Once you've searched databases and print indexes/bibliographies for periodical literature, you'll have citations for articles on your topic. Some databases give full-text access to articles, but some of the best ones don't offer much full text access (for instance, the Anthropological Index of the Royal Anthropological Institute and the MLA Bibliography). If you cannot get the full text of an article from a database, you need to follow these steps to get your article.
- Look up the journal using the "Journals/E-Books" search widget on the University Libraries home page. It is located just under the images towards the top of the homepage. Clicking on the tab will open up the search widget. If the Library subscribes to the journal you need, you'll be taken to a list of the databases that give access to it. Check to make sure the database covers the publication date of your article.
- If you cannot access the article using the Journals/E-Books search widget, check the Library Catalog to see whether the Library subscribes to the journal in paper form. The library catalog is accessed using the "Books & More" search widget also located under the images towards the top of the homepage. If the Library has the journal, go to the second floor, find the journal issue you need (current journals--up to one year old--are located on the west side of the second floor; older journals, bound in hard covers, are located on the second floor, beginning on the west side. All journals in the University Libraries are shelved alphabetically by complete title.
- If the University Libraries does not provide access to the journal you need, order the article through Interlibrary Loan. Go to the University Libraries homepage, and click on the "Interlibrary Loan" widget located just below the images on the homepage. This widget will ask you to sign in using your USD user name and password.
- If you've never used the ILLiad Interlibrary Loan System before, you'll have to fill in a "new user" form to create your ILLiad account before you can borrow materials. (Interlibrary Loan is quick, but it cannot perform miracles. Be sure to give yourself time when doing research, so that Interlibrary Loan items can arrive in time for you to use them effectively in your research. Interlibrary Loan cannot get you items overnight.)
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