OSU Libraries

You run across article suggestions all the time when you are doing research - articles that professors recommend to you, articles cited in bibliographies and works cited lists, and more. Here's how to find the text of those articles.

There are two things that you need to track down the text: the name of the journal and the volume/year when your article was published.

Here's how:

From the library homepage choose the OSU Library catalog from the Quicklinks:

Do a title search for the journal title. Click the radio button that says Journal/Magazine/Newspaper title:

I did a search for the Journal of Business Communication.

If we have the journal, you will get a record that looks like this:

At the top of the box, you will see links if we have a digital or online subscription. In this case, we have two. One extends all the way back to 1963, and is available through the most recent issue. The other runs from 2004-2007.

At the bottom, you will see if we have print (hardcopy) holdings. In this case, we have one set running from 1986-1997, and then another from 2003-2007.

Get an online copy

Click the link that includes the volume/year you want. At this point, you will usually browse to the volume or year you want. You may also get the option to search for your article. We get online journals from a lot of different places, so they will look different when you click through to them -- just look for an "archive," "back issues" or something like that to browse to the one you want.

In this case, we have online issues available through EBSCOhost. To get these, you would browse to the year you want:

If we click the other link, the Sage link, we would "select an issue from the archive."

If you are off-campus you may have to enter your ONID information to access these subscription-only journals.

How to get a print copy

If we do not have an online subcription, double-check to make sure that OSU has the volume/year you need. Then write down the call number and find the journal like you would if you were looking for a book.

The most recent issues of journals are kept in a current journal area in the middle of each floor, so check there too. If you have any trouble finding a print journal that should be there, ask at the reference desk.

If you are on a branch campus, or if you are an e-campus student, and you live more than 30 miles away from Valley, you may request that articles from print journals be delivered to you.

From the library catalog again, when you are at the journal you want, click the Request button on the top of the page:

This will bring up a form, the bottom half of the form allows you to request a specific article. Choose Extended Campus as your pickup location.

Good luck!