Research support & publishing
Alternative routes to scholarly articles and research outputs
If you are not able to access an article there are alternative ways. The library has compiled a list of ways in which you may be able to gain access.
- Contact the author
Researchers may share non-Open Access articles with each other if this is permitted according to the publisher, so called “scholarly sharing”. See Sherpa/Romeo for which conditions apply.
- Use your network
Your network may consist of colleagues, contacts or even social media channels. See Sherpa/Romeo for which conditions apply.
- Search for Open Access versions of the article
Increasing numbers of articles are being published via Open Access and the easiest way to access these is via search engines such as Google or Google Scholar. Another alternative is 1findr, where you can search for Open Access articles published in peer reviewed journals.
- Install plugins
There are a number of different plugins that can be installed to help you find Open Access articles:
Kopernio is a plugin that locates both Open Access articles and those articles you are able to access through the university’s subscriptions. Registration is required.
Unpaywall plugin displays a green padlock icon if there is an Open Access version of the article you are looking for.
Open Access button can find open versions of articles as well as send a message to the author requesting that they make a version of the article open via an institutional archive.
- Contact the library
If you have difficulty accessing the article you need, contact the library. We can place an interlibrary loan request on your behalf.
