LibGuides: Interlibrary Loan: Information Delivery Services: Order Articles

4 ways to get the full text of articles

NIU Libraries Search: Find articles by title

NIU Libraries Search: NIU and Beyond
Search for materials from NIU and other Illinois libraries via I-Share, plus request online articles and resources through interlibrary loan.

Screenshot of NIU Libraries Search with 3 search options: NIU Libraries, NIU and Beyond, and Worldcat

Databases: Use the "Access Options" or "FIND IT" Buttons

Get the full text from NIU by clicking on Access Options or FIND IT

Access Options

You may see up to 4 options under Access Options. We recommend that you choose the options in this order:

PDF: this should open a PDF in a new window.
Online full text: This should open a PDF in a new window.
Free version from ERIC: This will open a new window on the ERIC website where you should be able to download a PDF.
View full text: This opens a new window and searches NIU Libraries for the full text of the article. Use Instructions for FIND IT/View Full Text below.

Instructions for FIND IT/View Full Text

Sign In to NIU Libraries with your NIU credentials.
Scroll down to the View Online section for links to the full text. These links may not take you directly to a PDF. They may take you to a journal page through NIU's login where so you may have to find the specific article using citation information (i.e. year, volume, issue). If NIU Libraries doesn't have the article, under the View Online section, submit the pre-populated Request from Interlibrary Loan (ILLiad) form. NIU Libraries will send you an email with a link to the article within 2-3 business days.

Google Scholar: Setup full text links to NIU Libraries in Google Scholar

Setup full text links to NIU Libraries in Google Scholar

In Google Scholar, click on Settings from the menu (3 lines on the upper left-hand corner of the screen).
Click on Library Links.
Search for Northern Illinois University.
Check off “Northern Illinois University - Check NIU for full text"
Save. Your search results will now include “Check NIU for full text” links.

Use "Check NIU for full text" links

Click on a Check NIU for full text link in Google Scholar. This opens a new window which searches NIU Libraries for the full text of the article.

Sign In to NIU Libraries with your NIU credentials.
Scroll down to the View Online section for links to the full text. These links may not take you directly to a PDF. They may take you to a journal page through NIU's login where so you may have to find the specific article using citation information (i.e. year, volume, issue). If NIU Libraries doesn't have the article, submit the pre-populated Request from Interlibrary Loan (ILLiad) form under the View Online section. NIU Libraries will send you an email with a link to the article within 2-3 business days.

Manual Interlibrary Loan Requests

When should I submit a manual interlibrary loan request?

Use Manual interlibrary loan requests for any material that you can't get the full text of from Google Scholar, from a database, or by searching NIU Libraries for the material.

Materials that you should submit manual interlibrary loan requests for:

Articles or conference papers that you can't get the full text of from Google Scholar, a database, or from NIU Libraries website;
Scans of book chapters or encyclopedia articles;
Dissertations not available on ProQuest Digital Dissertations.

Instructions: Submit a manual interlibrary loan request

Login to My Library Account.
Once logged in, click NIUILLiad under Interlibrary Loan (ILLiad).

Create a New Request for the type of material you'd like and fill in the request form. Submit Request when done. Articles ordered via NIUILLiad generally take between 3 business days and 2 weeks to process and you will receive an email when the full text is available.

Download articles that you've received from Interlibrary Loan

You will receive an email when the article you requested through ILLiad is available.

Login to My Library Account.
In your account Overview, go to the Interlibrary Loan (ILLiad) box under My Articles. Click on the link to access the full text.