Research Help

Other helpful tips:

• Use Library databases to locate articles in journals, magazines, and newspapers
• Academic Search Complete database can be used to find articles on just about any topic
• Specialized databases cover a specific subject. Use these to find articles by researchers and experts, published in scholarly and peer-reviewed journals
• Search for keywords or phrases that describe your topic. A keyword search finds more records, but not all will be relevant.
• To retrieve more relevant results, search for Subjects. Subjects are words or phrases that describe the main ideas of the article. 
• To search for a specific author, journal title or article title, enter the exact name or title in the search menu and select the appropriate field from the drop-down menu next to the search box.
• Use AND between search terms to retrieve records containing all your search terms.
• Use OR between search terms to retrieve records containing one or more of your search terms
• Use the Search Options and Refine Results features to set limits, narrow results, and retrieve more relevant results.
• Schedule an appointment with a Librarian to learn more about finding journal articles

Wondering if an article is full text?  Follow these tips when searching library databases and the web:

1. Use MSJ Library research databases and look in your search results for
   “PDF full text” or “HTML full text” and “Full Text Finder”. Examples:
   
   
    
2. Install the LibKey Nomad browser extension. LibKey Nomad is a tool that works in your browser as you search the internet. LibKey’s browser extension will alert you as you’re searching if the article you’ve discovered is available full text in the MSJ Library’s collections as well as any open access free on the internet. To install the LibKey Nomad browser:
   • Visit LibKey Nomad (browser tool) site
   • Click orange button, “Get LibKey Nomad Now”
   • Choose your browser and follow installation steps
   • Once installed in your browser, you will see the LibKey Nomad’s 'green flame’ icon at the top. Click this to open the LibKey Nomad extension and choose “Mount St. Joseph University” from the “Select Organization” drop down menu.
     
     
      
3. To locate an article’s full text, you can also search by DOI with LibKey’s DOI Search and/or try searching by journal title using EBSCO’s Full Text Publications Finder.
    
4. If you are unable to access the article you need, use the MSJ Library’s free Interlibrary Loan Requesting service:
   • In our databases, look for and use the “Request this item through interlibrary loan” link. Example:
     
      
   • Or use our stand-alone Interlibrary Loan Request Form always available via our Articles section of our site.
      
5. Ask for help. The MSJ Librarians can help you sort out your options for finding full text articles.

What is LibKey?

LibKey is a suite of products designed to connect users more easily and quickly with the full-text of journal articles that are available to them from their library's collections or from open access with fewer clicks. It works by checking MSJ Library's digital journal holdings to provide quick access to the full-text of journal articles available to MSJ patrons. Users may need to log in with their MSJ LIB ID and password when connecting to full text content.

The LibKey Suite provides three tools for finding full-text journal articles:

• LibKey Nomad (Browser Extension)
• LibKey.io (DOI Search)
• LibKey Browzine (Visual Browse of MSJ Journals)

A video overview of the LibKey suite:

LibKey Nomad

LibKey Nomad is a browser extension that provides easy access to scholarly journal articles. LibKey Nomad connects you to MSJ Library-licensed content and open access articles when you are browsing the web outside of the MSJ Library's webpages and databases. Once installed in your browser, LibKey Nomad automatically activates itself at sites researchers commonly visit, including journal publishers’ sites, Wikipedia, and PubMed. When using LibKey Nomad, you are automatically directed to the best available version of an article for instant download, so there is no need to search multiple places. If the full-text is not available within MSJ Library-subscribed content or open access content, you will be provided with an option to request the article through MSJ Library's Interlibrary Loan.

This extension works with most browsers, including Chrome, Edge, Safari, and Firefox.

Getting Started with Libkey Nomad Browser Extension:

1. Visit the LibKey Nomad site and install the extension for your preferred browser(s).
2. Select "Mount St. Joseph University" as your organization.
3. The LibKey Nomad icon (a small green flame) will appear at the top right of your browser window. When you are on a page where Nomad is active, the LibKey Nomad button will appear in the bottom-left hand corner of your browser window. The button will allow you to download the full text of an article, or connect you with an MSJ Interlibrary Loan form if the full text isn’t available.

Example of LibKey Nomad's download site:

On what type of sites will you see LibKey Nomad activate?

Journal Publishers' Sites

On journal publisher sites such as Taylor & Francis Online, you will see a LibKey Nomad button in the lower left corner that provides a link to download the PDF through the MSJ Library. If the full-text is not available through the MSJ Library subscriptions, you will see an "Access Options" button that will enable you to make an MSJ Interlibrary Loan request. Example of LibKey Nomad button:

Wikipedia:

You will also see LibKey Nomad options when viewing the list of references for Wikipedia entries. If the full-text is available through the MSJ Library, a "Download PDF" button will appear. An "Article Link" button may appear for citations that are from sources that do not support direct linking to the PDF. If the article is not available via open access or through a LibKey compatible MSJ Library subscription, an "Access Options" button appears. You will either be directed to non-LibKey compatible resources or to an MSJ Library Interlibrary Loan request option. Example of article links and access options in Wikipedia:

PubMed:

LibKey Nomad behaves much the same way in PubMed as Wikipedia, except you may also see links to complete journal issues in PubMed. This allows for browsing the table of contents for the issue in which an article appears, increasing the chance that you will discover similar articles in the same publication. Example of LibKey in PubMed:

To learn more about LibKey Nomad: 

• read "LibKey Nomad Technical FAQ"
• watch "LibKey Nomad Browser Extension Overview Video"

LibKey DOI Search

If you have a DOI (digital object identifier) or PMID (PubMed ID), use the LibKey.io search page to find the DOI's or PMID's corresponding article. If the article is available in MSJ's collection or via open access you will see options for the PDF and/or the article link. If the article is unavailable in the MSJ Library's collection you will have the option to submit an MSJ Interlibrary Loan request. Learn more about LibKey's DOI Search by reading LibKey.io Technical FAQ.

LibKey BrowZine

LibKey BrowZine is a search site that lets you browse, monitor, and read specific scholarly journals in subject areas on your computer. It allows you to browse the contents of scholarly journals from both the MSJ Library’s digital journal collections, as well as Open Access collections. (Please note: While LibKey BrowZine permits searches for an individual journal’s Title, Subject, or ISSN, if you are wanting a comprehensive keyword topic search for academic articles, using the MSJ Library’s “Databases A-Z” or “Databases Listed by Subject” are still the best starting points.)  LibKey BrowZine organizes the content of these journals into a visually browsable newsstand-style format and offers date coverage from 2005-current issues. With LibKey BrowZine you can:

• Easily access full text of articles through the MSJ Library's subscriptions
• Send articles to citation management or note taking programs
• Share links to articles with others by email, Facebook, or Twitter
• Browse by title or subject to find journals of interest
• Browse journals in a subject area in order of journal ranking
• View the tables of contents of journal issues
• Easily read recent articles or full journal issues
• Download and save articles for offline reading
• Export to Zotero, Mendeley, Dropbox and other services

Example of BrowZine's search screen:

To learn more about LibKey Browzine:

• read "General (LibKey) BrowZine FAQ"
• watch "Discover New Journals with (LibKey) BrowZine"