One simple way to search for articles is to use the Easy Search option on the library's homepage. You can also click on the "Databases and Journals" tab underneath the Easy Search box. This will give you the option to use the Journal and Article Locator, search for a specific Online Journal or Database, or see a list of Databases by Subject.

To get the most out of your search, select important words from your thesis or research question, then find synonyms or related ideas to those words. You can also utilize the tools provided by databases, such as:

• Subject headings - terms which will take you to books focused on the same subject
• Tags - descriptive words that connect you to sources in a database
• Facets - the options given by a database, such as limiting the date of publication, author, or type of publication

Sometimes the search results you receive will not provide a link to the full text of an article. Some databases, like Scopus, only provide citations of articles, rather than full text. You can check to see if the University of Illinois has an article by clicking on the "Discover Full Text" link in the article results. This link will tell you if the source is available in print or electronically.

On Academic Search Complete it can be found on the left side and looks like this: 

If the University of Illinois does not have access to an article, you can search for the item in the I-Share catalog. If a print version is not available through I-Share, you can request a PDF of the article through InterLibrary Loan.