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Research Like a Professor · Guide 3 of 9
You've shaped your question (guide 1) and found what exists (guide 2). Now bring it home. A professor's real advantage isn't a smarter search; it's knowing where articles live. With a library card you have the same tools, for free: a shelf to read what your library holds, and a courier to bring the rest.
Five steps, in order
- Start with your citation. Take a result you found with guide 2 and note its title, authors, journal, and year, plus its DOI if it has one. Those details are all the next steps need.
- Look for a free legal copy. Many authors post their own copies. In Scholar, look for a [PDF] link on the right, or click All versions under the result. The free Unpaywall browser extension does the same check on any article page and shows a green tab when an open copy exists.
- Search your library's shelf. Most public libraries pay for article databases you can use for free with your card. In Kentucky, that's the Kentucky Virtual Library (KYVL), which includes EBSCOhost's collection of magazine and journal articles. Paste the article's title, or search your topic, and check the Full Text box so you only see articles you can read in full. In the building, the databases usually open directly. From home, ask your library for the remote password.
- Can't get the full text? Ask your library to send for it. Sometimes a database shows only a summary. That's not a dead end; it's a request slip. Use your library's request form or interlibrary loan, or ask at the desk. Put the article's DOI first, if it has one, then its title, authors, journal, and year. The DOI is a permanent ID, so staff can find the exact article even if the title gets retyped incorrectly. If the form asks whether to buy the item, say it's a journal article for interlibrary loan, and include your email so the copy can reach you. Articles usually arrive as a PDF. Ask how long it usually takes, and whether there's a fee.
- Or ask the author. Researchers are allowed to share their own work, and most are glad to be asked. A two-line email with the article title usually gets a PDF back within days.
For local history, start somewhere else. Old newspapers are often free online. In my county, the Falmouth Outlook from 1907 to 1948 is searchable at the Library of Congress's Chronicling America; later issues are held locally. Ask your library what it holds for your town. Guide 6 goes further.
Words worth knowing
Most frustration in research comes from mistaking a pointer for the thing it points to. These four terms tell them apart.
| Term | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Index entry | A record that an article exists: author, title, journal, date | Use it as your citation for step 4 |
| Abstract | A short summary of the article, written by its authors | Read it to decide whether the article is worth requesting (guide 4) |
| Full text | The whole article, readable now | Read, save, or print it |
| Interlibrary loan | Your library borrowing or copying an item from another library for you | Ask at your library's desk |
Library databases hold the full text of many articles and only the index entry for others, and which one you get depends on the article. Either way, every pointer is a place to start.
Next: Guide 4, Read It Without Reading All of It, on how professors actually read an article.
Research Like a Professor is a nine-part series. See all nine guides.