SFX @ Your Library

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SFX- General Questions

· What is SFX?

· How can I use/access SFX?

· Who can use SFX?

SFX and Full Text

· Why is there sometimes more than one option for full text?

· Why does SFX sometimes go right to the article and other times to an abstract or table of contents?

· Why didn't I get a full text link for my article?

· What do I do if both a full text link and paper copy issue of the journal is not available in the library?

· Why is the full text option not available when I know the library has electronic access?

· Why don't I see any SFX links?

· Why can't I find SFX buttons or links in every database?

· What is the password to access a journal/database?

· When I go back to make a second selection from the SFX window, nothing seems to happen. What is going on?

· What does the address ‘about: blank’ mean?

· What do I do when I get an 'Error', a bad 'URL' or 'Not Found' message?

SFX Citation Linker

· What is the SFX Citation Linker and how do I use it?

· The SFX Citation Linker does not seem to be working. What should I do?

What is SFX?

SFX is a tool provided by the Library Service that creates shortcuts to full-text articles, if available, as well as links to additional Library services. This means that SFX enables the user to link from citations, in our different databases, to full text articles wherever they are available.

You will see an SFX button or link that connects you to a menu of options. Not all services will always appear on the menu when you click the SFX button. It depends on the resource that you are searching and the information available for the citation.

How can I use/access SFX?

In most cases, using SFX is as simple as looking for a button marked SFX . The location of this button varies depending on the database being searched. Sometimes it appears at the brief record level whilst other times you need to click on the detailed record in order to see it. Simply start a literature search in the database you normally use. Clicking on the SFX button or link opens up a menu that displays a list of available full-text or other services for the item.

Depending on the bibliographic reference you find, the following services are available in SFX:

Access to the full text record
Access to the table of contents
Access to the abstract

Who can use SFX?

On Campus
SFX is available to all registered students and staff members of the University of Stellenbosch as well as guests. This means that if you are using a computer directly connected to the University's network, you will see SFX buttons/links in some databases and will be able to use the SFX menu.

Off-Campus
SFX from off-campus is only available to our registered students and staff members. You will be prompted to log in. Use your US Campus Network username and password. If you are experiencing any problems in this regard, click here.

Why is there sometimes more than one option for full text?

There is an overlap among many electronic journal collections providing full text, so sometimes we link to more than one location. Some databases provide only the text (HTML) of the articles whilst others provide the text plus all graphics in formats such as PDF. Furthermore, providing access to more than one full text source is helpful in case one provider's system goes down.

Why does SFX sometimes go right to the article and other times to an abstract or table of contents?

How close the SFX link will take you to the actual article depends on the policies of the journal and database publishers. In some cases, you will be taken directly to the article and in other cases to a table of contents for the issue that includes the article or the homepage of the journal. At that point, you may need to navigate or perform a search to locate the specific article.

Why didn't I get a full text link for my article?

There are four likely reasons why you didn't get a full text:

· The Library & Information Service doesn't subscribe to the title in electronic form.

· The journal may be exclusively published in hard copy.

· The SFX link may appear before the journal publisher allows access to its full text online (EMBARGO).

· The journal or database publisher may not be compatible with SFX linking software standards

Check our LIBRARY CATALOGUE to see if we have a paper copy available on the shelf.

You might also consider to search on GOOGLE SCHOLAR to see if the journal is available online at no charge. It might be possible that an article is available online, but not in a database to which the Library Service subscribes to.

What do I do if both a full text link and paper copy issue of the journal is not available in the library?

To get hold of resources that are not available in the library, please contact
INTERLIBRARY LOANS and they will request a copy of the journal article from another library.

Why is the full text option not available when I know the library has electronic access?

The publisher of the full text may not be compatible with the SFX linking software. In this case, please make use of our E-JOURNALS which will give you access to the journal.

Why don't I see any SFX links?

There are several reasons why the SFX button may not be appearing in the information resource you are searching:

· The resource does not (yet) support SFX

· You will only see SFX links after you have searched an SFX enabled database. The button will only appear in a bibliographical citation, or in the full record of the citation

· You are currently working outside the campus and you did not establish the same connection to the Library's network as within the campus. To connect to the information source through the campus network, click here.

Why can't I find SFX buttons or links in every database?

This could happen for several reasons:

· A SFX button will appear in different places, depending on the database. This means that sometimes you will find the button, for instance, on the article abstract screen and sometimes on the full record screen.

· The database is not compatible with SFX software.

What is the password to access a journal/database?

Only a few journals require special passwords for access to their full-text articles. If a password is required, a note should appear on the SFX services menu about whom to contact for the required information. If you are still experiencing problems after using the required password, please contact us so we may fix the problem.

What does the address 'about: blank' mean?

This is a problem limited to Internet Explorer. When you select a service on the menu, SFX has to search another resource. 'About: blank' is shown while the search is taking place. Once results are displayed, it will be replaced by the correct address of the resource.

What do I do when I get an 'error', a bad 'URL' or 'not found' message?

If the article you need is very recent, it is possible that it has not yet been loaded on the publisher's website, so SFX cannot retrieve it. Unfortunately, you have to wait for the publisher to add it to the site. Another problem could be that our SFX links are wrong and need to be updated. Please let us know about any problems you may have by sending an error report so that we can fix them.

When I go back to make a second selection from the SFX window, nothing seems to happen. What is going on?

This problem is limited to Internet Explorer. When you first click on an option on the SFX menu, Internet Explorer opens a secondary browser window on top of your already open windows. In the case where you make another selection, that secondary browser window may appear below or behind the current window. To solve this problem, you might want to drag the secondary browser window to another portion of your screen so that it's not blocked by the SFX menu/window. Another solution would be to use Netscape or some other browser.

What is the SFX Citation Linker and how can I use it?

The SFX Citation Linker allows you to access a menu of SFX links using a citation without having to perform a database search. In some cases this will include a shortcut link to online full-text articles. First click on the appropriate tab for the type of citation you have(article or journal ). Then enter as much information as you have in the appropriate boxes on the online form and click on the SFX button or hit the ENTER key on you keyboard.

If you have a citation in hand from a bibliography or reading list and would like to go directly to the SFX menu for that citation, try using SFX Citation Linker.

The SFX Citation Linker does not seem to be working. What should I do?

The following tips may help solve the problem:

· The name of the journal (or ISSN) must be filled in.

· Some standardized journal abbreviations work, but complete a journal name or ISSN is the most effective.

· Check for typographical errors; spelling and spacing count!

· The ampersand (&) character does not work; spell out the word “and.”

· Leave out punctuation marks on standard journal abbreviations. For example, enter j virol NOT j. virol.

· The pull-down menu adjacent to the journal entry box provides three options: Contains, Begins with, or Exact match. If you are uncertain of the exact journal name, try one of the other options and search for keywords from the journal name.

· Finish filling out the online form before you hit the Return or Enter key on your computer or you will submit an unfinished form.

If you are still experiencing problems, please ask your librarian for assistance or send us an error report.

Images from www.allposters.com & Ex Libris