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Library Resources 2023

This guide provides instructions on how to access resources through the library.

Installing the Unpaywall Chrome Extension

To search for free and available resources on Google Scholar, we recommend you install the Unpaywall Chrome extension.

To install this extension, follow these steps:

  1. Open Chrome.
  2. Open the Unpaywall chrome extension link.
  3. Select the blue Add to Chrome- It's Free button.
  4. This will take you to the Chrome extension page for Unpaywall. Select the blue Add to Chrome button.
  5. A pop-up will appear asking if you would like to Add Paywall. Select Add Extension.Cropped screenshot of a web pop-up. Text reads Add "Unpaywall"? It can: Read and change all your data on the websites you visit. There are two buttons, including "Add Extension" and "Cancel."
  6. The extension will install and Chrome will take you to the welcome page for Unpaywall, which explains that a green tab next to a research article means it's free and available full-text. 
  7. To access articles, you then need to select the green lock and this will take you to the full-text PDF.Cropped screenshot of an academic article title. On the right side of the screenshot is a red circle highlighting a green lock icon.

Please note: The green tab will only appear on individual articles, not in your search results list. You will have to open each article you are interested in to confirm whether it is free.If you find an article that requires payment, do not pay for it. Instead, email us with the article details and we will try to get it for you.

Google Advanced Search

How to use Google Advanced Search

Cropped screenshot of the Google Advanced Search page for "Find pages with." The search boxes allow different search parameters like "all these words, this exact word, any of these words, none of these words, etc."

Cropped screenshot of the Google Advanced search page for "Then narrow your results by." There are search filters to narrow results. Filters available are listed in the text below image.

Start at the Google Advanced website. You can choose to customize your search by filling in information in the following search fields: all these words, this exact word or phrase, any of these words, none of the words, numbers ranging from _ to _.  Next, you can choose from options to narrow your results further: language, region, last update, site or domain, terms appearing, SafeSearch, file type, usage rights.

Example Search

For the example search I filled in the following fields (screen capture left below):

  • all these words: juvenile justice reform
  • language: English
  • region: United States
  • last update: past week
  • site or domain: .gov

The search results (screen capture right below) are from website that are .gov addresses, from the past week, containing the words juvenile justice reform in English.

Screenshot of an example search for the term "juvenile justice reform" next to a screenshot of the search results for the search term.

Google Scholar Advanced Search

How to use Google Scholar Advanced Search

Cropped screenshot of a Google Scholar search results page for the search term, "black lives matter." A red circle highlights the hamburger menu icon in the top left corner next. Selecting this menu opens options and a red circle highlights the Advanced Search option next to the magnifying glass plus sign icon.

Begin at Google Scholar. I started by searching the phrase black lives matter. On the results page (screen capture above), I clicked on the menu in the upper left hand corner and then clicked on Advanced Search.

Screenshots of the Google Scholar search results for the search term, "black lives matter." A pop up for advanced search options is shown in the bottom right corner. The advanced search shows the added keyword, "female" and the added filter: "articles dated 2019-2020."

The Advanced Search box popped up and then I was able to add more information to narrow my search results.  I added female and articles dated 2019-2020.