FAQ: Why can't I access full text in the databases?

The library has full text access to many, many resources. For guidance on finding articles available in full text, see the FAQ: How do I find articles with full text in the library? However, some of our databases do not offer full-text articles for all journals/newspapers/magazines. Some provide full text for only certain years while others are indexes that only contain citations and descriptions.

Publication Finder

You can check to see if the library has full text for a particular journal by using our Publication Finder This link opens in a new window. 

Once you type in the journal title, you will see if we have full-text access to that journal and, if so, which database offers it and the date range that it is available. The image below is an example search for Harvard Business Review. As you can see by the date ranges, the best database to access full-text is Business Source Ultimate.  

Interlibrary Loan

If you are searching in the Multi-Search or in an EBSCO database and you do not have the "Electronic Full Text" filter enabled, you may see articles in your search results that we do not have available in full-text. In the "Access Options" menu for these articles, you will only see the option "Request via Interlibrary Loan."

Clicking on that option will take you an Interlibrary Loan (ILL) request form partially pre-filled with the article information, and once you complete the request, we will obtain the PDF for you from a library that has full-text access. We can typically fill article requests for you within 2-4 business days.

It is common for publishers to hold back the most recent 12 months of full-text content from library databases. This is called an embargo, or full-text delay. You may also find that you want an article that is older than the available full-text content a database gives us. In either scenario, you can submit an Interlibrary Loan request for the article you need.