Frequently Asked Questions About Full-Text Journals

If you have questions that are not listed here, please email the Health Sciences Library or call 816-235-1880.

Where is the first place to look to find out if the journal I want is full-text online?

Try Serial Solutions first. This is a tool that tells you what databases have the journal you want full-text online.

What if the journal I want isn't in Serial Solutions?

The next place to check is the More HSL Full-Text Online Journals page. On this page are the journals that aren't in Serial Solutions. It also has journals that may appear in Serial Solutions, but for which we also have access some other way, such as by password or restricted to the library.

If I still haven't found my journal is there any other place to check?

It is always a good idea to check the Merlin Library catalog. It would also be a good idea to check an online search engine like Google on the off chance that it is free on the web to anyone. If after all this you still haven't found your journal online, it may be time to plan a trip to the library.

Aren’t a lot of journals available on the web?

A number of traditional publications are putting up web-versions of their journals. However, each company handles the Web version differently. Some put up full-text. Some allow full-text access only to subscribers. Some publishers just have order information and tables of contents on their Webpages.

In addition to the journal publishers, many database companies have started to provide the full-text access to a limited number of journals. Similarly to the journal publishers, the database companies have different levels of access to full-text.

Full-text journal access is a new field, and the publishing and database industries have not yet decided how they will handle the web-based world.

What is the difference between a full-text journal, an on-line journal and an e-journal?

These definitions are not yet standardized. However, for our purposes, the definitions are as follows:

• Full-text journals are any journals which are available electronically in full-text. Full-text journals may be provided by a database company or a journal publisher.
• On-line journals are traditional, printed journals that also provide access to on-line formats of the journals. The on-line formats sometimes include more or less information than the original printed versions, and accessibility to the electronic (on-line) version is often contingent on printed and/or electronic subscription contracts. An example of an on-line journal is Lancet. It is a traditional, printed journal which also provides limited on-line access to its text to those institutions and individuals who already subscribe to the traditional printed journal.
• E-journals (or Electronic-journals) are journals which only publish on-line. These journals do not have printed equivalents. These e-journals may or may not require subscriptions to access the text, and may or may not charge a fee. E-journals are also less likely to be peer-reviewed or refereed journals, but many e-journals are enforcing more quality control over their publications. An example of an e-journal is Medical Education On-line. Medical Education On-line is only published on-line, although articles are peer-reviewed before appearing in the journal.

If UMKC subscribes to a printed version of a journal, don’t we get the on-line copy for free?

Not always. The publishers have not created a standard procedure for providing on-line access to institutions who subscribe to the printed editions. Even when institutions subscribe to a printed version of a journal, not all publishers want to give their subscribing institutions free access to on-line versions of their journals. Further, even if the publishers give freeWeb access to their journals, each individual contract has to be reevaluated and possibly renegotiated. UMKC has worked with publishers to provide client on-line access to traditional journals without placing UMKC in precarious legal positions or entering into agreements that would unnecessarily pull valuable resources away from other UMKC library services. It is assumed that the final word on on-line journal access is far in our future. Therefore, it is likely the UMKC policies as well as the publishing industry’s policies will continue to change rapidly. Check back with this page or call the Health Sciences Library at 816-235-1880 for up-to-date information.

Can I access our on-line journals from my office? Can I access them from home?

This answer varies. When we provide links to on-line journals on this page, we will also provide access instructions per on-line journal. Some journal contracts allow access to all UMKC faculty and students, but you have to request a password from the Health Sciences Library. Most of the password-protected on-line journals are available to you at home or in your office. Other contracts only allow on-line access in the building where the printed version of the journal is kept. (Example: If the Health Sciences Library subscribes to the printed journal, UMKC faculty and students would be able to access the on-line version only if they were using a computer that was in the School of Medicine building.) Furthermore, some journals provide on-line access to all UMKC campus computers. Once again, there is no one answer. The access regulations are controlled by the publishers. In the future, more standardization might develop.

Why are the on-line and print versions different?

How the journal appears on-line (and in print for that matter) is up to the publisher. Some publishers provide more information in the on-line versions. Some publishers have kept a percentage of the printed articles off the web. One reason to keep the two versions different is to ensure patrons utilize (and pay for) both the on-line and the printed copies.

I found a journal’s home page on the web, but where are the articles?

Most journals have some Web presence, but only very few traditional journals provide free on-line access to their articles. Therefore, you might find The Lancet home page, but unless you have the passwords, you will not be able to access their articles. Check the full-text journal page for links to the full-text journals accessible to UMKC employees and students.

My old university had this journal on-line; can’t I get it here, too?

Maybe. Universities (like publishers) are dealing with full-text journal access differently. Universities differ on how much control (and money) they are willing to give the publishers to provide on-line access. However, if you would like to request that we obtain on-line access to a journal, please email the Health Sciences Library

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