UTUGuides: Open Access Resources for Health Sciences: Other ways to access resources

Accessing fulltexts via Google Scholar

A way to find free fulltext articles is to use Google Scholar:

1. Do you see [PDF], [DOC], or [HTML] in the results list? If you do, click on the link to open the fulltext.

2. If there is no link, try clicking on All versions. Maybe another version of the article you are interested in is freely available?

3. Another option is Related Articles. Maybe other articles' fulltext versions are available on the same topic?

NOTE: If you are a staff member or a student in a university, you can also access your own library's e-resources by using Google Scholar's library links. When you have activated the library links (Google Scholar -> Settings), your search results will include fulltext links for articles your university subscribes to.

Interlibrary Loans

If the resource you need is not available in the library collections or as Open Access, you can turn to a library's interlibrary services for help.

The interlibrary services will find the resources for you, you don't have to find out yourself where to get them.

Contact your nearest library for more information or check their website, if there is a form to use. Please note that this service is subject to a charge. The prices are usually listed in the pricelist of services.

In the library directory for Public libraries in Finland you can search for Finnish libraries and their staff by name or region: https://www.libraries.fi/libraries

National Repository Library (NRL)

The National Repository Library's (NRL) resources can be found in the Vaari database and are most commonly used by interlibrary services. It is a resource shared by all Finnish libraries and information service centres.

The basic function of the NRL is to receive, store, and offer material for the use of other libraries. All of its collection used to belong to other Finnish libraries, before they were removed and sent to the NRL for long term storage. The NRL serves university libraries, special libraries, as well as public libraries, and acts as a connecting link in the library network.

More information: VAARI database

Walk-in Customers

As a walk-in customer of a library, you have the right to use the electronic journals and databases acquired by the library, even if you are not a student or a member of staff at the university or university of applied sciences. Ask for more information from the library staff at the service desk, they will help you get set up.

Image credit: Linda Saukko-Rauta

Alternative Access

If you cannot access the fulltext of an interesting article there are still a few options to try.

Buy the article - you can purchase articles through the online services provided by the journals, by paying the price charged for each of the articles.
E-mail the authors - you can make a direct request to the corresponding author or to your colleagues working in other domestic as well as foreign organisations. Your colleagues can supply the article if this is permitted under the licence agreement concluded between their organisation and the publisher.
Social Media Platforms - articles may be requested and shared by researchers via such services as ResearchGate and Academia.edu.

Open Access browser extensions

You can add helpful tools to look for Open Access resources to your browser from the browser's settings for add-ons or extensions.

Open Access Button

Once activated, the Open Access Button browser extension is located in the address bar. When you click on it, it will search for an Open Access version of the article open in your browser. More information on Open Access Button's website.

Unpaywall

The Unpaywall icon is located on the right side of the page, click on it to access articles. If an open access version is found via Unpaywall, the lock icon is green and open. When an open access version is not found, the lock icon is grey and closed. More information on Unpaywall's website.

Unpaywall button can also be found in the browser's address bar. Here the button only shows if it has access to the current page or not.

*Click the images to view larger versions.

Partner organisations' links to databases

Guides in the area of health sciences, social services and technology of the libraries of the Health Campus Turku partner organisations. Most of the databases in these guides are only available for staff and students with login credentials of the particular institutes.