michigan informatics

Retrieve Articles

There are many ways to retrieve copies of articles that you need:

1. Some databases will provide free access to the full text of articles that you retrieve from your search. This, of course, is the first place you should look. Some databases, such as PubMed, appear to offer free access, though once you link to the journal's web site, you may be asked to register for a fee.
2. If you are affiliated with a library, you should next check their web site or their online catalog to see if they provide online access to the journal.
3. Many states offer access to a variety of free, full-text journals, such as Michigan's eLibrary.
4. You can try to simply search for the title of the article in Google. Some authors and institutions will publish papers on their own web sites.
5. If you need copies of articles that you have found in PubMed, you can request these articles through Loansome Doc. Loansome Doc is an article delivery service from the National Network of Libraries of Medicine. You will need to register with a participating medical library (an easy process) and there is generally a fee for each article requested.
6. Finally, you may be able to request copies of articles from your local public library through a service called Interlibrary Loan. Many public libraries belong to a large consortium of libraries which provides a mechanism for one library to easily borrow articles from another library. This service is often free and underutilized.