AAQ - Retrieving a Journal Article Online

Hello and thank you for using the “Ask A Question” service.

You are inquiring about how retrieve a journal article that is online from a Medicine Hat College Library Services database resource. There are several different methods to accomplishing this task. Despite this wordy explanation, it is a fairly intuitive process (though not without pitfalls) and there is assistance from the library’s Information Desk.

It should be noted that many of these functions are only available to registered patrons of the Vera Bracken or Brooks campus libraries. The resources are available to staff and students from on campus and at home, but the general public can only access the resources from on campus. You will have to check with Library Services (403-529-3867) to ensure that your privileges are up-to-date and applicable to your search needs.

Given your initial question, we are assuming that you have an article/citation in mind.

METHOD 1 – Article at Database Level

From the library’s main webpage (http://www.mhc.ab.ca/library):

1. Select the “Journal, Magazine, and Newspaper Articles” link.
2. Select the appropriate subject heading and the title of the database that you used that you used to perform your initial search. [NOTE: Select the appropriate “On Campus” or “At Home” link. The “At Home” link only works for staff and students – not community users.]
3. Locate the article that you initially found.
4. Once you have located the article, check to see if it says “Full Text”, “Full Text HTML”, “Full Text PDF”, or “Linked Full Text” – or anything else to that effect (in some cases icons might be present). If so, then the article is simply a click away – select either the HTML or PDF link to access the complete article.

METHOD 2 – Find It (in databases)

1. Perform the same steps that you did in METHOD 1 up to step 4.
2. If you do not see a link that says “Full Text”, then look for an icon that says “Find It” and click on it.
3. The Find It service tries to connect you from one database without the article to another database with the article (despite being from a different company).
4. A new window/tab will open and present you with a number of options. If the article is present in another database that the library subscribes to, it will present the name of the database under the “Find It Online” heading (all you have to do is click on the database name (opening another window/tab), login (applicable to staff and students off campus only), and read the article). Other wise, you will see under the “Find It at Another Library” heading, click on the “Request document via Interlibrary Loan Service” link and login. Hopefully the interlibrary loan request form will fill itself out – requiring you to login with a user name and campus ID combination. [NOTE: There is a cost of $.10/page for students and $.25/page for community users to order the article in – it usually takes 7-14 days to get article to the library via this method.]

METHOD 3 – Citation Linker (if you have a citation already)

From the library’s main webpage (http://www.mhc.ab.ca/library):

1. Select the “Journal, Magazine, and Newspaper Articles” link.
2. Select the “Citation Linker” link – under the “MHC Library Journal Holdings” heading near the top right-hand side of the page.
3. A new window (or tab) will open and then it is a matter of filling in the blanks. Provide as much detail as possible, noting that periodical title and ISSN (International Standard Serial Number) are among the most critical – capitalization does not matter. Once you have entered the data, click the “Find It” button.
4. If it is available online via our resources, it should present you with a list of online databases that have the article. Once you select a suitable database, click on its title.
5. Another window/tab will open that prompts you to login – again only staff/students can access this off campus will up-to-date accounts, community members will be denied access.
6. In perfect world, you should be taken directly to the article. If not, you might be taken to the journal’s online holdings. Locating the article should be a few clicks away – select the year, volume, and issue where available and select the article title from the list. [NOTE: This will differ depending on the database you enter, but they are all fairly similar to access at this level.]

METHOD 4 – Interlibrary Loan Request (ILL; if you have a citation already)

If you have exhausted all other methods of online access and still want the article, you will have to retrieve it via interlibrary loan (ILL). If you know what you want to order, navigate to: http://eureka.uleth.ca/screens/illreq_s2.html, and place your order. If you need more information about the service, go to: http://www.mhc.ab.ca/library/interlibraryloans.html. ILL is available to all patrons, but costs might be incurred – it depends on what type of patron you are (i.e., community member, staff, or student).

Though it might seem daunting at first glance, it really does get easier as you become more experienced with this type of online resource. Additionally, learning these services (their benefits and quirks) are necessary in the pursuit of modern academics. The contemporary online tools are still faster that using old print methods.

Thank you again for using the “Ask A Question” service. If you need more help, please use the service again or see the Information Desk in the Medicine Hat College Library (phone #: (403) 529-3867).

AAQ#:30632