1. Before heading to the library website, check Google Scholar (www.scholar.google.ca). Some papers are available for free in pdf or html format. If not, it might at least give you more information about the paper you want before you have to go looking for it (such as the journal issue number).

2. Go to the MacOdrum Library website (www.library.carleton.ca). Here you can search by Book, Article, Database, or Journal. 

• Notes:
• The Database and Articles options are good for preliminary research or browsing. However, for more specific searches it is best to use Books or Journals. 
• The Books option is set to a default of Keyword instead of Title. Don't forget to change this or you might have trouble finding the book you're looking for. 

3. To find specific journal articles, choose the Journals option in the menu. Enter the journal title in the search bar (for example, Psychological Science).

4. Select the journal you want from the search results. This should lead you to several different options- the journal is usually available from several different sources. Try to pick the one with the most available dates (for example, for Psychological Science, JSTOR only has articles published up to 2007 while SAGE has the most recent issues as well). 

• Notes: 
• If the article you're looking for is very old, it's possible that Carleton will not have access to an online version. For such articles, you will have to find the print version using the call number provided. Most of them will be on floor 1 of MacOdrum Library, and you can photocopy them in the Carleton Copy Shop (also on floor 1). 

5. At this point, you will be asked for your Patron Barcode, which you can find on your campus card. This is not your student/faculty number, but the number at the very bottom of the card. Enter this number, as well as your PIN (the same one you use to log into Carleton Central).

6. Once you get to the journal provider, there should be an option like "all issues" or "archive" (if you are not looking for the most recent volume). Select the correct volume and number and you should be able to download the article as a pdf. Most journals also have a search feature in case the article you're looking for is difficult to find. 

7. If Carleton does not provide access to a certain journal, you can usually find it using RACER (http://www.library.carleton.ca/services/interlibrary-loans). If you are a first-time RACER user you will have to register using the form provided on this page. Your new RACER account may take a few days to become active. 

8. Once you have an account, log in to RACER. Your "Login" is your student/faculty number, not your barcode. 

9. Select "Blank Request Form" from the "My Account" menu on the left. You can use this search to find individual chapters from books ("Part of book") or entire journal articles ("Article printed"). The fields in red are required in order to submit the form- you can omit the rest. 

10. Once you have filled in the fields, double check that you have requested an email link and not "Circulation Desk". Submit your request. 

11. You will receive your link at the email address you provided when you registered. This can take a few weeks depending on the article. There are usually two emails, one to inform you that your request has arrived, and one containing the link to the article. Make sure you only click the link once, and save the paper immediately after you have opened it. It expires after that and you will not be able to re-access it. 

12. If you still can't find the article you're looking for, the MacOdrum Library staff might be able to advise you on where else you could look.