A Fool for Full Text

“It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.” -- Mark Twain (American Humorist, Writer and Lecturer. 1835-1910)
“The trouble with the world is that the stupid are cocksure and the intelligent are full of doubt” -- Bertrand Russell (English Logician and Philosopher 1872-1970)

I’m a fool for full text. Abstracts can be more or less helpful, depending on how well written they are. But for maximum information value, nothing beats full text.

Not only for the content … but for these other elements as well …

1) Introduction … often the author(s) will explain not only WHAT they did, but WHY they did it. In other words, what is the significance of the research?
2) References … Sometimes, the list of referenced articles is the most valuable part of the article in hand. The list provides multiple starting points for further online research. It also provides a list of authors, i.e., potentially useful contacts.

So how, in the increasingly commercial world of scientific inquiry, do you obtain the full text of relevant articles?

Two suggestions …

1) Search your subscribed online databases, like EbscoHost or ScienceDirect. Depending in the terms of your subscription, you may have access to “free” (i.e., prepaid by your organization) full text of the aticle(s) of interest. If you do not know what your organization subscribes to, ask your librarian
2) Consider ILL-Interlibrary Loan … This is a service provided by cooperating libraries all over the U.S. Subject to terms and conditions, many of the articles you want to view in full text can be obtained through your librarian’s connections with cooperating libraries.

Failing either of the above options, fall back on the pay-per-view option offered by most publishers … requires a valid credit card.

CASE STUDY
Dr. Amarjit Bakshi (abakshi@rhtgulfcoast.com) has over 32 years experience in Engineering Management at senior level in Process Engineering, Technology, Operations and Project Management, Licensing, Acquisitions, Alliances and Business Development. He has produced a number of patents and written several articles for professional journals.

As such, he may be worth further investigation for possible collaboration. One step to take before contacting him would be to obtain and read the articles he has written. Three of his most recent are listed below.

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“Reducing ether and biodiesel productions costs” (PTQ 2008 Q1)
“Selective hydrogenation of hydrocarbons” (PTQ 2007 Q3)
“Sulfuric Acid Alkylation” (PTQ 2007)
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Obtaining full text of articles from PTQ-Petroleum Technology Quarterly is particularly challenging. As far as I know, the only way other than ILL (mentioned above) is to use your credit card to download the full text from the publisher’s site. Or, if you or your organization subscribes to ePTQ (www.eptq.com), you should be able to download articles at no charge (to your unit, that is).

Remember … if you need full text and are unsure of the best way to get it, contact your librarian or other information professional for advice.
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Jean Steinhardt is an independent information professional specializing in training people to maximize their online research effectiveness. View his LinkedIn Profile at: www.linkedin.com/in/jeansteinhardtresearch ... invitations to join your LinkedIn network are welcome.