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Guides

PubMed (Database Instruction)

This guide will assist you in using PubMed's new interface. PubMed is a free database that contains more than 30 million citations and abstracts of peer-reviewed biomedical literature.

Accessing Full Text

PubMed is CITATIONS ONLY, it’s not a full-text database.
So what do I do if I find a really useful article?

If you have found a good article but it doesn’t appear to have full-text available, there are a couple of steps to take.

1. Check the Full-Text Links 

  • Full-text may be available on the publisher’s website
  • The article may be in PubMed Central
  • The article may be available through the Library (direct links coming soon)

 

2. Check OneSearch

The article is available through one of our other databases (ex. EBSCOhost, Wiley, or ScienceDirect). The easiest way to check is to copy and paste the title into OneSearch (for best results: Limit by the field code 'title'; check "Include results beyond RRC" - if the full text is not available, you will be able to easily complete an ILL form)

 

3. Use the Library’s InterLibrary Loan service.

if you haven’t found FREE full text in these places, you can use the Library’s InterLibrary Loan service. This is a free service that allows the Library to contact other libraries in North America and request a copy of the article for you. ILL should always be the last step though. 

 

4. Limit or filter results to Free Full-Text

You have the ability to limit your search to results that have free full text. This is typically PMC (PubMed Central) or Open Access journals. If you are in a rush and can’t wait for InterLibrary Loan, this might be a good option. (More about Text Availablity filters)