Electronic Journals Guide
Any journal that is available over the Internet can be called an "electronic journal", or e-journal. Some journals are now only available as electronic journals; others are available in both print and electronic form. This guide is concerned with e-journals offering the full text of journal articles (rather than tables of contents or abstracts only).
Accessing a Particular Title
If you have a specific journal title which you wish to access, or if you want to check whether a particular title is available electronically, the simplest method is to go to Find an electronic journal (A-Z list of e-journal titles). This allows you to,
- find a known ejournal title by browsing an alphabetical list. To do this use the Titles tab
- search for any ejournal by words appearing in the title. To do this use the Titles tab
- look at lists of ejournal titles by subject categories and sub-categories. To do this use the Category tab.
- look at lists of ejournal titles by ejournal Services (e.g. all the titles provided by Sage or Emerald). To do this use the Locate tab.
From the list of ejournal titles, selecting the title or the 
button will generate an SFX menu giving details of how the title can be accessed.
Selecting the 
button from the list allows you to view more details about the ejournal title. This includes any abbreviations or alternative forms of the title, the subject categories in which it is included and the ejournal services from which it is available.
For the majority of journals access is subject to Athens Authentication. More information about Athens registration is available. There are also a small number of journals which require individual usernames and passwords. Contact the University Library for details of logging in to these titles. Contact details are given at the end of this guide.
A common problem with all e-journals is that coverage is not always as complete as it may seem. For example, when you access a journal's web page you may notice that one or more issues of a particular volume may be unavailable. Sometimes individual articles from issues are missing. This comes about for various reasons involving the supply chain between publishers and service providers. However, if you have an alternative service to try you may find that your article or issue is available there.
For most e-journals Adobe Acrobat (PDF) reader is required to view the articles in full text. This software enables you to view and print the articles in the same format as they would appear in the printed version.
Searching for Articles
If you do not have a specific journal title to check, but wish instead to search for articles on a particular topic, then instead of going to the A-Z list of titles, go to the General Resources page. This includes the Electronic Journal services and they generally allow you to carry out a subject search of the journals they cover. You may also wish to consult the subject resources guides, available from the Library Resources page, which will alert you to databases and electronic journal services most appropriate for a particular topic.
Checking a Reference
If you have details of a particular journal article and wish to check if it is available in full text you can do this by entering the details in our Quick Reference Checker . You can enter as many details as you have, the more you enter the more precise will be the result. An SFX menu is generated giving details of where the article can be obtained. If no electronic full text is available you can check the library catalogue to see if the printed version is available.
Problems with Access
Occasionally problems can arise with access to a particular journal or with access to all the titles covered by a particular service. Sometimes these are transient problems which sort themselves out fairly quickly, but sometimes the problem is persistent and requires the intervention of library staff to resolve. If you find that you cannot access a title which appears on our A-Z list please inform the library staff at one of the contacts below. Often the library staff will be unaware of problems until library users bring them to our attention. The number of e-journals is now so large that it is impossible to check access to them all on a regular basis.
Contacts
Ayr
Tel: 01292 886345
Email: libraryayr@uws.ac.uk
Dumfries
Tel: 01387 734323
Email: librarydumfries@uws.ac.uk
Hamilton
Tel: 01698 894424
Email: hamiltoncampuslibrary@uws.ac.uk
Paisley
Tel. 0141 848 3759
E-mail: library@uws.ac.uk
Guides and online help: general material
Find an electronic journal (A-Z list of e-journal titles)
Library Catalogue (for eBooks and stock on the shelves, including print journals)