Skip to main content

Everyone asks how to find full-text articles

By

 We’re always getting asked about access to the full-text of articles. It can be a tricky path to navigate – where is the full-text, what do I need to have to find the full-text, how do I login?

Here are a few tips to get you started:

What do we mean by articles?

Firstly, what do we mean when we talk about articles? We are generally referring to academic, scholarly articles that are, usually peer-reviewed, and published in journals (either online or in print). During your studies and work you’ll be expected to refer to good quality, academic- or research-based information sources.

Get the basics about articles from our short online tutorials:

When you have the reference for your article there are various places you can start to search.

Library Search (for Keele students)

Library Search is the campus library discovery tool that allows Keele staff and students to search through a wide array of Keele-subscribed online content. If you are looking for a particular article title you can enter it into the search box and then check your results.

Tip: an article or journal may be available within a database collection, rather than on a publishers’ website. Make sure you check the online link to go to the full-text.

Tip: be aware that not all the content on Library Search is available as full-text, sometimes you only get the abstract.

Tip: log in to Library Search using your Keele login details, then you should be able to access the full-text where it is available, without an extra login.

Tip: make sure you check that the reference details match and that you have found the right article.

To learn how to use Library Search complete the campus online tutorial:

You can link to Library Search from our website.

Library Search (for NHS staff)

Library Search acts as the catalogue for Health Library print material such as books and print journals. NHS staff can use it to look for a print journal and so check whether an article reference is available to view in print.

Tip: print journals are shelved in the rotunda in the Health Library.

Tip: older issues of print journals are held in the library store – ask at the counter and a member of staff will retrieve it for you.

Tip: print journals are reference only. However you can photocopy articles (within copyright restrictions).

To learn more about how NHS staff can use Library Search take a look at our presentation:

You can link to Library Search from our website.

NHS A-Z Journals

All the NHS journals that we subscribe to are listed on the NHS A-Z Journals List. You can link to this from the journals page on our website.

Tip: you will need to log in to the A-Z list with your NHS OpenAthens username in order to see the list of titles available for your NHS organization.

Tip: an article or journal may be available within a database collection, rather than on a publishers’ website. Make sure you check the online link to go to the full-text.

Tip: you may need to log in to the journal page again with your OpenAthens username.

Learn more about how to access an NHS eJournal and find the full-text:

To learn more about how to get an NHS OpenAthens username complete our etutorial:

Open Access Content

Some articles are open access – that is they are not covered by a subscription but are freely available. This can happen when a whole journal is published using the open access model or on an individual article basis (ie access to the journal is via subscription only but some articles are made freely available).

Take a look at our Literature Searching Sites page, the Open Access tab for suggestions of where to search for open access content.

Inter-Library Loan Service

If you cannot find the full-text of the article you need either from our collections or via open access, then you can make an article inter-library request. We will try to find you a copy of the article from another library. There is a small charge for this service.

More help

Health Library Trainers

Get in touch with the Health Library trainers if you would like to attend a training session to help you find full-text articles.

eResources Librarian

If you need help accessing our NHS journal collections please contact Cheryl Kent, the eResources Librarian.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Paediatric journal titles to support UHNM staff

By
 Here at the Health Library, we have extended our current awareness service to include journal table of contents updates straight to your inbox. UHNM staff working in paediatrics can stay up-to-date with the latest research and get the latest issue of your favourite paediatric journal title when it is published. Our paediatric titles include: Journal Of Pediatric Surgery Nursing Children And Young People Paediatrics And Child Health Pediatric Clinics Of North America Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal Pediatrics Here are some example articles: Post-extraction management of esophageal button battery injuries in children: A scoping review of imaging, ICU admission, and NPO practices , Journal of Pediatric Surgery, Clinker, Christopher; Alvey, Brighton; Reynolds, Elizabeth; Wieck, Minna, Vol. 61 Issue 7, p. 163066, 2026. Damp and mould: improving the health and homes of children with asthma through NHS and local authority collabor...
Post a Comment
Read more

Optimize your use of Clinical Key - training opportunity from elsevier

By
 UHNM subscribes to ClinicalKey — the tool that gives you full-text access to the most relevant medical resources to support you in your daily work. Experience the platform and its key features during upcoming online sessions, delivered by elsevier. In this 45-minute training for ClinicalKey.com , you will: Discover what ClinicalKey is and how it supports your clinical decisions. Learn the benefits of registering: 24/7 access, content downloads, and personalized alerts. See a live demonstration of efficient searching, navigation, and time-saving tools. Explore the ClinicalKey App for access on any device. Access extra resources like video tutorials and reference materials. Click on the session most convenient for you to register for the ms teams session: Wednesday 22nd April 10am Wednesday 27th May 10am Wednesday 24th June 10am Get started with Clinical Key by completing the online tutorial from the Health Library for the basic features and video demonstrations.
Post a Comment
Read more

Introducing a New Reading Experience in Clinical Key

By
  Clinical Key is a clinical search engine provided for our UHNM users only. Reading Assistant – a new feature from Clinical Key Clinical Key is adding a Reading Assistant, an integrated generative AI feature designed to help you quickly comprehend and navigate complex clinical content. This enhancement uses structured summarisation and inline clarification to present key insights from book chapters and journal articles, all while keeping the original expert-authored content fully visible and authoritative. What the Reading Assistant Provides Concise, structured summaries of the content currently on the page Clarification of complex concepts without changing the underlying evidence Faster navigation through long chapters and dense journal articles Reduced cognitive load when approaching complex or lengthy material How It Works — Designed for Clinical Reliability The Reading Assistant has been built with a strong emphasis on safety, privacy, and the integrity of evidence...
Post a Comment
Read more