The 10 Best Online Sources for Free Full Text Research Articles

If you are a high school student, at a small town school, with limited library access to the net, chances are you are having a problem finding research to support the papers you are asked to read. If you are a professional writer, in need of current research to support your position, then you also are in deep trouble when you go looking online for supporting material. The hunt-and-peck Google-it method can waste hours of your time. You will find plenty of full text articles, but it will cost you anywhere from $15 to $60 to purchase them, or even to get a look at them! The following is a list of the 10 best places to find full text research articles and resources online.

Today is June 16, 2007. As of today, each of the following links is working and each still carries FREE full text research articles.

1. Student BMJ (British Medical Journal) Today, I went to this site and did a search for schizophrenia. I got a return of 142 hits. Topic areas include: clinical, non-clinical, travel, global issues, medical school experiences, and life, as well as a few StudentBMJ areas.

2. The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons in Canada. Nice search function and good returns.

3. High-Wire Hosted Journals. This is the most comprehensive list of journals I have seen. It includes everything from endocrinology to war in history. Excellent search function. Returns both free and articles that must be purchased. However, there are plenty of free articles for even the most detailed research. This is a must see and must keep site.

4. Amnesty International. If you are looking for Human Rights documentation, the Amnesty International Library is the place to get it. Documented articles are available by country, area, and topic. This is a must keep resource for every writer.

5. Animal Concerns.org. This site has articles by topic. Topics include: Animal Health, Animal Rescue, Animal Wildlife, Animals as Food and Clothing, Animals in Entertainment, Breeding, Companion Animals, Factory Farms, Habitat Conservation, Hunting and Trapping, Laboratory Animals, Legislation, Violence, Abuse, & Neglect, and Working Animals. These articles seem to mostly be from newspapers and magazines, but some organizational statements are also included. When you are in a bind for resources, you can "fill" from here.

6. Animal Rights vs. Research. Sometimes you are required to take the opposite viewpoint. This site provides good articles and interviews, but you will have to go to inside pages to find them.

7. The Internet Public Library. Literary Criticism (and so much more!). My suggestion is that you set aside an hour to just wander around this site. There is so much here that it cannot possibly be explained in one short blurb. This is a must have resource for every student and every writer.

8. Audrey Thompson. The background on this website is far too busy, making it hard on the eyes to read. However, if you need articles on Gender, Racism, or the Philosophy of Education, this is certainly the place to get them.

9. Find Articles. This site has a "free articles only" search function that is actually quite good and covers a wide range of topics, including business.

10. Bartleby.com. This is one of the most comprehensive sites online and is another site that you will have to take some time to go through. Hit the drop-down menu for Select Search and take a look at what all is here. It is an absolutely necessary writer's resource.

There are many more writers' reference sites online. These are the ones that have proven to be the best tools for any writer. They must be bookmarked and they must also be studied. It is foolish to have a tool and not even be aware that it is at one's fingertips. I hope this helps ease the burden of documenting sources for everyone who calls this profession their own.