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Buena Vista University

Library DIY

Welcome to the Library DIY, created to help you walk through some of the most commonly asked research and library questions!

Look for a specific article

Have a citation for an article? Follow these steps to find the full text.

1. You can search for the article in WorldCat Discovery. Type the article title into the search box along with the author's last name. If you find the article you want, click on the title to view the detailed view of the article information. If available, click the "Access online" button to be taken to the article. Otherwise, you can use the "Search for Full Text" link to see if BVU Library has access to the article or the "Request an Interlibrary Loan" button to request the article through Interlibrary Loan.

2. Look up the journal title by title or ISSN. If the journal is available electronically in full text, you can follow the link to the database containing that journal. If full text is available in print, you can locate it on
the shelves. Off-campus students can request a scan of the article through Interlibrary Loan.

3. You can search for the article in Google Scholar putting the title in quotes (only use quotes if you're 100% sure you have the title correct). If you have the authors' last name(s), you can add that too but not between quotes. You will likely then find a full citation somewhere in the search results. You may even find the full text freely available online.

4. If the first three steps are unsuccessful, please request the item through Interlibrary Loan, or read more about Interlibrary loan services in this DIY guide.