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PSYC 101 - General Psychology - Bailey (Harrisburg)

Getting the Source

You need to be sure you are getting resources that are actually available. This means that you need more than the abstract, and that the article is not in an embargo period and is available in full-text.

Terminology

Abstract
A summary of an article that usually shares the hypothesis, explains how a study was conducted, what methods were used, and what conclusions may have been reached.
Embargo
In order to encourage subscriptions to print journals, publishers may limit databases from including digital versions of their content for a certain period of time after publication.
Full-Text
Available in full in the platform you are currently searching. 
 

If the Scholarly Article linked from Science Daily is not in Full Text:

Full-Text Options

HTML Full Text

HTML is just the article encoded so that it can be quickly and easily delivered online without having to worry about different types of content. You may lose information related to page numbers or miss out on images, tables, or charts within their original context.

PDF Full Text

This is a more consistent way to present an article that publishers use to ensure that all who access the content can access the same content. 

Find It!

The "Find It!" button will search all our other resources for the full-text of that article. If there is an open lock image or icon it will definitely be available as open access. However, many other resources are available, and those that are not in our databases may be available via ILL. When in doubt, click the "Find It!" button.

Q: But can't I just click the full-text box and only see what's there?

A: You can, but in this case I wouldn't recommend it for a few reasons: 

  1. PsycInfo is technically an index and has no full-text within itself. That means that it is meant to rely on you finding the full-text in a resource beyond PsycInfo. 
  2. Open Access journals are not included in the limiter, despite having free and easily accessible full-text.
  3. Because academic publishers have a higher profit margin than Google and have no interest in making their publications available widely. Unfortunately, that includes many of the highest-rated scientific journals in all fields.

Q: But what if none of that works?

A: You may still have options to get the article if you can't find it in Full Text in one of our databases, there may still be a way to access it. You can try one of the following:

  1. Request the article through the ILL form that shows up when you click the "Find It!" button on the article's information page. 
  2. Search Google Scholar to see if a pre-publication version is offered online.
  3. Check with a librarian to see if a print copy is available in any local ACLCP collections. 
  4. Email the lead author of the article, introduce yourself as a student at HACC and ask if they can share a copy of their article with you. You'd be surprised how many are happy to share if they can!