Accessing full-text articles directly from a database search
A bibliographic database is an organised collection of references to written works such as journal articles. You can use a database to search for articles related to the topic you are interested in. Many of these databases are accessible using your NHS OpenAthens account, which means you will be able to access the full text of many of the results of your search directly, without needing to find them somewhere else.
The databases that are accessible to you are available via different websites (also be referred to as ‘platforms’), with a number of different databases accessible via each one. Each platform looks different, but it provides you with the same key information that you need, including whether the article(s) you are looking for are available in full text or not.
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EBSCO | |
|---|---|---|
| MEDLINE | MEDLINE | |
| Embase | CINAHL | |
| Emcare |
Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection |
|
| Global Health | ||
| HMIC | ||
|
Where to find full-text links
Although each platform looks different, there are features that will be common to all of them, including a link attached to each article reference that will take you directly to the full text of that article (if available).
In Ovid, each article reference will have a list of options on the right hand side. If ‘Ovid Full Text’ is in this list, you can click on it to go to the full text of the article. Also, along the bottom will be a link saying ‘Article as PDF’, which you can click to go directly to a PDF version of the article.
In EBSCO, there will be a number of clickable buttons beneath the reference. If ‘Get PDF’ or ‘Access Item’ are included among them, you can click on either to get to the full text of the article.
Page Review
Page last reviewed: 28/10/25
Next review due: 28/10/26
