Now That I’ve Found It … How Do I Get It?

“Whoever said money can't buy happiness simply didn't know where to go shopping.” -- Bo Derek (American Actress, b.1956)

 

 

Searching for useful articles is one thing.  Shopping for them is another.

 

To put it another way, just because you can FIND an article on the Web doesn’t mean you can read it.  Most of the time you have to pay for that privilege.

 

If you are a solo act, this is not much of a problem.  You just enter your credit card number and download the article.

 

If, however, you operate within a corporate structure, the process becomes more complicated.  In this post, we offer some shopping tips for your situation.  But first, here is a concrete example of what you no doubt have encountered.

 

A Google® Scholar search for biodesulfurization produces the following four results, among others:

 

///////

Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology, March 2013, Volume 97, Issue 5, pp 2193-2200

Kinetic analysis of biodesulfurization of model oil containing multiple alkyl dibenzothiophenes

 

Shi-Han Zhang, Han Chen, Wei Li

Institute of Environmental Engineering, Zhejiang University, Zijingang Campus, Hangzhou, 310058, China

source: http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00253-012-4048-6#

Purchase on Springer.com: $39.95

///////

Advanced Materials Research, 825, 508 (2013), Pages 508-511, DOI 10.4028/www.scientific.net/AMR.825.508

Influences of pH Buffers on the Growth of Acidithiobacillus thiooxidans and Biodesulfurization Efficiency

 

Xiao Rong Liu, Chang Su, Sheng Cai Jiang, Yan Jun Liu, Hui Li

source: http://www.scientific.net/AMR.825.508

Purchase on www.scientific.net: $28.00

///////

International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation, Volume 86, Part C, January 2014, Pages 343–348

Taguchi optimization of dibenzothiophene biodesulfurization by Rhodococcus erythropolis R1 immobilized cells in a biphasic system

 

P. Derikvand (a), Z. Etemadifar (a), D. Biria (b)

a Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Isfahan, Hezarjarib St., 81746-73441 Isfahan, Iran

b Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Advanced Sciences and Technology, University of Isfahan, Hezarjarib St., 81746-73441 Isfahan, Iran

source: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0964830513003612

Purchase on ScienceDirect: $35.95

///////

Petroleum Science and Technology, Volume 31, Issue 21, 2013, pages 2250-2257

A Two-stage Immobilized Cell Bioreactor With Bacillus subtilis and Rhodococcus erythropolis for the Simultaneous Production of Biosurfactant and Biodesulfurization of Model Oil

 

A. Amin (a), S. A. Bazaid (b) & M. Abd El-Halim (c)

a Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Science , Taif University , Taif , Saudi Arabia

b Department of Biology, Faculty of Science , Taif University , Taif , Saudi Arabia

c Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science , Taif University , Taif , Saudi Arabia

source: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10916466.2011.565292

Purchase on Taylor & Francis: $46.00

 

///////

 

Here we have four articles from four different vendors requiring four different transactions.  Again, if you are working solo, this is not such a problem.  But if you are working in a corporate environment, you have to contend with two conflicting imperatives.  They are:

 

• Cost control
• Efficient delivery

 

Here is a structure which works well in many corporations …

 

To ensure cost control, designate two individuals within your corporate unit to act as gatekeepers for document acquisition. One of the two individuals can serve as the primary approver.  The other can serve as an alternate in case the primary is not available for some reason.  A researcher who needs an article can contact one or the other of these two individuals to request purchase of an article.  The request can be approved or denied. If approved, the approver forwards the request for purchase.

 

To ensure efficient delivery, two individuals should be designated as authorized users of one (or two) corporate credit cards.  One of the two individuals can serve as the primary purchaser. The other can serve as an alternate in case the primary is not available for some reason.

 

And here’s another tip: As time goes on, it may become apparent that one or more vendors receive the bulk of article purchase requests.  At this point, it would be worthwhile to consider a subscription that would (a) reduce the time involved in multiple individual purchases, and (b) reduce the cost per item purchased.