Doing Research: Tracking Down Materials

In many cases, before you can track down full copies of materials, you need to know what kind of source it is. Here are some of the most common sources and what to look for in the citation (note that citations will look different in various citation styles):

• Journal article - Usually contains the title of an article in quotations and then the title of a journal in italics. Look for volume and issue numbers.

• Book - Almost always contains a place of publication or publisher, although this is changing in recent updates to some style guides. The book title is usually italicized or underlined.

• Chapter in an edited volume (book) - Also usually contains a city of publication or publisher. Title of chapter is usually in quotations and title of book is italicized. Look for editors (usually abbreviated ed or eds.)

For examples of other sources and how how citations look in various citation styles, visit our Cite Your Sources guide. Once you've decoded your citation, use the information on this page to track down hard copies. A librarian can also help you figure out your source type.

There are several ways to track down books, depending on where you've found the citation.

• Search the Gustavus library catalog to see if we have it here. If we do, use our Finding Books in the Library guide to locate the book in our building and/or ask for directions at the library's Front Desk.
• You can also request books from other libraries; this is free to you. Books will be physically shipped from the lending library to us. You'll get an email when they arrive with pick up instructions. It usually takes about a week for books to arrive, so plan ahead.
  • To find books at other libraries, use the Advanced Search in the library's catalog. Before you search, scroll down to "Search These Libraries" and select Libraries Worldwide. 
  • When you find a book that we don't have in our library, click the title.
  • Look for the Request from another library button (under Access Options) & follow the prompts to request the book. 

NOTE: You usually can't borrow ebooks from other libraries - this is a restriction set by ebook publishers. Check to see if there's a print copy instead to borrow. A librarian can help with this or any other step.

• You can also browse Google Books to see if part or all of your book has been digitized.

If you are searching our databases and find an article in a database that's not full text, look for either the "find it at Gustavus" link or a link that invites you to access the full text (individual databases will display this differently). Click the link.

•  You will either be linked to the full text online or it will say that we have it in print.
  • If it's online, follow the links to access the article. You should be taken directly to the article, but sometimes the database will take you to the page for the journal - from here look for an option to search within your particular journal to find the article itself.
  • If it's in print, head to the bottom level of the library; journals are alphabetized by title (ask at the library's Front Desk for directions).
  • The systems don't always talk to each other well, so if the information doesn't lead to the full text, please contact a librarian.
• If we do not have the full text of the journal, you will be directed to this online request form. If you're coming to the form from a database, the database will automatically fill in most/all of the required fields for you. Otherwise you will need to fill out the required fields and/or add any required information that is missing.
  • You can also access the form by going to My Library Account, which is linked beneath the search box on the  library's main page. Log in with your Gustavus user name & password. Click on "Requests" and then click on the blue "Create Request" box. 

  • This process (known as Interlibrary Loan) is free for you. It typically takes only a day or two for articles to be emailed from the lending library to you. Look for an email with the article OR an email that will give you a link/code to access the article. If you have any issues, please reach out to a librarian.

If you have a journal citation from a source's bibliography OR if you find an article referenced online (but not in a library database), click the Do We Have This Journal? link on the library's homepage.

• Type the title of the journal (not the article) into the search box.

You will either be linked to the full text of the journal online or it will say that we have it in print. For either option, refer to the instructions above to track down the text. (Note that if we have the full text of some/all of the journal, the links will take you to the page for the journal - from here look for an option to search within your particular journal to find the article itself.)

If you search for articles via Google Scholar and if you are on campus, you'll see a "find it at Gustavus" link that will take you to the full text of the article (or tell you if we have it in print). You might also luck out and find the full text freely available. But if you end up on a publisher's website & they are asking you to pay for access, stop!  Never pay for an article. Use the information provided above to request the article for free.