Full Text Articles
What does full-text mean?
The full-text of an online article is the complete printable article. Databases provide full-text articles in different formats including:
- HTML only
- PDF only
- Both HTML and PDF
Do all article databases provide full text?
No. Article databases differ in the amount of full-text articles they provide:
- Some databases include full-text for ALL the articles indexed.
- Some databases include full-text for only a PORTION of the articles indexed. For articles that are not available in full-text, a citation and abstract (summary) or citation only is provided.
- Some databases provide NO full text. These databases provide a citation and abstract (summary) or citation only for all the articles indexed.
If I found an article citation in a database and the full-text article is not available in this database, what options do I have for finding the full-text article?
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If there is a LincIT option in the database, click on this option to see if there is another database that contains the full-text article. -
Search the the title of the journal, magazine, or newspaper using the VCCS Find e-Journal tool to find out if a title is available online. Make sure you search for the periodical title (e.g., American Journal of Psychology, Newsweek) and NOT the article title.
- Ask your VCCS Reference Librarian for assistance in locating an article online or in print. You can also ask how to get an article through your VCCS library's interlibrary loan service.
