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1. Are all journals
in the UT Libraries available electronically?
No, not all journals are available in a digital
format. Even if available, not all years/volumes and
not all articles may be available electronically.
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2. Why aren't all journals
available electronically?
Several reasons are possible: the publisher may
not produce a digital version; subscription costs are prohibitive;
or license requirements are too restrictive for the University
to uphold.
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3. How do I know what
journals are available electronically through the UT Libraries?
That's a tough question! A complete
list of journals with electronic access is not possible at
the moment. Here's how to determine if electronic
access if available for the title you want:
- Look for the title on the E-Journals
list. The list contains all those electronic titles
to which the Libraries subscribe individually. Also included
are journals tied to our subscriptions to several journal
"aggregator" databases such as Science Direct,
Springer Link, etc. and to some full text databases such
as Academic Source Premier, Business Source Premier, etc.
- If not found, look for the title in the UT
Libraries' catalog. If listed, look for the designation
"print & electronic" or "electronic resource."
Click on "Full Record" or on "Availability:
Find Items" to get the URL, the web address that links
to the journal's web page.
- Electronic full text of articles from additional journals
may be included in one of the library's database subscriptions
listed on the Databases/Indexes
page. Although journals from many of these are
included on our E-journals list, all are not. To determine
if a journal is available in one of these databases, you
will have to spend a few minutes sampling a likely database
to confirm availability.
- If you have any doubt about electronic availability of
a journal, contact our
service for help.
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4. How do I cite an article from an electronic
journal?
Take a look at Online:
Citation Styles. It has examples using MLA, APA, CBE and
the Chicago Manual of Style. Look specifically at the section
in each labelled World Wide Web for examples of "Article
in an electronic journal (ejournal)" and "Material
from a subscription service." This website also has examples
of how to cite other electronic information types.
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5 What can I do if
I need an article that's not available electronically?
First, check the UT
Libraries' catalog to determine if a print or microfilm
version of the journal is available in the library.
If YES, come to the library to read
the journal or make copies. Faculty and graduate students
may use Library
Express to have bound volumes of journals delivered to a
campus departmental office or, for a fee, have copies made of
articles in journals the Libraries owns. The Library Express
request
form using Iliad and the fee
policy for photocopies are available online.
If NO, use Interlibrary
Services to request a copy of the article from another library.
Remember, it may take several days to fill an ILS request.
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6. Are electronic
journals an exact match of their print counterparts?
Not always. If the page image was scanned
into the database, the match may be exact. Some services
offer text only (no graphs, charts, photos, etc.). You
may need to consult the print version to get the "original." Many
electronic journals exclude non-article items, such as letters
to the editor or advertisements.
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7. Only recent issues
of most journals seem to be available. Will older volumes
become available electronically soon?
It depends. A few scholarly organizations
and professional associations are creating electronic archives
of important journals, sometimes converting old print volumes
into electronic format. Because of the costs involved,
however, it is unlikely that all old issues of every journal
will be digitized. If older material is important to
your research, you will likely need to continue to consult
print materials.
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8. Why is access to
e-journals restricted?
Access is restricted by license because publishers
guard electronic copyright just as they do print rights. The
UT Libraries respects copyright
law and adheres strictly to license agreements.
Licenses usually specify that access is available only to
authorized users, generally defined as currently enrolled
students, staff, and faculty or walk-in library users.
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9. Can I request that
the Libraries get access to an electronic journal?
Yes, fill out an online Material
Purchase Request form. Be aware that although many
journals offer free electronic access to their print subscribers,
free access may apply only to individual subscribers. Institutional
subscribers such as the UT Libraries may be asked to pay additional
fees and/or sign license agreements restricting access to
UT affiliated users.
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10. Are there
any disadvantages to electronic journals?
E-journals provide real benefits. Access
24 hours a day, 7 days a week from your office or home is
really convenient. E-journals free you from cumbersome
formats such as microfilm and from the drudgery of making
photocopies. They also reduce the Libraries' need for
physical storage space.
But, there are problems associated with access
to e-journals. One example is something called archiving.
If electronic access goes away, either because the publisher
ceases to maintain access or because the Libraries cancel
a subscription, how will UT users continue to have permanent
access to issues that the library once "owned?" Subscription
costs are also a concern. Journal prices increase annually
by about 10%. With no increase in our subscription budget,
the Libraries may have to choose between maintaining electronic
journal access or canceling print subscriptions.
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