Allen Library: Help: Articles

Articles are great for research! They usually cover a very narrow topic in great detail and are written by experts.

Already have a citation?
Search the eJournal Locator for the journal title to find a copy through our libraries, or request a copy via Interlibrary Loan.

Looking for articles from any journal?
Use a database! To get started:

1. Choose a database.
2. Search for keywords such as genres, topics, names of people, etc.
3. Limit your results by date, language, and more with the the left-hand menu on the results page.

Need more help?
Keep scrolling for step-by-step instructions and videos. And you can always ask a librarian for individual help.

Some databases include full text articles along with the citations. If that's the case, just click the full text link to open the article! If you're starting with a citation from another resource, or if you find a database citation without full text, you'll need access the article another way:

Find a copy online

1. Search the journal title (not the article title!) in our eJournal Locator.
2. Click to open one of the resulting databases with access.
3. Find the correct year, volume, and issue number.
4. Find the correct article and open the full text.

Need more help? Contact a librarian or watch a video with in-depth instructions.

Find a copy in the library

If the journal is not available online, we may have a print copy in the library. You can access these in person or by requesting a scan:

1. Enter the journal title in our eJournal Locator and choose Paper.
2. Find the correct journal in the results list, open the detailed record, and scroll to the Holdings table at the bottom to see if your desired volume is available.
3. Write down the call number and location.
   • Bound Periodicals are located on the lower level of the Libraries building, down the hall from the Allen Library.
   • Storage periodicals can be retrieved by staff. Take the call number and volume number to the Allen or Mortensen circulation desk.

Request a scan from UHart

If the Libraries own the hardcopy journal but don't have access to an electronic version, you may request a copy of the article via our free scanning service, ScanIt @ H:

1. Open ILLiad and log in.
   • If this is your first time using ILLiad, click Create an Account and fill in your information.
2. In the Request Items menu, choose the Article request form.
3. Fill in all the information for the article you need.
4. At the bottom, click Submit Request.

You will receive an email when your scan is ready. It will be accessible through your ILLiad account. 
Questions? Learn more about ScanIt @ H or ask a librarian for help.

Request a scan from another library

If full text is not available through the UHart Libraries, we can often get an electronic copy through Interlibrary Loan. 

To make a request directly from a database:

1. Look for the link to ILL this with ILLiad @ H.
2. Log in to ILLiad, or click Create an Account if this if your first time using ILLiad.
3. The request form will auto-fill with information from the database citation.
4. At the bottom, click Submit Request.

To make a request not from a database:

1. Open ILLiad and log in, or click Create an Account if this if your first time using ILLiad.
2. In the Request Items menu, select the Article request form.
3. Fill in all the information for the article you need.
4. At the bottom, click Submit Request.

You will receive an email when your scan is ready. Usually a PDF copy will be sent via email within a few days, though some requests may take longer.

Questions? Learn more about Interlibrary Loan or ask a librarian for help.

Find a Database

Unfortunately, there is no one database you can use to search all journal articles. Each database has citations from a different set of journals. Often a database will focus on one subject area, so the first step to finding an article citation is to find an appropriate database to search.

On the Allen Library homepage, the most helpful performing arts databases are listed under Find Articles & Dissertations. To find more:

1. Open our Database Locator.
2. In the first drop-down menu near the top of the page, choose a subject.
3. Scroll down the page to see all the databases relevant to that subject.
4. Read the database descriptions to find one that includes article citations on your topic, then click to open it.

Need more help? Contact a librarian or watch a video about finding journal article databases.

Searching Basics

Top tips for starting your search:

1. Reduce your question/topic to as few words as possible.
2. Enter your search words into the database search box(es).
3. In your results list, click on the title of an article to see the full citation (author, journal title, volume number, etc.), plus subjects and more.

If you can't find what you're looking for in one database, try a different database to search different journals.

Need more help? Contact a librarian or watch a video to see database searching in action!

Connector Words

If you don't get the results you're looking for, you may need to broaden or narrow your search and try again. One way to do so is to add related terms or synonyms to broaden your search. Then use connector words to combine all your terms into one efficient search.

• To expand your search, use OR between related words/phrases
• To narrow your search, use AND between unrelated words/phrases

Need more help? Contact a librarian or watch a video about connector words.

Quotation Marks

When you search multiple words, a database will look for those words separately, anywhere in the citation. With quotation marks around a multi-word term, a database will look for those words together, exactly as written. So put quotation marks around multi-word terms (e.g. "music therapy") to search more precisely.

Need more help? Contact a librarian or watch a video about quotation marks.

Limiters

If your search gets too many results, you can limit results by language, source type, date, and more. Select limiters on the main search page before you search, or in the left menu after you search. However, limiting too much may exclude useful results, so add limiters carefully!

Need more help? Contact a librarian or watch a video about database limiters.

Search eJournal Locator for the journal title:

Need help? See our article help page or ask a librarian.

The Libraries pay for University faculty, staff, and students to access electronic resources that are not available free online. You may find some of these resources when searching Google, but full access is only available through links on library webpages.

How to Connect

When you click a link to a library resource, you will be prompted to enter your University email username (without "@hartford.edu") and password.

Having trouble logging in?

1. If your email password does not work, try your University ID number as a password instead.

2. Verify your University email username and password by logging in at hawkmail.hartford.edu. If you cannot log in to your email, contact the ITS helpdesk.

3. Disable your pop-up blocker or allow our site to create new windows.

If your problem is not resolved after following the above steps, contact Ben Ide (bide@hartford.edu).