How to open links to full text journal articles

When a member of library staff has carried out a literature search or evidence summary for you, the results will be presented as a list with links to the full text where available. Here are some tips on how to open them and find your articles. 

• If you need help or advice on accessing full text articles contact Library staff at library.network@ggc.scot.nhs.uk.
• For an Athens login use the “Register” link on the Knowledge Network (www.knowledge.scot.nhs.uk), use the “Register” link in the top right-hand corner), or contact us at Athens@librarynetwork.zendesk.com for more information.

Scroll to the end to find a printable copy of this guidance.

1. Click on the link under (or within) the article you want to look at. It will look something like this:

2. Always click on the Athens login link. This may not be the main one you see, eg:

3. Click on “Get it for me” to check for full text:

Example 1:

Example 2:

Your link may take you into the database where the reference to the article was found, or to a link in the Knowledge Network. Examples of both appear below.

4. If the full text is available from the same supplier as the database then full text links will appear next to the reference, eg:

If full text is available, click on the name of the supplier.  There are many different full text journal suppliers on the Knowledge Network. The following example is taken from Elsevier ScienceDirect:

When the article has opened up, if you see a “Full text” or “PDF” link then the article is available to read or download, eg:

5. Some websites will not make the full text available until you have logged in again with your Athens password. If you open an article and it shows only an abstract or asks you to login then click on the “Athens” link. If there is no “Athens” link on this page click on “login” or “sign in” to find it, eg:

When you find the “Athens” link, click on it and enter your Athens details. The full text should then appear.

6. If your article is not available in full text from the Knowledge Network you will see a message like this:

(Note that if you are not yet logged in then the message will ask you to sign in for more information. Use the “Sign-in” link in the top-right of the screen then login with your Athens password).

7. If an article is not available online we can usually order a copy from another library. To do this, click on “Get it for me.” The details of the article will be loaded automatically into the request form along with your contact details so you can check it is all correct then just scroll down and click on “Request”. The article will be requested for you and the copy sent directly to you.

** Remember to contact Library staff if you have any queries about opening full text articles.