Article Access Options
Check the UW Libraries for Immediate Access
- UW Libraries SearchSearch for the journal title first, then check that the article's publication year is included in the Online Access range before searching the journal for the article title. Learn more about what the "Request Article" button means.
- Options to Access through the UWOptions for accessing full text when you did not start your search from the UW Libraries.
Get it from the Library
- Interlibrary Loan (ILL)Current UW students, faculty, and staff can request articles delivered through our Interlibrary Loan service. Most articles requested through Interlibrary Loan are delivered within a few hours but may take up to two business days. This service is free unless you request rush delivery.
Find an Open Access Copy
Approximately 40% of research articles published every year are available open access. These tools can help you find an openly accessible copy of the article.
- Open Access (OA) ButtonOA Button allows you to plug in an article’s URL, DOI, title, or other information to find free and legal open access versions. OA Button also offers Chrome and Firefox extensions. Clicking on the extension button from a paywalled article initiates a search for that article and, where available, instantly delivers free access. When free access is not found, OA Button can contact the corresponding author directly to help them make a self-archived version available.
- UnpaywallFind open-access versions of publications from over 50,000 publishers and repositories. Use the browser extension to auto-search article DOIs in the background while you browse.
- Endnote Click (formerly Kopernio)A Chrome/Firefox browser plug-in from Clarivate Analytics that offers free access to over 20,000 open access sources, as well as providing access via Purdue institutional subscriptions.
Search for Open Access Content
- Google ScholarAfter searching for an article in Google Scholar (GS), on the result list look for All Versions; you may find a free full text version there. To check for UW access automatically via Google Scholar, be sure to connect GS with your UW Account!
- PubMed CentralFree digital repository that archives open access full-text scholarly articles that have been published in biomedical and life sciences journals.
Preprints and Subject Repositories
- medRxivPreprints in the medical, clinical, and related health sciences.
- arXivArticles in physics, mathematics, computer science, quantitative biology, quantitative finance, statistics, electrical engineering and systems science, and economics. Preprints in biology.
- bioRxivPreprints in biology.
- ChemRxivPreprints in chemistry and related areas.
- CogPrintsSelf-archive papers in any area of psychology, neuroscience, and linguistics, and many areas of computer science.
- OFS PreprintsMultidisciplinary preprint repository.
- Social Science Research NetworkOpen access preprint community specializing primarily in social sciences, including economics, law, corporate governance, and humanities. (Owned by Elsevier.)
Use Your Network
- Contact the author directly and ask for a PDF of a reprint.
- Find Collaborators and Build Your NetworkGuide to collaborators and networking.
- Search a sharing network like:
Source
Much of the above content is from the general UW Libraries Alternative Article Access Options.
Book Access Options
Check the UW Libraries for Immediate Access
- UW Libraries SearchSearch for the book title, then apply the Resource Type filter to your search by ticking the boxes for ebooks and print books (you may need to click Show More to see these options), and then click Apply Filters.
Example Book Search
- Type the book title and hit Enter on the UW Libraries Search. Example below is a search for anything with the keyword epidemiology in all book, journal, thesis, etc. records accessible via UW Libraries Search.
- Look for Resource Type in the filters on the left side of the screen and click Show More if Ebooks and Print Books are not an option (filter options, like those within Resource Type, appear in order of frequency).
On mobile you must click on the Filters icon which looks like a funnel before you may enable a filter.
- Click the checkboxes beside Ebook and Print Book, then click Apply Filters.
- Look for your book among the results. You may need to narrow your search further by adding an author name or using a date filter.
Example of Narrowing Your Book Search
To add another filter, select it from the Refine My Results options and click Apply Filters again.
To add an author name to the search:
- Click Remember All Filters underneath Active Filters if you would like to continue only searching for Ebooks and Print Books as shown in the example book search above.
- Click Advanced Search next to the search box.
- In the second line of the search, change Any Field to Author/Creator with the dropdown menu.
- Type the author's name into the second blank and click SEARCH.
- Review the results.
Troubleshooting Your Search
If you haven't found the book yet, consider:
- changing the title search from Any Field to Title in the dropdown menu,
- putting the exact title of the book within quotes (so only results with that exact phrase will be in the results),
- adding a Publication Date filter,
- changing the Sort By option to something that will help you review the results more efficiently,
- checking your spelling,
- checking your Boolean operators, or
- searching by the ISBN if you have it. Note: this will not bring up other editions of the book.
Get an Ebook or Print Book from Partner Libraries
- Interlibrary Loan (ILL)Current UW students, faculty, and staff can request physical items from other libraries through our Interlibrary Loan service. Most physical items requested through Interlibrary Loan are delivered within 2-3 weeks. This service is free unless you request rush delivery.
- Your Local LibraryResidents of Seattle and students going to a Seattle school may sign up for local library cards, which include access to ebooks, streaming media, and more:
- Seattle Public Library (SPL) for residents and students
- King County Library System (KCLS) for residents
- If you live outside of Seattle, check if your town or county has a public library by Googling it!
- Seattle Public Library (SPL) for residents and students
Get a Chapter Scan from the Library for Course Instruction (instructors only)
- Interlibrary Loan (ILL)Current UW students, faculty, and staff can request chapter scans delivered through our Interlibrary Loan service. Most scans requested through Interlibrary Loan are delivered within a few hours but may take up to two business days. This service is free unless you request rush delivery. Copyright will usually allow us to scan one book chapter or one article per journal issue.
Find an Open Access Copy
- Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB)A community-driven discovery service that indexes and provides access to scholarly, peer-reviewed open access books and helps users to find trusted open access book publishers. All DOAB services are free of charge and all data is freely available.
- NLM BookshelfNational Library of Medicine (NLM) Bookshelf with free online access to books and documents in life science and healthcare.
- Google BooksSearch with Google for a book, you may be able to read the full ebook or a portion of the ebook.
- Open Access TextbooksDirectory of links for finding open access textbooks.
Suggest a Purchase
- Recommend the UW Libraries Purchase the ItemSubmit a course reserve request or request a purchase. Please note that due to budget limitations and what publishers make available to libraries, we may not be able to purchase or subscribe to every recommended resource. Please allow processing time for your request.
