We have been experiencing some difficulties connecting to journals in the OVID and ScienceDirect (Elsevier) collections via the SFX linking system.  The OVID problem seems to occur only when connecting from off-campus while the ScienceDirect problem can occur regardless of location.

In both cases, it is still possible to obtain the desired journal article.

For ScienceDirect journals: ScienceDirect seems to be having trouble interpreting the article-level information from SFX.  Return to the SFX window, and remove the year, volume, issue and page number information from the boxes, then click on the red GO button again.  ScienceDirect will open to the entry point for the journal title; it will be necessary to select the volume and issue needed from the listing on the left, then find the required article in the table of contents.

For OVID Journals: Search in the library catalog for the required journal title; click the provided link to connect to OVID, then select the volume and issue needed from the display, and find the required article in the table of contents.

We are working to resolve both of these problems; please don’t hesitate to contact us if you need assistance.

Many of our library patrons have brought to our attention a sporadic problem they have encountered when attempting to open journal articles within OVID and other journal collections.  An article will appear to be available, but the user will receive a message that the file is “damaged” and cannot be opened.

Our systems staff are working on putting a permanent solution in place.  In the meantime, however, we ask that anyone who encounters this problem contact us, either via email at hslib@drexel.edu, or phone — 215-762-7184 so that we can assist you in obtaining the journal article.

Thank you for your patience while we work on a solution to this problem.

In early July, the Libraries announced that the CINAHL database would now be available only on the EBSCOHost platform. Due to new contractual agreements between CINAHL and EBSCO, CINAHL is no longer available through OVID.  All links on the Library website have been changed to reflect this.

While the EBSCOHost platform differs in some functionality, it does offer parallels to many of the popular OVID features:

Mapping to Subject Headings -> Suggest Subject Headings
The Advanced Search mode of EBSCO includes, by default, a function to map key words to CINAHL subject headings. The Subject Heading display includes Explode functions (i.e., include narrower subject headings in search) and subheadings.

Combining Searches – > On displaying the “Search History”, one can combine search terms to construct more complex search strategies.

Limits -> Refine Results
Search Options or Refine Results offers the full spectrum of limits: Peer Review, Research, Nursing journals only, etc.

Results Manager/Saved Searches -> “My Folder/My EBSCOHost”
Citations selected from a search are stored in the active Folder.  By creating a personal account (My EBSCOHost) stored citations and search strategies can be saved across sessions.  A folder sharing option offers the possibility of sharing search strategies and results between instructors and students or among the members of class.

Instructors who would like assistance in adapting CINAHL search assignments to the EBSCO platform should contact Gary Childs or Kathleen Turner in the Hahnemann Library.

Due to incompatibility with our ILLiad electronic Interlibrary Loan/Document Delivery service, we have had to discontinue the “Order” option formerly available through the OVID database search system.  Because document requests using the OVID “Order” function could not be transferred directly in to the ILLiad system, delays in processing requests were unavoidable, and the possibility of errors increased.

Those using OVID for searching MEDLINE or other databases can take advantage of our highly-efficient Interlibrary Loan service by way of SFX.  When OVID full-text is not available, and the SFX services menu does not offer other full-text or print options, select InterLibrary Loan (ILLiad) and log in to your ILLiad account to place a request directly.  We do recommend that you review the request form to ensure that information has transferred accurately from the OVID citation to the form.

For more information about our ILLiad service, please see http://www.library.drexel.edu/services/Interlibraryloan.html.