Can anyone help?

[Mrsmaudwatts]

Ive spent 3 months working solidily on a PhD research proposal, just had some feedback, all pretty good but I need to make some big amends. But today.... My library access (from uni I did my MA at) has expired. I begged on the phone for an extra week but they said no. And I get it. I'm not longer a student there. So I do get it but I am now pretty fucked.

In doing the best I can with abstracts and any articles I can find but I can't access the things i really need, without proper access to the full journals. What on earth do I do? My local uni library won't even let you in if you're not a student, and I don't live anywhere near my old library, who would let me in as an alumni...

I don't know anyone at the local uni library either otherwise I would have asked to gomin with them or something.

It was going to be tough going fitting all the changes in with deadline anywsy, but now I'm just feel like giving up. I've spent hours on the internet trying the find things, googling alternative ways to access and it just seems impossible.

How on earth do people who don't have access to a uni library so it? I'm in sobbing and feeling pathetic but it's so frustrating. I'm so close, I've spent the last 3 months spending every spare minute working on this fucking proposal for what seems like nothing now. I've sacrificed most of Christmas (I work ft so it's all be evening/weekend and lots of all nighters) which was really hard on my whole family.

I'm hoping someone will have a magical answer. Or a bucket of gin. Or something.

[Fraula]

Can your uni give you a non-student membership? Which subject?

[Fraula]

No one you could borrow a card/log in from?

[Mrsmaudwatts]

Nope, no-one. My old uni will allow me physical access buy not online, and I'm not physically close to it anymore. I'm just so bloody gutted. I found a commercial kind of version of open Athens but even that doesn't have the journals I need, there are about 8 I really need access to, so even purchasing invidiudal access isn't possible.

[InDubiousBattle]

E mail the corresponding author of the papers?

[Mrsmaudwatts]

I'm keeping getting really annoyed with DH cos he keeps saying 'you'll sort something out, don't worry" like I'm derren fucking brown or something.

I'm.not worried. Im fucking pissed off with the world! I know he's trying to help but it's really not helping

[Mrsmaudwatts]

Indubious, I've don't that with a few. I just don't hold out much hope..I'm just reaching this new little bit so I didn't not know exactly which ones I'll need yet, you know when you're just in that stage of reading, which leads you to something else etc. I only have a week left, I can't imagine people will respond quickly.

Ill keep going doing that with the ones that seen key , although the it's not always easy to tell from an abstract.

[ANiceLentilHotpot]

You might have already tried this but this course has some ideas and links for accessing literature with having access to a university Discover your PhD Potential

You have to register but it's a free course - steps 3.4 to 3.6 (week 3) might be useful?

[Mrsmaudwatts]

Thanks lentil, I'll have a look

[donajimena]

Is there anything to stop a student at a uni giving these to you? Is it frowned upon or is it a complete no no?

[parietal]

science or arts?

for science,
searching on google-scholar will also often give a link to a free version of the paper if it is available.

lots of academic papers are available for free on Sci-hub (it is like napster for papers - probably not legal but often works).

sometimes if you post on twitter with the #icanhazpdf a nice person with university access will send you the pdf

and if you have any friends still inside the university network, email them and ask.

[whatthefoxsaid]

Could the people who gave you feedback on your proposal not pull a few strings with the library?
Would also like to know if it's frowned on donajimena as I'm not sure about it but would be happy to help OP if it's allowed. I had a spell of no access and my supervisor sent me some full articles that I couldn't get through scholar.

[Mrsmaudwatts]

Thank you all so much for listening and trying to help. A very very kind soul has helped me out! So I have what I need. Thank you internet!!! Phew! Thanks all!!!

[Booboostwo]

Are you a member of Academia.edu and Researchgate.net?

Then there are discipline specific ones as well, e.g. in philosophy PhilPapers.

Also try on FB there are discipline specific groups that help out, e.g. the Philosophical Underclass.

Try the author's home page.

Open an individual account of JStor, it allows you to view 3 articles at a time.

And of course Sci-Hub check with the DOI.

For books check on Torrent.

Can you tell I am an independent researcher?!

[ghislaine]

Can you get a SCONUL card as an alumni which would allow you access to the closer library?

Purchase a weekly or monthly membership to an academic library?

Look on SSRN for pre-publication versions? And this link has links to other open access repositories in other disciplines: medium.com/@PaulGowder/ssrn-has-been-captured-by-the-enemy-of-open-knowledge-b3e5bca6751d

I also found this, although I don't know how reliable it is: 100 university libraries with free online access

[ghislaine]

Whoops! Should have RTWT before posting.

[Orchiddingme]

Glad your saviour turned up! I use Unpaywall a lot these days.