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CHMC31 Intermediate Inorganic Chemistry

What are the different ways to find journal articles?

There are several different ways to find journal articles.  The major ones are:

  • Chemistry specific databases: chemistry databases are great if you are interested in searching for a chemical compound by structure or if you are interested primarily in chemistry papers.  Examples include SciFinder and the Cambridge Structural Database.
  • Interdisciplinary databases: these databases have a broader focus than chemistry databases.  Two science focused one are Web of Science and Scopus.
  • Google scholar: while you certainly can use Google Scholar to find your papers, in many circumstances librarians would recommend something else.  This is especially true in chemistry - Google can't (yet) search through papers by chemical structure, while chemistry specific databases can.
  • Browsing: by reading through a journal (either electronically on with a physical copy) you can find out what is currently popular in the field. For example, if you want to know what is currently popular in inorganic chemistry you can skim through Inorganic Chemistry, or other journals which cover the subject.
  • Searching for a known article: if you have a citation - say if you are reading an article and find a reference for another paper you'd like to read - you can try using article finder.  Alternately, you can go to the journal's homepage to find what you are looking for (how to find a journal's homepage is covered on the "browsing eJournals" page.

Getting Fulltext

When searching for articles in research databases, look for the getit! button* to link to the article's FREE full text online. 

If we don't have an electronic copy of the article, it will also let you look for print versions of the article, or request it via Interlibrary Loan.  

If there is no "Get it!" link, or you experience problems, simply search for the article or journal title in LibrarySearch.  When full text is not readily available online, make sure you use the title of the journal (not the article title or author).

*Different databases have different full-text buttons so you might want to  also look for buttons labeled full text or PDF.

Is there an easy way for me to authenticate as a U of T user while I'm researching off-campus?

Yes! We can suggest several strategies.

  1. Start at the library webpage: By signing in with your UTORid and password when you are using LibrarySearch, you are authenticated as a U of T user for the rest of your browser session.  This allows you access to U of T licensed e-content, such as articles, databases, or e-books.
  2. Change your Google Scholar settings: Make sure Google Scholar knows you're a U of T user. Once you change your settings, you'll see "Get it! UTL" links next to articles in your search results.
  3. Get LibKeyNomad: If you're using Chrome or Edge, install an extension called LibKey Nomad. It will link you to the PDF of articles owned by U of T or open access.
  4. Paste the proxy: If you're on a journal website, try pasting http://myaccess.library.utoronto.ca/login?url= in front of the URL you're currently on.  You will be asked to log in with your UTORid. Note: This only works if the library actually subscribes to the journal.