You use the keywords from your research topic to search for journal articles on a topic -- usually in a database.

• Start your searches with broad keywords in a general database like 1Search or Google Scholar. Try starting with 2-3 keywords and refining your search results from there.
• If your topic is more specialized, you may want to search a subject database.  Use the database subject menu to choose a database that matches your topic.

Once you find your article's entry in a database, check whether the database provides the full-text article. If it does, the database will provide a link to a "full-text PDF", "full text available online", or something similar.

If the database doesn't provide a full-text article, click on the FindIt@OSU button to see if OSU subscribes to the electronic or the paper copy of the journal. FindIt@OSU will open a new window and will display a link to full-text when available. If not, request the article from Interlibrary Loan

If you have an article citation and want to find that specific article, you can find it in several ways:

• 1Search
  • Search for the article title.  It is often useful to put quotes around the article title to find the exact title you want.
    • Example:  "Feasibility of a Home-Delivered Internet Obesity Prevention Program for Fourth-Grade Students" 
  • Alternatively, click on the Journal Search link and search for the journal title, then navigate to the article using the date, volume, issue, and page number information.
• Google Scholar
  •  Use the article title.  Again, it is often useful to put quotes around the article title to find the exact title you want.  If you find articles that are not freely available, be sure to set up your Google Scholar preferences to talk to the OSU Libraries, or search the e-journals or catalog to see if we have the article.

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) (also known as Scan and Deliver) is a service provided by the library to get you the journal articles you need for your research. Here's how it works:

• If there is a journal article you need and it's not available online, we will make an electronic copy and send it to you.
• If we don't have the journal in the OSU Libraries collection, we'll get a copy from another library.

The turn around time for a digital copy is usually under 13 hours, but we cannot guarantee this. It may take a little longer so a make sure you request early.

If you are trying to access an article online and the page says you need to pay for it, there are a few things to check first.

1. Did you get to the article/ebook through the OSU Libraries website? If you went straight to Google Scholar, it may not recognize you as an OSU student. In that case, keep on reading.
2. Cut and paste the title of the article into 1Search. If you are finding the article on the web, you may need to go to the library home page and search for the article through 1Search. If we have access to the article or ebook online, you will be asked to authenticate.
3. It's always possible that this is a journal or ebook to which we do not have a subscription. In that case, place an Interlibrary Loan request and we will get it for you.

If you are following a link from a Canvas course site and cannot access the resource:

1. Update your browser. Make sure your web browser is current;
2. Check the URL of the source. If the source does not have something about proxy.oregonstate  in it, it may not work for you off-campus. You can usually go directly to the OSU Library website and access the source from 1Search. Searching by title is usually the best choice. That should authenticate you and allow you access.
3. Contact your instructor. If you're unable to access a link, it's possible it won't work for your classmates either. The URL may just be incorrect.
4. Use the VPN. If you're connecting with a Mac or Linux system, OSU's VPN (Virtual Private Network) can set you up with an OSU IP address. While the proxy server should let you in regardless of where you are, on occasion, you may be blocked anyway due to local restrictions. In that case, set up a VPN to access the resource. If the VPN isn't working, consult the VPN troubleshooting guide.
5. Use Citrix Apps to run Chrome. Citrix Apps runs software in your browser window through an OSU computer. After logging in, select Chrome and navigate the browser-in-a-browser to the OSU resource that's causing trouble.