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Libraries Indiana University Bloomington

Library DIY

A Website Asked Me To Pay For An Article

If you’re asked online to pay for an article, DON’T! IU Libraries can get you the article for free, either through our full text access or through Interlibrary Loan.

To check whether the Libraries have access to the article, or whether you will need to request that article through Interlibrary Loan, follow these steps. 

 

1. Search OneSearch@IU.

Most of our articles can be found in the library database OneSearch@IU. It is usually easiest to search by title; if you know you have the exact title use quotation marks around it. It may help to add the author's name if you are doing a general keyword search.

 

2. Search Google Scholar.

If you can't locate the item in OneSearch@IU, try Google Scholar. If you search on campus, or if you are using your computer and have added IU Libraries to your Google Scholar Library Links, look for the IU-Link to the right of the article title. 

Screenshot of Google Scholar

 

3. Search in IUCAT for the publication in which the article appeared.

If you don't find the article in OneSearch@IU or Google Scholar, but you know the journal title or other publication title in which the article appeared (different from the article title), search for the publication in the library catalog IUCAT. If you locate the publication, you can then search within it for the article.

  • In IUCAT there may be mulitiple versions of the journal - some may be available electronically, and others may be available only in print. The catalog records will indicate where the journal is located (e.g. through an online resource or in a library collection).
     
  • When you locate the journal title, look in the catalog record for the publication dates for which the journal is available. Be sure the publication date of your article matches with the publication years listed in IUCAT. 
     
  • Access the relevant journal issue and navigate to the article you need. If you're accessing the article electronically and don't see the full text immediately, look for a search box to search by title.  
     

4. If we do not have the article in our online or print collections, request it through Interlibrary Loan. Do not pay for individual articles - you are already paying for access with your IU tuition. 


Questions? Ask a Librarian!