Serials Solutions FAQ

• What is Serials Solutions?
• What is 360 Link?
• How can I find out if a journal I'm looking for is available in full text?
• Does Serials Solutions include all your full-text databases?
• The journal I'm looking for isn't listed here. Does that mean it isn't available?
• I'm looking for a specific article that I found listed in a bibliography. Can I use Serials Solutions to find full-text online?
• Why aren't article-level links available for every database?
• I can't find the "Find it @ UMKC " button in the database I'm searching. Why not? Does this mean I can't get the full text?
• I clicked on the "Find it @ UMKC " button in the database I'm searching, but got page saying, "Sorry, your article was not found here." What's going on?
• Why is it that sometimes I go into a database through Serials Solutions to get a copy of a full-text article, but when I get in to the database I can only pull up the citation (and not the full article), even though Serials Solutions said full text was available?
• I'm looking for full-text journals available in my field. Can Serials Solutions help?
• I found the journal I'm looking for, but when I clicked on the link, I went to a search screen for a database. What happened?
• If I find an article in the PubMed database, how can I tell if it is available online in full text?
• What is a PMID?
• What is a DOI?
• I'm still not able to find what I am looking for. What should I do?

What is Serials Solutions?

Serials Solutions lists full-text journals, magazines and newspapers available through many of the databases to which the UMKC University Libraries subscribe. It also includes some journals to which the Libraries has individual subscriptions as well as many journals which are free on the Web. Listings include the journal title, links to the database or databases providing full text, and coverage.

What is 360 Link?

360 Link allows you to link directly to full-text articles even if they are located in another database. You can link directly from the results list of a participating database. Just look for the button. Or you can use the Search by Citation form to look up an article directly. Look for the link Find Full Text of a Specific Article on the main Serials Solutions search page.

How can I find out if a journal I'm looking for is available in full text?

You can use Serials Solutions to find full-text journals in one of two ways:

• You can browse a list of available titles. To see the list, visit the main Serials Solutions page and click on a letter in the "Browse a list of e-journals by title" section.
• Use the search engine above to search for a specific publication. Click on the down arrow, choose the type of search, enter the information in box, and click on the Search button.

Does Serials Solutions include all your full-text databases?

No. While information about most of the databases is available here, a few are not included. To find out what journals are available through these databases, you will need to go to the database itself. Visit Databases not included in Serials Solutions to see a list of these databases.

For a list of the databases which are included in Serials Solutions, visit Databases included in Serials Solutions.

The journal I'm looking for isn't listed here. Does that mean it isn't available?

Not necessarily. Full text for some journals is available through databases not included in Serials Solutions. (See Databases not included in Serials Solutions.) You can also check the MERLIN Library Catalog to find additional online titles.

Many of the health sciences-related journals listed on the Health Sciences Libraries' Full-Text Access to Journals page are not included in Serials Solutions.

Some journals are freely available online. Most such titles are not included in the MERLIN Library Catalog. To find a free online journal, type the title in your favorite Internet search engine.

If you cannot find access to full text online, check the MERLIN Library Catalog to see if UMKC has a subscription to the print version. If the print journal is not available at UMKC, you can submit an Interlibrary Loan request for a copy of an article.

Check out the page How Do I ... Find Full-Text Articles Online for additional suggestions.

I'm looking for a specific article that I found listed in a bibliography. Can I use Serials Solutions to find full-text online?

You can use Serials Solutions to look for full text online in two ways.

• To link directly to an article, you will need at least the journal title (or ISSN), volume, issue and starting page of the article. Search Serials Solutions for the journal title.
  1. On the results page, click on the "Look up Article" link next to the journal title.
  2. Type all of the information you have into the form and click on the "Look up" button.
  3. If you can link directly to full text, one or more listings on the results page will include a link labelled "Article."
  4. Click on this link to go directly to the full text.
• Start by searching for the journal title. If the title is available through Serials Solutions, you will get a results screen listing one or more databases which provide full text content. You can link to the database directly from this screen, or narrow you search further.

 

Why aren't article-level links available for every database?

Some databases are not set up so that we can link at the article level. If the article you are looking for is available through one of these databases, follow the link to the journal or the database. Journal-level links will usually take you to a page that lists available titles. Find the issue you are looking for, and follow the links to your article. If the database does not allow journal-level linking, you will need to search the database to find your article.

I can't find the "Find it @ UMKC " button in the database I'm searching. Why not? Does this mean I can't get the full text?

Not every database is set up in a way that allows 360 Link to work. Or perhaps the database has chosen not to participate. If you are in a database that does not support 360 Link, you can use the Search by Citation feature to see if full text is available. You will need at least the journal title (or ISSN), volume, issue and starting page of the article.

1. Search Serials Solutions for the journal title. (You can use the search box at the top of this page.)
2. On the results page, click on the "Look up Article" link next to the journal title.
3. Type all of the information you have into the Citation Linker form and click on the "Look up" button.
4. If you can link directly to full text, one or more listings on the results page will include a link labelled "Article."
5. Click on this link to go directly to the full text.

I clicked on the "Find it @ UMKC " button in the database I'm searching, but got page saying, "Sorry, your article was not found here." What's going on?

By clicking on the button, you are asking 360 Link to look to see if full text is available in any of the participating databases. If you get a page saying that the journal is not available, you have several options.

• It is possible that the journal is available through a database which does not participate in 360 Link.To find other options for locating full text, check Serials Solutions. You can use the search box at the bottom of the results page. The box is labelled "Search for full-text journals at UMKC University Libraries."
• You can search the MERLIN Library Catalog to see if UMKC has a print subscription. For your convenience, a link to the catalog is provided near the bottom of the 360 Link results page.
• If the journal is not available at UMKC, you may request a copy of the article through Interlibrary Loan. Look for the Interlibrary Loan form link for your home library at the bottom of the results page and complete the form.

Why is it that sometimes I go into a database through Serials Solutions to get a copy of a full-text article, but when I get in to the database I can only pull up the citation (and not the full article), even though Serials Solutions said full text was available?

Serials Solutions is normally quite reliable in linking you to a database that actually has the full text of the article or publication that you need. Occasionally, though, the copyright holder of the article will choose to not provide full text access for a particular article. If you are not able to access the full text of an article in one of our databases, be sure to check the MERLIN Library Catalog to find out whether we have the journal in print. If we do not have the journal electronically or in print, you may request it via interlibrary loan.  

I'm looking for full-text journals available in my field. Can Serials Solutions help?

Yes. Use the "Browse e-journals by subject" box above to view journal titles organized by subject category. Click on the down arrow and select a category, then click on the search button. Click on the subject of your choice.

I found the journal I'm looking for, but when I clicked on the link, I went to a search screen for a database. What happened?

Because the way the databases are constructed varies, a link might take you to one of several places:

• Directly to a table of contents screen for the specific journal, magazine or newspaper.
• A search screen for a specific publication.
• A database's main search screen. If so, try one of the following:
  • Enter keywords or phrases from the article.
  • Search for the author's name.
  • Search for a specific journal or magazine title.
  • Look to see if one of the advanced search options allows you to limit by journal title, etc. Perform a keyword or other search you know will include the article you are looking for.
  • Look for a list of journals included in the database. Often you can link to a table of contents page from such a list.
• The search screen for a group of databases. If so, select the database you thought you were linking to and follow the suggestions above.

If I find an article in the PubMed database, how can I tell if it is available online in full text?

Use Serials Solutions' Search by Citation form to find the online full text by searching with the PMID (PubMed ID Number) or the DOI (Digital Object Identifier).

What is a PMID?

A , or PMID, or PubMed ID Number, is a unique number assigned to each PubMed citation of life sciences and biomedical scientific journal articles. You can access PubMed at http://www.pubmed.gov. The PMID is at the bottom of most citations.

What is a DOI?

A DOI, or Digital Object Identifier, is a permanent identifier given to a document, image, or other object in the digital environment. Because this number does not change, even if the item is moved, it can be more reliable than a URL. For more information, visit the DOI System homepage.

I'm still not able to find what I am looking for. What should I do?

If you have questions or need assistance, please contact:

• Miller Nichols: (816) 235-1534
• Dental: (816) 235-2030
• Health Sciences: (816) 235-1880
• Leon E. Bloch Law: (816) 235-1650
• Email assistance