If you need help searching for or finding OA scholarship, call or email a reference librarian:
Call: 406-243-6866
OneSearch is a great place to start your search for Open Access (OA) content. There are two basic methods for finding OA content using OneSearch.
Method 1: Select OA content at the beginning of your search
1. On the library homepage, type your search query into the search bar.
2. Select Open Access from the dropdown menu located to the right of the search bar.
3. Click Search.
Method 2: Filter for OA content after you have conducted an initial search
1. On the library homepage, type your search query into the search bar.
2. Retain the default OneSearch option in the dropdown menu located to the right of the search bar.
3. Click Search.
4. On the search results page:
Note: If you are are affiliated with UM and have a valid NetID, searching only for OA content will reduce the number of results that you would otherwise retrieve if you did not limit your search to OA content. We highlight the OA filter option here because if you are not affiliated with UM or do not have a NetID, you can still use library resources to find high-quality research and scholarship that has been published OA.
Finding the Open Access Version
Sometimes you will find a record with the Open Access label and a link to "Download PDF"; however, the "Download PDF" link leads to a login screen or paywall.
Steps to take: Click on the article title to view the full record, then select the link to the OA version (e.g., Open Access version of full text found via: Unpaywall) from the Online Availability options.
Example: The following article record includes the Open Access label and a “Download PDF” link. The “Download PDF” link does not lead to the OA version of the article; however, in the full record for the article, you can see the link for the OA version (via Unpaywall) in the Online Availability section.
The OA landscape continues to change.
If you need help finding OA content, please contact a librarian for assistance. Email us, or call 406-243-6866.
There are a number of free online repositories and directories where you can find OA, peer-reviewed scholarly content:
There is no "one-stop shop" for all Open Access scholarship. The tools and tips below can help you find Open Access scholarship, especially when you're looking for a specific journal article or item:
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