Library & Research FAQs: Finding Articles

How do I get the full text of an article?

All our databases either have the full text of an article or provide you a way to find the full text elsewhere online, in a physical journal in our library, or through interlibrary loan.

1. In Discovery, the search box on the library homepage, clicking the title of a search result will bring you to the full text when it's available online. When full text is not available online, an intermediary page will help you find it physically in the library or give you a link to request it through interlibrary loan.
2. For other databases, check the database you're in to see if the full text is there. When you're in the record for an article you want, look for a link or button to full text or a PDF. Sometimes it is not very apparent.
   • Examples: ​     
3. If the full text is not in your original database, look for the WebBridge button . Clicking it will show a panel of results that may include:
   • Links to one or more databases where the full text is available.
   • A link to our library catalog, where you can check if we own a physical copy of the volume/issue you need.
   • A link to request it through interlibrary loan. Click the link to log in to your ILLiad account and submit an article request form.
4. If you cannot find the full text, you can always request an article through interlibrary loan. If you didn't go through WebBridge, you can log in to your interlibrary loan (ILL) account from the library homepage. (Look for the Interlibrary Loan or My Accounts links.) Once you log in, click "Article" under the "Make New Request" menu on the left. Fill in the citation information and click Submit Request..

These steps still not working for you? Ask a librarian at the Reference Desk, or see our Research Guide on database tutorials for help finding full text from a specific database:

Where can I find scholarly articles?

• The Discovery search on our homepage search across many of our databases at once.
  • It contains articles (scholarly/academic, magazine, news), books, ebooks, and more.
  • To limit your search to just articles from scholarly journals:
    • Select the "Articles" checkbox below the library homepage search box.
    • Or, from within your search results, select Journal Article under the CONTENT TYPE list in the panel on the left. You could also select Scholarly / Peer Review under REFINE YOUR SEARCH in the same panel on the left.
• Our full list of databases (also linked from our homepage) is searchable, and sortable by subject (e.g. Biology or Politics) and by type. You can use it to find databases relevant to your research topic.

• You can also visit the relevant Research Guide for the subject you're researching and find the recommended databases for finding scholarly articles.

How can I tell if an article is scholarly/academic?

Looking at several aspects of the article can help you determine if it's scholarly/academic.

Want a second opinion? Feel free to ask a Librarian at the Reference Desk.

Where can I find news and magazine articles?

• The Discovery search on our homepage searches across many of our databases at once.
  • It contains articles (scholarly/academic, magazine, news), books, ebooks, and more.
  • To limit your search to just articles from magazines and/or news sources, select Magazine Article and/or Newspaper Article from the CONTENT TYPE list in the panel on the left of your search results. You may need to click "More..." if you don't see those in the top few content type options.
• Our full list of databases (also linked from our homepage) is searchable, and sortable by subject (e.g. Biology or Politics) and by type (choose Newspapers / Magazines). You can use it to find databases relevant to your research topic.

This FAQ will help you find op-eds / opinion articles from national newspapers using library resources.

NYTimes.com

Geisel Library provides you access to NYTimes.com. You'll need to create an account while on campus, and then you'll be able to log in from anywhere. Find the Opinion section in the top menu bar, and then you'll be able to browse by columnist or topic.

Newspapers in Library Databases

The library also has newspaper content in several library databases, usually as recent as the articles in today's print edition of the paper. Follow the directions below to find opinion articles from major U.S. newspapers: the Boston Globe, the Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, the Chicago Tribune, and the Los Angeles Times.

Boston Globe

Click the link and then follow the steps below.

You'll see a landing page like this. Click Advanced Search.

From the Advanced Search page, "pubid(46045)" should be in the first search box. In the second search box, type "opinion" and choose "Section - SEC" from the dropdown menu next to it. Then click Search. Your results will be the most recent opinion articles in the Boston Globe.

Wall Street Journal

Click the link below. You'll start on the Advanced Search page. All you need to do is type "opinion" in the search box and select "Section - SEC" from the drop-down menu.

The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, and LA Times

Go to the database U.S. Newsstream, linked below. The same directions can be followed for each newspaper.

From the landing page, click Advanced Search, linked just below the title of the database (U.S. Newsstream).

In one box, type "opinion" and select "Section - SEC" from the drop-down menu next to it. In the other box, type the name of the newspaper (Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, or Los Angeles Times) and select "Publication title - PUB" from the drop-down menu. Click Search!

I can't find what I'm looking for. How can I get better search results?

For too few results, try:

• Removing keywords from your search terms. Sometimes your search terms can be far too specific. Broadening your search by limiting the number of keywords you use can help you find relevant sources you might not have thought of looking for.
• Adding synonyms to your search terms. If one of the main ideas in your research topics is teenagers, you might also search for teens and youth. Combine them in a search box like this: (teenagers OR teen OR teens OR youth)
• Searching in a different database. Different databases have different sets of content and may search that content in different ways. If you can't find what you need in one database, you probably can find it in a different one.

For too many results, try:

• Adding keywords to your search terms. If you're getting tons of results, you may need to narrow your topic and focus on a more specific aspect of it.
• Filtering your results using the filters that are often on the left side of your database results list. Filter by date if you're looking for more recent sources, or by source type, for example if you want to focus on magazine articles to get more easily digestible sources.

Other search tips:

• Do some background reading, using Google or a relevant library resource you've already found, to see what terms people are using to talk about your topic. Are you using them as search terms?
• Use AND, OR, and NOT, along with parentheses to combine keywords. 
  • All terms connected with AND will show up in each of your results. Use these to connect different ideas.
  • At least one of each term connected with OR will show up in each of your results. Use these to connect synonyms.
  • No terms following NOT will show up in your results. Use this to exclude results you don't want.
  • Example: (youth OR teen) AND homelessness NOT runaway
• Use quotation marks to search for a specific phrase. Example: "Runaway and Homeless Youth Act"
• Use an asterisk to search for all possible endings of a root word. Example: homeless* will find homeless and homelessness

Still having trouble? Ask a librarian at the Reference Desk, or see our Research Guide on database tutorials for help with a specific database:

Where can I find help for using a specific database?

Check out our Research Guide for database tutorials, or ask a librarian at the Reference Desk.

How do I cite a scholarly article?

That depends on which citation style you're using. Here are some examples:

Ask a librarian at the Reference Desk, or see our Citing Sources research guide for more help:

How do I access library databases when I'm not on campus?

Discovery (Main Library Search Box)

When using Discovery from the library homepage, you will be able to log in after doing a search. From the search results page, click the “Off Campus? Log in to access full text and more content” link in the top right corner of the page.

Other Databases

Simply go to your desired database from our database list, or from the Find Articles tab of a Research Guide, and you'll be prompted to login. Once you have logged into one, you should be able to access others without logging in again. But eventually, your authentication will time out, and you'll need to log back in.

Log In Screen

Whether going through Discovery or a different database, you'll be prompted to log in via Okta.

Log in with your Saint Anselm email and password. If you are already logged into another Okta app like Canvas, you should not be prompted to log in again.

If your question is about a database login screen other than Okta, please email the reference librarians at askanselm@anselm.edu. (Many databases allow you to create personal accounts to save research.)

If we don't have the full text of an article online, sometimes we have a physical copy in the library--especially for older articles.  If the catalog record indicates the location as "Periodicals (Lower Level)," check for "LIBRARY HAS" to see which volumes and issues we have for that title:

If we have it in the normal print journal format, it may say "PAPER." Or it may say "MICROFILM," which you'll need to use our special scanner to read.

For more information on navigating our Periodicals collection, which contains print periodicals, microfilm, and microfiche, see our Periodicals Guide: