There are two main reasons.  Firstly we may not have access to the journal article you need, and secondly we may not have access to the article on the journal platform you have found the article on, but we may have access through another service.

To check if we have access to the article you need to use the Search box on the Library webpage.  Search using the journal publication title, rather than the article title, to see if the Library has a subscription.  If the Library has a subscription the journal should appear near the top of the results.  Check the journal record to see if the subscription includes the year the article you need was published.  If we have access, click the link to access it, then browse to the year and issue for the article you need, or search on the journal homepage.

If prompted to login enter your email address and password at the University of St Andrews Microsoft login page.

If the Library doesn't have access to the article you need you can request it using the Inter-Library Loans service.

If you've had any problems accessing an article which you think the Library should have access to, please email us with the details and we'll investigate and get back to you.