There are many article abstracting databases on the Internet where they only have abstracts of articles, but the full text is not available.  We have ArticleLinker in most of our library subscription databases and some of the freely available databases (such as PubMed and Google Scholar), but that service is not available in all of the databases that are out there on the web.

For example, someone might want to see the full text of an article that was published by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE).  A student might find the abstract of this 2009 article, “Image Analyses-Based Nondisruptive Method to Quantify Algal Growth on Concrete Surfaces” from the Journal of Environmental Engineering, but the ASCE website only links to a place where they ask for a credit card number or an ASCE membership number for the full text.

Check the catalog to see if we have access to the journal through another source. In this case, we have access to the full text of the Journal of Environmental Engineering through two library databases from 1995 through Oct. 05, 2010, so this article from 2009 is available.

(Click on the computer monitor icon to see the demonstration full screen.)  You could also use Google Scholar to find the article.  Make sure to set up Google Scholar preferences for DU or go to Google Scholar through the library, then you will see the ArticleLinker icon for many references.

You could also search through the Summon database.  If you still can’t get to the full text, you could request the article from Penrose Library Access Services.