Electronic Resources Help

Please see What are journals, articles and databases?

For more help with these and other online resources, email ertech@uic.edu.

UIC Library Search

Use the Library Search on the home page to search items from the Library Catalog, I-Share Catalog and many databases at once.

For further, in-depth information about Searching using UIC Library Search, including search tips, please see our Search Help guide.

Search for articles in a database

Searching in a Library database, such as Academic Search Complete or PubMed, allows you to find information that's not on the web. Databases usually focus on a subject area and give you options for narrowing a search that are specific for the information on that subject.

• Locate the Research Guide for your field or major - this guide will contain a list of databases recommended for research in your discipline.
• Browse the full list of databases by title or search databases by keywords, e.g., sociology.
• Ask the liaison librarian for your major to suggest databases for your project. Find a subject librarian.

Tips for using databases

• If a database does not have a PDF or HTML full-text option, click on the Find It @ UIC button to search the library's holdings for full-text access through another resource if available.
• When UIC does not have an article available online, you can request an electronic copy through Interlibrary Loan.
• Log into Google Scholar or PubMed through the library website to turn on the Find It @ UIC link to e-journals and Interlibrary Loan requests.

Find articles in a journal or e-journal

You can also browse articles in issues of specific journals or e-journals, such as the Journal of the American Medical Association or National Geographic.

Browzine lets you flip through and read UIC Library-subscribed Journals, equivalent to browsing through physical Library stacks.

Or find a journal by title

1. You will see "from" [dates available] "in" [name of a database] - click the database for access.
2. If you see "in UIC Print Journals," you can find the journal on the shelf or request a scanned PDF of the article through Interlibrary Loan.

Request items from other libraries

Staff, students, faculty and emeritus faculty can request items from other libraries.

You can request full-text articles from other libraries through interlibrary loan, also called ILLiad. Articles will be delivered through email as scanned images or PDFs.