Library Guide to Finding Articles

The library has cancelled the Elsevier ScienceDirect ejournal package for 2024 due to previously announced budget cuts. Changes took effect on January 1, 2024. Journals with the highest usage from the past several years are being maintained as subscriptions--see the list here. Additionally, pre-1995 content is available for a significant number of titles. More recent content (from 1995 to 2023) is only available for a couple hundred titles based on core subscriptions selected in previous license agreements. Options for obtaining articles from cancelled journals are summarized on this page. A complete list of what was previously included in the Elsevier ScienceDirect package is available from here.

Journal and Article Requests

• The Journals A-Z is a searchable catalog of journals the library offers electronically and in print. The records summarize the journal coverage provided by the library in ScienceDirect and other sources. Do check this list to find out what the library provides access to at a journal level.
• Article delivery services are enabled for the ScienceDirect journals that UM no longer subscribes to. Article Galaxy Scholar provides articles almost immediately and traditional interlibrary loan fulfills requests within 1-4 days. Requests may be made through the ScienceDirect website, the library OneSearch catalog, and through other databases where ScienceDirect publications may be indexed (such as Web of Science). See Requesting articles directly through ScienceDirect and Requesting articles through the OneSearch library catalog for more information.
• Depending on the content, an open access version may be available. OneSearch offers a wealth of open access materials. Other options for obtaining a copy may include:
  • Google Scholar
  • Contacting the author directly or through a social networking site where researchers share their work. The author’s name, institution, and sometimes their email address typically display on the first page of an article preview. Sites include: Academia.edu, ResearchGate, Mendeley, and HumanitiesCommons.
• LibKey Nomad is a browser extension that can help you find and request articles more efficiently. For more information, see LibKey Nomad

For questions or assistance with making article requests, contact library.serials@umontana.edu.

ScienceDirect article requests may be placed directly from the ScienceDirect site at https://libguides.lib.umt.edu/sciencedirect This link is configured to ensure you are authenticated as a UM user if starting your research from off campus.

Content the library has access to is identified with a green dot and the label "Full text access." Some content may be marked "Open access" which means it's accessible without a subscription. 

Content the library does not provide will lack the green dot and "Full text access" label. For these articles, you will be able to request full text via the citation. Example:

To find the request option, click on the article title to open the full record.

At the top of the screen you will see a "Link to article" button above the banner "University of Montana does not subscribe to this content on ScienceDirect."

"Link to article" brings up a library online services menu. It's from here you will be able to place a request for the article. You may need to log into the library page with your NetID to see this option.

For Elsevier articles, you will have two request options:

Request from Article Galaxy Scholar - Article delivery almost immediate. Transactions cost the library $30 per article on average. Please consider using Interlibrary loan if a 1-4 day delivery period is acceptable for your needs.

Request from another library - Interlibrary loan service - estimated delivery for articles is 1-4 days.

Request from Article Galaxy Scholar will open a request form. Enter a valid UM email address and click Submit, then click on the Request PDF button to finish submitting the request.

The article PDF will load in your browser or you can download it at a later time through the confirmation email you receive. Download the article to a location you will be able to access later. The download will only work once before you will get an error message.

Note: You will receive a confirmation email from "Reprints Desk," followed by a second email with a link to the pdf. This link will be valid for 30 days. If you don't receive your article in a timely manner, check your SPAM filter and add "reprintsdesk.com" to your list of permitted senders.

Example of pdf download email:

The document is protected by copyright. You are responsible for complying with all appropriate copyright laws with your use of this article.

Article Galaxy Scholar (AGS) transactions cost the library an average of $30 per request. AGS and interlibrary loan services are provided at a cost of $0 to our users. If users are not in a hurry to receive an article and 1-4 day delivery timeline is acceptable, we recommend using our traditional interlibrary loan services. To ensure that we can continue to provide AGS transactions, we will closely monitor its usage and make every effort to allocate a sufficient budget to meet your demands. It is important to note, however, that if our funds for this service are depleted, it may not be possible to restore them until the following fiscal year.

The Request from another library link will bring up a pre-populated form. This requires a NetID login. Click Submit to make the request. See Get the article through Interlibrary Loan for more information.

FYI. Should the library have a physical holding for an Elsevier journal, note that the article request options will display a bit differently.

The library's OneSearch catalog indexes articles published by ScienceDirect. The articles offered through the library's licensed subscriptions are findable in a general search by default.

To find content not currently licensed, toggle Include results with citation only from the interface. These records will include options for requesting articles through our interlibrary loan services. See Article Requests Process for more information about these options.