Comments on: Can I access research papers without being at university?

By: Tilly

Tilly — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 10:33:59 +0000

The PNAS (proceedings of the national academy of sciences(USA)) is an excellent source of free journal articles. I find them really helpful. Also if you are interested in a particular article you can check the pages of the author(s), they sometimes put pdfs for everyone to see. Emailing the author is always a good way of getting articles. Highwire press are a big source of free sample issues and things for a lots of journals. It also has a list of free science journal websites.
And as stated above your local library may have access to some journals.
References :
http://www.pnas.org
http://highwire.stanford.edu/lists/freeart.dtl

By: Thesmileyman

Thesmileyman — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 10:21:59 +0000

Your university will have a subscription to multiple online journal websites but I don't think there are many that can be accessed for free by the general public. You may be able to gain access through a university "proxy server" (which allows you to put in a password and then surf on your home computer as if it was a uni one). But for this you will need a uni password (or someone who will let you use theirs!).
References :

By: Kate K

Kate K — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 09:41:59 +0000

Have a look on google scholar you can search and read articles on line for free, and get the names and authors of one you may want to persue. link is http://scholar.google.co.uk/schhp?hl=en&tab=ws
References :

By: OrangeKitten

OrangeKitten — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 09:05:59 +0000

Most public supported institution libraries are open to the general public on a limited basis. You can usually access any open stack area where the current journals are kept. Microfiched stuff needs to be retrieved and unlikely to be something you can access. Additionally, a lot of libraries have moved to online databases, which may or may not require a library card barcode to be entered (usually if you're at the library no barcode needed but that varies). In some cases you may be able to purchase a community university library card for limited services. Check the websites of university libraries in your area and see what they offer to the general public. Don't even bother with private institutions; often you need a library card just to enter the building.
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