Q. What are full-text articles and how do I access them? What does "Find Full Text at TCC Library" mean?

Sometimes, databases only know about the abstract and metadata of an article in its indexing, but does not offer access to the full-text to a periodical issue or article, when another database might. While it can be frustrating to not have access, even knowing that an article exists can still be beneficial so that is why you may still see results for articles a database does not grant access to. Because of licensing restrictions, sometimes one database will offer full-text access for a set of years for one publication, while a different database offers the other years. 

If you were searching a database directly, such as an Ebsco or JSTOR database found in our A-Z list here, you may see a results that say "Find Full Text at TCC Library" because that specific database does not offer the full-text and it is directing you to the catalog. It is important to note that you can filter out those results in most databases if you do not wish to see them or pursue access elsewhere (oftentimes the database will redirect you to search the catalog if it doesn't grant full access). 

The quickest way to know if the TCC Library offers full-text access through one of our databases is to search for it by article title in the Discovery catalog search (sometimes using quotation marks around the title to make it search as a phrase or including the author name in a keyword search can help narrow it down). The catalog helps search many of our databases all at once, so you don't have to search each one individually to find access. 

However, when you search the catalog, it still might not find a database the TCC Library subscribes to that will grant you access. The catalog might still pull up a result, but clicking on the title will prompt you to place an interlibrary loan request for the material. The catalog, just like databases, allows you to limit out those results, but it can grant you more access through interlibrary loan than a database can! 

Learn when to search the catalog and when to search a database in this FAQ.