International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) Number or Browse by Journal Title.
If you receive a list of potential journals, click on the Journal Title you need.
If you find the journal, you will see options for how you might get the full article.
- "Full text availability for this item" means the journal is available electronically
The journal title link will take you to the Journal where you can find your citation. The link right below it tells you if the journal is part of a larger collection. The "Coverage" information tells you what years of the publication are available.
What if the journal volume and issue you need isn't there? Use the Request though Interlibrary Loan button to borrow a copy from anther library. It's free!
- "Available from Albertsons Library Print Serials Collection" link means the Library has a paper copy of the journal.
The link will take you to the Library's catalog record where you can find the journal call number, the address of the item in Albertsons Library. The "Coverage" information tells you what publication years of the journal are in the Library.
Stop at the ASK Desk on the Library's first floor for help figuring out where to find the call number in the Library
If the library doesn't have the journal year you need, use the Request though Interlibrary Loan button to borrow a copy from anther library. It's free!
What about using Google Scholar?
For most articles and papers, you can find an entry in Google Scholar.
Search tip: putting quotes around a string of text makes the search more precise.
Example: "preventing the wormhole attack in wireless ad hoc networks"
Settings tip: For instructions on setting up Google Scholar so you see the Find it at Boise State link to full text, follow these instructions:
Note: Access to full text of a journal article requires that:
- The article is an open-access article, openly available on the Internet to anyone, or
- It is available through Boise State's Albertsons Library for Boise State students, faculty and staff to see