Finding Articles & Books and Avoiding Paywalls
Commonly used resources for getting started with research. Please don't hesitate to refer students to the library for help.
Finding Articles
- ProQuest CentralThis is a multidisciplinary collection of articles from scholarly journals, magazines, newspapers and other sources.
- CQ Researcher and CQ Global ResearcherA collection of in-depth and fact-checked reports on pressing domestic and international issues. Covers 1923-present.
- Global NewstreamFull-text access to US and international news sources. Includes coverage of The New York Times and The Times of London, plus hundreds of other news sources and news wires.
- Google ScholarMultidisciplinary scholarly search engine. Covers peer-reviewed papers, theses, books, abstracts, and articles from academic publishers, professional societies, preprint repositories, universities, and other scholarly organizations. Includes links to USU resources when on campus.
If you are not finding the information you need in these general databases, try looking in a subject specific database.
Database Search Strategies
- Narrow or broaden your search using keywords, limiters, and boolean operators.
- Try Searching with Subject Terms to zero in on the most relevant research
Getting the Full-Text or PDFs
Avoiding Paywalls
Students should never pay for information needed to complete their assignments. These tips can help you get around paywalls. And librarians are happy to help!
- Link Google Scholar with your A# to get access to articles that USU subscribes to.
- Lean Library browser extension alerts you when articles you've found are available through USU.
- URL prepend can be pasted before any link to "push" the link through a USU subscription, if applicable.
- Interlibrary loan lets you borrow a book or get an article that is not owned by USU, at no cost to you.
Finding Books & Background Info
- Library CatalogFind print and ebooks at USU Libraries, as well as videos and other media
- Oxford Reference OnlineSearch hundreds of e-books at once for introductory information on research topics. Oxford Reference also offers detailed searchable timelines.
- Government Data & StatisticsFind data and statistics from U.S. government agencies about various topics- including business, economics, education, health, and immigration. It also includes access to Data.gov, a centralized location for open government data.
Finding Primary Sources
- USU Special Collections & ArchivesArchives West is the primary tool for searching inventories or finding aids for the Folklore, Manuscripts, Photographs, and University Archives collections. This database focuses specifically on archival materials available at Utah State University’s Special Collections and Archives.
- Finding Primary Sources This guide provides tips for finding primary sources.
Questions?
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