Interlibrary Loan (ILL) requests
Try Interlibrary Loan (ILL). Login with your VUNet ID and password to request a copy of an article or book. Articles are often emailed within a day or two after a request is submitted. Books arrive within one week and are sent to the library of your choice for you to pick up. It's free! Just click on the link below and login to the library's Interlibrary Loan Service.
Where to search: Google Scholar or Library Databases?
Google Scholar (GS) is a great resource to sift through as you begin to research your topic. It allows you to do very large, broad searches on a research topic. It is especially helpful when your research topic is multi-disciplinary/interdiscipinary.
| Google Scholar Pros | Google Scholar Cons |
| Fast and familiar | Large results set, no real filters or sorting other than date |
| "Cited by" feature for following research forward | Sources are challenging to identify |
| "Understands" natural language for searches | Google is not transparent about what it includes as "scholarly" or how it ranks for relevance |
| Can be connected to the library holdings (Library Links) | Pay walls frequently inhibit access |
| Millions of results across academic disciplines including open access materials |
Library databases are an awesome resource for strategically searching scholarly content by academic discipline. They include subscription content and lots of features to customize your search results.
| Library Databases Pros | Library Databases Cons |
| What you are searching is transparent | Takes practice to get used to searching strategically |
| Designed to recognize language from your field and complex search strings | Sometimes searches can be too narrow with limited results |
| Citation generators are available | Finding full text of articles is possible, but sometimes requires a few clicks to get to |
| Includes tools for saving research | |
| Lots of filters and sorting features | |
| Targeting searching is easier, results are focused |
Finding the Fulltext
What is 
?
FindIt@VU provides direct links from a database citation to the fulltext of the article (if available) and other supporting resources.
You'll also see FindIt@VU buttons in Library Catalog.
If we don't have a copy of what you need we can get it for you! Use the link below to request via Interlibrary Loan.
Relevant Databases
- Heard Libraries Database ListThe full A-Z list of databases available via the Vanderbilt Libraries.
- AGRICOLA This link opens in a new windowNational Agricultural Library's catalog. Publications and resources encompassing all aspects of agriculture and allied disciplines, including animal and veterinary sciences, entomology, plant sciences, forestry, aquaculture and fisheries, farming and farming systems, agricultural economics, extension and education, food and human nutrition, and earth and environmental sciences.
- Business Source Complete This link opens in a new windowCovers most business areas: management, marketing, economics, finance, accounting, & international business. Includes company reports, SWOT analyses, working papers, country reports, industry reports, case studies, etc.
- CINAHL Ultimate This link opens in a new windowCumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature: authoritative coverage of literature related to nursing and allied health professionals.
- Education Full Text This link opens in a new windowArticles, periodicals, yearbooks, series, and supplements on special education, educational tests, adult education, multicultural/ethnic education, teaching methods, continuing education, literacy standards, multicultural/ethnic education, etc.
- Emerald Insight This link opens in a new windowScholarly, peer-reviewed journals, books, and case studies from different areas of business, economics, education, engineering, health care, library science, organizational studies, sociology, and more.
- Environmental Studies and Policy This link opens in a new windowScholarly journals, magazines, and other reference sources covering environmental issues and policies. Perspectives from the scientific community, governmental policymakers, and corporate interests.
- ERIC (ProQuest version) This link opens in a new windowJournal articles, conferences, meetings, government documents, theses, dissertations, reports, audiovisual media, bibliographies, directories, books and monographs on education-related literature.
- GenderWatch This link opens in a new windowScholarly journals, magazines, newspapers, newsletters, regional publications, books and NGO, government and special reports that focus on how gender impacts a broad spectrum of subject areas.
- GreenFILE (EBSCO host) This link opens in a new windowInformation covering all aspects of human impact to the environment. Scholarly, government and general-interest titles on global warming, green building, pollution, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, recycling, and more.
- Health and Medicine (Gale OneFile) This link opens in a new windowHealth information resources: documents, articles, and book excerpts from nursing and allied health journals and other publications.
- Medline (Web of Science) This link opens in a new windowUS National Library of Medicine premier life sciences database. Biomedicine and life sciences, bioengineering, public health, clinical care, and plant and animal science. Search precisely with MeSH terms and CAS registry numbers; link to NCBI databases and PubMed.
- Mental Measurements Yearbook with Tests in Print This link opens in a new windowGuide to testing instruments. Contains information essential for a complete evaluation of test products within such diverse areas as psychology, education, business, and leadership. Comprehensive bibliography to all known commercially available tests that are currently in print in English. Includes test purpose, test publisher, in-print status, price, test acronym, intended test population, administration times, publication date(s), and test author(s).
- PAIS International This link opens in a new windowPublic Affairs Information Service: journal articles, books, government documents, statistical directories, grey literature, research reports, conference papers, web content, etc. covering issues in the public debate.
- ProQuest Research Library This link opens in a new windowMultidisciplinary scholarly journals, professional and trade publications, and general interest magazines.
- PsycINFO This link opens in a new windowAPA PsycINFO is a comprehensive indexing and abstracts of the international psychological literature. Journals, articles, books, dissertations, etc. Subjects include: applied psychology, communication systems, developmental psychology, educational psychology, experimental human and animal psychology, personality, psychological and physical disorders, physiological psychology and neuroscience, professional personnel and issues, psychometrics and statistics, social psychology, social processes and issues, sports psychology and leisure, treatment and prevention.
- PubMed This link opens in a new windowInternational journals in medicine, public health, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, and the preclinical sciences. Information from allied health, biological and physical sciences, humanities and information science as they relate to medicine and health care.
- Social Services Abstracts This link opens in a new windowBibliographic coverage of current research focused on social work, human services and related areas, including social welfare, social policy and community development. Abstracts and index of serials publications, journal articles, dissertations, and citations to book reviews.
- Sociological Abstracts This link opens in a new windowIndex of international literature in sociology and related disciplines in the social and behavioral sciences. Abstracts of journal articles, books, book chapters, dissertations, conference papers, and citations to book reviews.
- Statista This link opens in a new windowQuantitative data, statistics, infographics, and related information compiled from market research institutes, trade publications, scientific journals, and government databases.
