Locate the work, then the version

Use WorldCat to investigate editions and library holdings. Compare the catalogue record with the title page or publisher's record when you obtain the work. A catalogue entry can help identify a book without supplying its full text or guaranteeing that a particular library will provide access.

For journal articles, use Crossref's metadata search to check a DOI against the author, title and journal. A persistent identifier helps locate a work across website changes; it is not an assessment of the argument or evidence in that work. Read the publisher's record for corrections or version information.

Find accessible copies responsibly

The Directory of Open Access Journals is a general discovery tool across disciplines. Search by subject and by a known title, then confirm the article and journal on their own sites. Keep a note of the version consulted and the date you accessed it.

A search result, abstract, accepted manuscript and published article can differ. Do not attribute a statement to the full article if you have read only the abstract. If access is limited, cite the material you actually examined and use a library's assistance to pursue the rest.

Preserve a useful research trail

For a web source that has moved, consult the Wayback Machine using the exact old address. Record the capture date separately from the publication date. An archive may preserve only part of a page, and the absence of a capture does not establish that a page never existed.

Researchers working with larger bibliographies can consult Crossref's metadata documentation, but a small project can begin with a simple table: claim, source, version, locator and access date. The tool matters less than keeping enough information for another reader to identify the same evidence.

References

  1. WorldCat

    Locate editions and library holdings. A catalogue record does not guarantee full-text access.

  2. Crossref: Metadata and DOI lookup

    Check a work's title, author, journal and DOI against its publisher record.

  3. Crossref: Retrieving metadata

    Documentation for researchers who need structured publication metadata.

  4. Directory of Open Access Journals

    Discover open-access journals and articles across disciplines.

  5. Internet Archive: Wayback Machine

    Look for earlier versions of a cited web address. Capture coverage and playback availability vary.

Filed under Sources & methods. Sources and corrections.