How to Get Research Papers Through a Library, Even If You Are Not a Student

Libraries pay for most journal subscriptions, and they exist to get readers the material they need. If a paper has no free copy online, a library is often the surest legal way to read it, and that includes people who are not at a university.

If you are a student or member of staff

Your library almost certainly subscribes to the journal. The catch is that the publisher's site does not know who you are unless you arrive the right way.

• Start from the library website. Search for the journal or article in the library catalogue and follow its link. That route logs you in.
• Use the institutional login. On a publisher's page, look for "Access through your institution" and choose your university.
• Connect Google Scholar. Scholar can show which results your library has. Our guide to Google Scholar explains the setting.
• Ask a librarian. If the library does not subscribe, it can usually obtain the article for you at no charge.

If you used to be a student

Many universities give alumni continued access to part of their electronic collection. Check the alumni or library pages of the university you attended. Coverage is narrower than for current students, because publishers license alumni separately, but large collections such as JSTOR are often included.

Walk-in access at a university library

Many university libraries let members of the public visit and use their electronic journals on computers inside the building, even without borrowing rights. Policies vary, so check the library's visitor information or phone ahead and ask about access for visitors.

Public libraries

Public libraries are a better route to research than most people expect.

• Inter-library loan. Your library can request a copy of an article from another library that holds the journal. It is often free and sometimes carries a small fee, and the article usually arrives within days.
• Online databases. A library card often includes home access to databases of newspapers, magazines and some academic journals.
• In the United Kingdom, the Access to Research scheme gives free access to millions of academic articles on computers in participating public libraries. It is a walk-in service, so you need to visit in person.

Free reading accounts

Some archives let anyone read a limited amount for free. JSTOR, which holds older issues of many humanities and social-science journals, offers a free personal account that lets you read a set number of articles online each month. See how to read JSTOR articles for free.

Programmes for lower-income countries

Research4Life gives universities, hospitals and research institutes in lower-income countries free or low-cost access to a very large number of journals. If you work or study at an institution in an eligible country, ask its library whether it is registered.

Before you make the trip

Check whether a free copy already exists. Paste the paper's DOI, link or title into the finder on our home page, which takes a few seconds. If it finds nothing, a library request and an email to the author are the two routes most likely to succeed, and you can try both at once. Our guide to reading research papers for free lists every option.