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We are working to upgrade the research experience by making ongoing improvements to our Research Guides.
You may encounter changes in the look and feel of the Research Guides website along with structural changes to our existing guides. If you have any questions or concerns about this process please let us know.

Library "Do-It-Yourself" (DIY)

A website asked me to pay for an article

If you’re EVER asked online to pay for an article, DON’T!  You may have entered a particular database through their commercial site, which they then would require you to pay for the articles they provide.  To ensure you do not have to pay for any articles that you need for your research you will have to ACCESS them through the FAU Libraries webpage. If there is a particular article you require that is not accessible through the FAU Libraries it may be requested through Interlibrary Loan.  

To check whether the Libraries have access to the article, or whether you will need to request that article through Interlibrary Loan, follow these steps. 

1. Search OneSearch.

Most of our articles can be found in the library database OneSearch. It is usually easiest to search by article title; if you know you have the exact title, use quotation marks around it. It may help to add the author's name if you are doing a general keyword search.

2. Search Google Scholar.

If you can't locate the item in OneSearch, try Google Scholar. If you search on campus, or if you are using your computer and have added FAU Libraries to your Google Scholar Library Links, look for the Find It @ FAU link to the right of the article title. 

Use Google Scholar to locate articles, and use Find it @ FAU to see them.

3. Search in FAU Library Catalog for the publication in which the article appeared.

If you don't find the article in OneSearch or Google Scholar, but you know the journal title or other publication title in which the article appeared (different from the article title), search for the publication in the FAU Library Catalog. If you locate the publication, you can then search within it for the article.

  • In the FAU Library Catalog there may be multiple versions of the journal - some may be available electronically, and others may be available only in print. The catalog records will indicate where the journal is located (e.g., through an online resource or in a library collection).
     
  • When you locate the journal title, look in the catalog record for the publication dates for which the journal is available. Be sure the publication date of your article matches with the publication years listed in FAU Library Catalog. 
     
  • Access the relevant journal issue and navigate to the article you need. If you're accessing the article electronically and don't see the full text immediately, look for a search box to search by title. 

4. If we do not have the article in our online or print collections, request it through Interlibrary Loan. Do not pay for individual articles - you are already paying for access with your FAU tuition. 

Questions? Ask a Librarian!