University Libraries

Help FAQ: Answers!

Research

We know that can be a tough call - there are more than a hundred of them available via Find it!. We suggest that you start with MultiSearch or the Subject Guides. Choose the subject closest to your research topic, and look at the resources that a library subject specialist has placed on that page. In addition, you may want to contact a Subject Librarian to discuss your topic.

These are indexes and abstracts of journal literature, usually. Other types of databases also exist, including many that contain full-text journal articles. Choosing one of the Find it! links or Databases option from the Find it! Articles, Databases, Full-Text menu displays a page offering alphabetical and subject-based lists of databases, covering many subject areas. These databases are available to all WU faculty, students, and staff from computers on campus, both in the Libraries and in the computing labs, dorms, and offices. Access from off-campus requires using the proxy server.

Subject Guides pages are developed and maintained by subject specialists on the library staff. They organize selected resources by academic discipline: databases, full-text sources, reference sources, how-to guides, other web sites of interest, listservs, etc. might be listed. Most resources listed are available on the Internet; some resources are in the Libraries' print collections.

Some of the databases you can access through the Libraries' website do not contain any full text articles. However, there are an increasing number that do, that are listed on the Full-text Databases page in the website. Included here are Academic Search Premier, LexisNexis Academic, and many other resources. You may view, print, or email as many full text articles from these databases as you wish.

There are also a large number of electronic journals available, via the Libraries website, from which you can view or print full articles. To see a listing of them, please click on the Find it! Articles, Databases, Full-text link in the left-hand column of any page, and then choose any of the Full-text Journals links. Included are those titles in JSTOR and Project Muse, plus many, many more.

Many journals (and even some books) are available full-text on the Internet. Some of these are free to all. Some are available at Washington University due to subscriptions that are paid by the Libraries (such as Project Muse and JSTOR, above). Some exist but are not available at Washington University. Finding out when something is available can be difficult, as this is a very rapidly changing area. Here are a few more suggestions:

• In many databases, click on the green Get it! buttons next to the citation to articles you want to find. This opens a window that shows you several options for getting that article. More info.
• Search by title in the Library Catalog
• Consult various electronic journals lists maintained by subject, either via the subject listing on the Electronic Journals page or via the Full-text Sources section of many of the Subject Guides pages.