While many journals are available online, not all are free. Fortunately, there is a shift towards the free online availability of digital content—open access—to all scientific and scholarly research. Open access is particularly important to the public health workforce who often lacks the funding needed to pay for expensive journal subscriptions. If you are interested in the history of open access and how you can support this important development, please see the SPARC®, the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition website.
Several websites provide links to open access electronic journals and documents, and new journals are being added all the time.
Directory of Open Access Journals: Public Health
- PubMed Central
- Biomed Central
- Free Medical Journals.com
- Lamar Soutter Library
- Highwire Press
- Medscape (requires free registration)
Washington state residents can access online commercial databases through their local libraries at a discounted cost, thanks to the Statewide Database Licensing Project coordinated by the Washington State Library. Sixty-seven public libraries in Washington State participate in this program, which allows electronic access for patrons with a library card. To find the public library closest to you and apply for a library card, visit Libraries of Washington State.
Each public library offers a different series of electronic databases. To see a list of current electronic resources available in our region visit:
The ProQuest database offers full text articles on a diverse range of topics from magazines, journals, and newspapers, including some public health and medically oriented peer reviewed journals. If you would like training or assistance in the use of the ProQuest database, please e-mail us.
