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SFX FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
1. What is SFX?SFX is a tool to help you link from an article citation in a database to the full text of that article. This is necessary because some of our databases contain full text and others just contain citations to articles. Before SFX, these databases did not link to one another. Click on
this button to access SFX services: The SFX menu offers options and services related to that article. You may:
If the full text of the article is not available online, you may:
Not all of our databases are configured to work with SFX yet, but more will be added. Some databases do not currently support the SFX technology. 2. Where can I use SFX? Databases
with the SFX service enabled will have this symbol in Vera
(our listing of databases and e-journals): For a complete list of databases enabled with SFX see: http://libraries.mit.edu/sfx-sources. 3. Who can use SFX?SFX links will appear in databases licensed for the MIT community. These databases and SFX links are available to anyone using computers on the MIT campus. MIT community members have off-campus access using MIT web certificates. 4. Why didn't I get a full text link for my article?Possible reasons include:
In any of these cases, check Barton: MIT Libraries' catalog for online or print versions. 5. Why is there more than one option for full text for some journals?There is overlap among our electronic journal collections and databases, so sometimes you will find that the full text is available from more than one source. 6 . I clicked on "Full text available via...", but I only got to the journal's home page. Why?SFX will try to get you as close as it can to the full text of the article. Often, because of the structure of the journal publisher's web site, SFX cannot link directly to full text. Sometimes the best SFX can do is to take you to the table of contents or the journal's home page, and you will have to navigate the publisher's site yourself to get to the full text. Essentially, a full text link in SFX means that full text is available, but you may have to follow a few extra links to get to it. 7. Why did I get no hits when I clicked on "Check availability in Barton: MIT Libraries' Catalog"? I'm sure MIT must own this - what happened?The SFX option for checking availability in Barton: the MIT Libraries' catalog is a very convenient feature that works most of the time, but it isn't 100% accurate. Because of differences in cataloging and indexing practices, the search will occasionally not find materials that MIT does own. Think of SFX as a convenient shortcut most of the time, but if it turns up no results you should try searching Barton yourself. If you do not find what you are looking for, ask a librarian for help - Ask Us!. 8. What do I do when I get a "bad URL" or "Error 404", or some other "not found" message?If the article you need is a very recent article from a journal, it's possible the article has not been loaded on the journal publisher's web site, so SFX cannot retrieve it. Unfortunately, you have to wait for the publisher to add it to their site. Another problem could be that our SFX links are not functioning properly and need to be updated. Please let us know about any problems: Ask us! 9. In Web of Science, why do I get an error when I click on the SFX button?When using Netscape to access Web of Science, you need to set your preferences to allow popups (in Netscape, go to: Edit > Preferences > Privacy & Security > Popup Window > select "Allow popups"). 10. What is the technology behind SFX?SFX uses the OpenURL standard. The OpenURL is a protocol for interoperability between an information resource and a service component that offers localized services in an open linking environment. It is in effect an actionable URL that transports metadata, or keys to access metadata, for the object for which the OpenURL is provided. The target of the OpenURL is the user's institutional service component (ISC). The remainder of the OpenURL transports the object's metadata. The format specification for OpenURL can be found at http://library.caltech.edu/openurl/Standard.htm 11. What is the MIT Libraries' OpenURL resolver address?The OpenURL resolver address is: "http://owens.mit.edu:8888/sfx_local/", version 0.1. 12. Who do I contact for additional help?If you have questions please ask a librarian for help - Ask Us!
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