Online/Distance Learning Library Orientation: Full Text Articles

This page describes how to open a full text article through library resources. 

There are several ways to obtain the full text of an article.

• Click on the title of an article. Some titles will link you directly to the full text.
• Look for a PDF link. This link may include the PDF acronym and/or an Adobe PDF icon.   .

• Click on the Check for Full Text Availabilty link. 

Some databases offer a full text limiter. This limiter appears as  in MEDLINE and  in CINAHL.

We recommend that you do not select this limiter. Selecting this option will restrict your results to full text articles in that individual database. You will not get the Check for Full Text Availability link which may be able to connect you to the full text of a relevant article through a different database.

Keep this limiter unchecked to allow a search across all library databases for the full text.

The Check for Full Text Availabilty link searches other PNW databases for the full text of an article when it is unavailable in the database being searched.  Different databases are licensed to provide access to different journals, and some publishers place restrictions or embargoes on full-text availability. Clicking on the Check for Full Text Availability link allows the system to search elsewhere within the Purdue Northwest collection for your selected article.

If full text is found in another database, you will see a message that will link you to the database where the full text is available.

If you see the following window, then the full text is not available in the library or in any PNW database. Instead, you can sign in and request the article via InterLibrary Loan.

Tip: Before making an InterLibrary Loan request, try a search by article title or author name in Google Scholar to see if a free copy is available on the internet.  

To access full text from Primo, click on the title of a selected results and the link following the Full text available at: message.

InterLibrary Loan enables PNW students, faculty, and staff to obtain items free of charge from other libraries. This service is only available for items which cannot be obtained from any library resource or freely online (i.e., Google Scholar).

Login to your InterLibrary Loan account to place a request. First time users must create an account by clicking on the First Time Users link on the InterLibrary Loan page.  When registering for the first time, please indicate that you are an Distance Learner by selecting Distance Ed Undergrad or Distance Ed Grad in the drop-down menu for the Status field. 

The response time varies by lending institution; items usually arrive between 1-10 days. You will receive email notification when your item arrives.

You can go directly to the library's InterLibrary Loan page here. 

Perform a basic search of any topic on the library's catalog (Primo) and in CINAHL or a database of your choice from the Nursing category list available from the library's homepage. Click on the titles and links to PDF full texts including the Check for Full Text Availability link.

Note how some links take you directly to the PDF while others will open a new window with link(s) to another database with the PDF full text. 

Tip: Most databases will allow you to use the Back button to return to your results list. Some databases include links, such as Result List (see below), that will take you back to your search results. 

The library offers a wide range of online resources, including databases with various journals from which to choose articles and research studies.

To access your Library resources, please visit the homepage

Please consult your Library Liaison directly for research assistance.

If your Librarian is unavailable, please contact the Library's Reference desk at (219) 989-2676 or click on the CHAT WITH A LIBRARIAN link below to submit a question or see answers to frequently asked questions.

Library Hours: 

Library staff members are available to assist you during library hours.