'Save' the results

Downloading full text to read on screen or print

The database you are using may provide you with access to the full text version of the works. Usually this is because your institution has paid a subscription to provide this service or because this particular work is freely available. Otherwise you will encounter a request for payment before you can access the document.

Full text documents can often be viewed as web pages (.html files) or as .PDF file (Acrobat). If the document is a .PDF file, you may get the option to download a page at a time, or the whole document all at once.

Saving documents

Depending on the facilities available, you can save documents to your computer's hard drive, a data stick or an external drive. If you are using a networked computer, for example at your institution, you may have some space on a 'networked drive' which you can save to. Remember some files can be large.

Emailing documents

This can be a convenient way to save files, however consider the file size when sending documents to your email account. If you send large or multiple files as email attachments the email may take time to download and there is a risk that the email will not be delivered.

Exporting to bibliographic software

If you are using a bibliographic software programme, such as EndNote, you may want to export the records directly into your own 'database' or 'library' of bibliographic references. Some databases have the ability to do this, see the downloading records information within the software for bibliography section of this tutorial.