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Finding Articles

There are different ways to find articles, depending on where you are starting.  These directions are for finding specific articles.  (Option 1 - look for the article online ) (Option 2 - look for the article in the library)

If you have an article citation, from a list of references or from a database, you can follow the directions below.  If you're in a database searching for articles, there are shortcuts you can try!

 

Locating the Article

An example: I'm looking for the following article

Meehan, T., McIntosh, W. & Bergen, H. (2006) Aggressive behaviour in the high-secure forensic setting: the perceptions of patients. Journal of Psychiatric & Mental Health Nursing 13 (1), 19-25.

 

(Option 1)   Use the Online Journals link from the library home page.  

Type in the journal name and click on the radio button next to "exact".

 

If the journal is found, click on the journal title to access the online issues.


 

When you click on the journal title, a new window should pop open with options for obtaining the article.

You can type in the year, volume, issue number, and start page if you have this information. 

Note that the available dates are given for each option.  In this case, you'll notice that the first option (EBSCOhost Academic Search Premier) does not have the current year available online.  That's why you will use the second option (Synergy) and click on the Go button. 

 

Another browser window should pop open and you'll see the information about the article.  Scroll down down the page, past the abstract (or summary) of the article, and look for links that say "Full Text" or "PDF" - this will get you the entire article.

 

 

(Option 2)   Look in the UCF Library Catalog to find out if the library owns the print or electronic journal.  There is a box to search the library catalog on the Online Journals page.

Enter the title of the journal. In this case, I'm looking for the Journal of Primary Prevention.

You will see a list of entries, yours will probably be the second item in the list.  Click on the title

 

If the library has Electronic Access to the full text the screen will look something like this.  In this case, the journal is available both in the library and online.

 

Follow the links to the full text. NOTE: Not all years are available online. Click on "ONLINE" to see which issues of the journal are available online.  Also, you can click on "Main Library, Orlando" to see which issues the library keeps in the building.

An example:  I'm looking for the following article

Ecological factors in successful residential treatment. Lewis, W. W.; Behavioral Disorders, Vol 7(3), May 1982. pp. 149-156

 

If the journal is in PRINT ONLY, the screen will look something like this:

 

Click on Main Library, Orlando to see what years the library owns in paper.

The next screen will look somewhat like this:

 

This example indicates that the library owns 1976/77-present of the journal Behavioral Disorders. The library has volumes 2-30 as Bound volumes. Bound volumes are located by Call Number. For example, to locate volume 7 of this journal go to Call Number LB1101 .B38 in the library. The “L” section is on the 3rd floor of the library.

Note:  To find out what floor a call number is on, refer to Library Locations.

 

The text “Current issues on Periodical Shelves” means that the library has a current subscription and current issues are arranged alphabetically by journal title on the 3rd Floor of the library. In this example, all 2005/06 and 2006/07 issues of the journal Behavioral Disorders will be alphabetical by journal title on the 3rd floor of the library.

In the case of my example, I'm looking for volume 7 (1982) so I know this issue will be with the bound volumes on the 3rd floor.

Shortcuts

If you're in a database (such as CINAHL, PsycInfo, Academic Search Premier, etc.) and you find an article that looks appropriate for your research, here are some shortcuts you can follow

(Option 1)   Look for HTML and/or PDF links to the full text.  They can look different depending on the database you're using.

HTML Full Text / PDF Full Text    

    

 

(Option 2)   Look for a link that says “Linked Full Text”. Follow this link, and then click on the article title to retrieve the full text.

Linked Full Text    

 

(Option 3)  Use the SFX button to determine if the full text is available in another database.  For more help, see How to Use SFX to find Full Text Articles.

 

INTERLIBRARY LOAN (ILL)

If the library does not have access to either the electronic or the paper copy of a journal article, you may request the journal article using Interlibrary Loan (ILL). Use the ILL request form available from http://library.ucf.edu/ILL. You may request as many articles as you need. ILL is a free service.

ILL can take 5-10 business days (1-2 weeks) or more. Start your literature search early so that ILL is an option for you.