Retrieving Full Text Articles in EBSCO DatabasesA guide for Allied Health Professionals

Medline, CINAHL and SPORTDiscus

on the Electronic Health LibraryPrepared by University Health Network for Allied Health Development Fund

2010

Retrieving Full Text Articles

This tutorial outlines four methods for retrieving full text articles from EBSCO databases:

1. Searching a topic and limiting to full text articles. 2. Utilizing the publications database. 3. Retrieving a particular citation. 4. Utilizing the citation matcher.

Searching a Topic

Choose the database. Start your search by entering a subject heading or

key word into an empty search box (see example on next slide).

Before clicking on SEARCH check the FULL TEXT box to limit retrieval to full text articles.

NOTE: limiting your search to FULL TEXT may eliminate relevant non-full text content.

Utilizing the Publications Database

Click on the blue tab labelled PUBLICATIONS. Enter the title of the journal and click BROWSE. The

exact title is not necessary. Browse contents of journal using year/issue links. Choose the database. For a particular article within this journal use the link

SEARCH WITHIN THIS PUBLICATION. Check the FULL TEXT box (see examples). Click on the record to view the full citation. The PDF

or HTML link is displayed, along with output options.

Output options

Retrieving a Particular Citation

Choose the database. Enter the author’s surname (for example,Visscher)

and a keyword (for example,conjunctivitis). The spelling of the author’s name is important, but a

first initial is not necessary. Click on SEARCH. Click on PDF full text link to read the article. See example on next two slides.

Utilizing the Citation Matcher

Choose the database. Enter available data into pre-defined search boxes. The author’s surname is Thomson (no first initial). The exact journal title is unknown, but the word

‘nutrition’ is somewhere in the journal title. The word ‘antioxidants’ appears in the article title. Click on SEARCH. Click on full text PDF link (see example).

Conclusion

This has been a brief introduction to locating full text articles in EBSCO databases. EBSCO tutorials are available for more detailed instruction and are found within each database under HELP.

To obtain assistance from a librarian, click on the Ask-A-Librarian button found on the menu bar.