Q. How do I search for Open Access content at LJMU?

Searching for open access content using Library Discover

• Launch Library Discover
• Use the Open Access filter on the left-hand side on the results page
• Open Access content indexed in Library Discover will be identified with an orange open padlock
• Select the full text link

Searching for open access content using Database Search

Use the Database Search to search databases that contain open access content, for example DOAJ, DOAB and CORE:

• DOAJ – Directory of Open Access Journals – you can search for open access articles and journals from across the world.
• DOAB – Directory of Open Access Books – use this to find a wealth of open access scholarly books as well as helping authors find trusted open access publishers.
• CORE - the world's largest collection of open access research papers

Searching for open access content using Unpaywall

Use Unpaywall to link to content from over 50,000 publishers and repositories. There is a Library FAQ with the steps to do this. Unpaywall is available for both Chrome and Firefox.

For Google Chrome use the installation link from the Unpaywall site.

For Firefox follow the steps below:

1. Open Mozilla Firefox.
2. In the Firefox window, type "Firefox Unpaywall extension" in the address bar and choose the first result.
3. Select the Add to Firefox button in the upper right corner of the page

4. A small popup window will appear. Select the Add Extension button:

   Please note: The popup window explains that Unpaywall can "read and change all your data on the websites you visit". Unpaywall must be able to read the pages and change them to add download buttons. No data about you or your searches is tracked. 

5. The plugin is now ready to use. You can close the window and proceed to browse normally.
6. If there is a freely available version of the research article you are looking for, you will see a green tab with a white open padlock inside. Select the Unpaywall symbol to access the article in full.
7. If the full text is not openly available, the tab will be grey and the padlock closed.