Few things are more beautiful than a PDF icon. Perfect: I know I can download this article.
But, what about when there's no PDF icon? Does that mean the ACU library doesn't have it?
Not necessarily.
Here's an example of another article we have access to that is only a few clicks away:
No PDF link in sight. But what happens if we click the "View this record from ScienceDirect" link? (Also works for links for other publishers.)
We get to the publisher's website, where we do get the PDF icon, and we can download the article from here.
ACU's OneSearch function pulls in records from different publishers who integrate into the system in different ways, so keep an eye out for publisher links, because you could be closer than you think to accessing that perfect article.
No publisher link? Try Journal Finder.
When you click that Journal Finder link, our system searches through ACU's online databases and subscriptions to find a match.
It may come up with more than one record, so look at the dates that the full text begins and ends to see if the article you want falls within library's electronic holdings. In the case of the above picture, the red circle shows a clickable link. That link will take you to where you can download a PDF of the article (like with Science Direct above). Otherwise, you would click on the source (like SAGE Premier Collection or Taylor & Francis) and look for the year, volume, and issue to find the article.
If you have trouble, run into a "paywall," or find yourself on a confusing publisher's website, ask a research librarian for help.
The most accurate way to find out if ACU owns something electronically is to go straight to Journal Finder:
Search by the journal title or the ISSN (an eight-digit number unique to a journal; make sure to include a hyphen between the fourth and fifth number: 0123-X000). Look at the dates to see what years ACU has electronic access to.
Sometimes we really don't have access to an article*. If it's something you need, and you have time to wait, then it is appropriate to submit an ILL request
We'll try to borrow the article from another library, and once we've obtained it, you'll get an email with a link where you can download the PDF document.
*(Before submitting an Interlibrary Loan request, please make sure to search the journal in Journalfinder by both ISSN and Journal Title. Remember to check all available links, not just the first one, before you submit an ILL Request.)
These are the resources discussed on this tutorial:
Did you get to this page because an Interlibrary Loan (ILL) request was canceled? ACU is dedicated to your education, and we want to empower you to build skills that will make your research easier. Don't let that stop you from asking for help. Contact the ILL department by emailing acuill@acu.edu or contact a research librarian for questions of any kind.
Check out the ILL Guide for more instructions and tips for accessing resources.
Believe it or not, there are still some journals in paper! Check the ACU library catalog to see if we have print volumes of a journal.
If you're on campus, you can use the free public scanner in the Learning Commons to scan articles and email articles to yourself. If you're an online student, check out our services for distance learning.
