Libraries FAQs

If you find a journal article on the web, and you are having trouble finding the full text or are prompted to pay for the full text, always check to see if you can access the full text through the library website following the steps below:

As an example, you are looking for an article on the topic of "geotextiles and geomembranes". When you search in Google Scholar, you find an article citation that looks promising: "Experimental investigations and constitutive modeling of cyclic interface shearing between HDPE geomembrane and sandy gravel".

However, when you click on it, you are asked to purchase the article. See below:Clicking on 'Get Access' gives option for purchasing the article. 

In most cases, even if the library does not have access to a certain journal title, volume, or year, you will not have to pay for an article. Always check to see if the Drexel Libraries has access before paying for an article.

We recommend you use DragonSearch (main search box on the Library website) to find the article you need:

1. You can copy the title and author information or search relevant keywords related to your topic.
2. For our example article on geotextiles, you can copy and paste the title of the article "Experimental investigations and constitutive modeling of cyclic interface shearing between HDPE geomembrane and sandy gravel" and click Search.
3. You will see:
4. Click on Available Online to view article. You may be prompted to log in to the library's website to obtain the full paper.
5. After logging in, you should see links to access the full text.
6. If the article is outside our collection, you can request access to the full text through interlibrary loan (ILLiad). To learn more, please see the FAQ on requesting an article through interlibrary loan.
7. If the links under "Full text availability" do not work or do not take you to the full text, please contact OnlineResources@drexel.libanswers.com to report the problem and place a request through ILLiad.