Research papers tremendously enhance anyone’s resume and profile as an applicant. This can help you to get into your dream university for a Master’s or Ph.D. program.
However, choosing the best possible research topic for your thesis or dissertation in the shortest time is tricky. But, you know what is more difficult? Well, downloading any research paper just for free for reference is more complicated.
However, if you do not know where to begin or are just stuck somewhere in the middle, we have mentioned the complete process in this article. Therefore, make sure to read this article till the end.
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What Are The Best Methods To Download Research Papers/Journals For Free?
There are a plethora of methods that you can use to download any research paper without investing a single penny. But, yeah! Remember one thing: it might be possible that these methods may not work for some protected papers. Anyway, let’s move towards the methods that we have for you:
Method 1: Sci-Hub
I like this method as it is one of the easiest ways to download any research paper just by using the DOI of any paper. I had used this method previously when I was pursuing my graduation. Don’t worry! I will explain to you how you can use this site. So, let’s take a look at the steps:
- Firstsearch for the research paper you want to download. In my case, I’ve searched for “use of rice husk ash in concrete”.
- After that, look for the top website or publication such as Elsevier, Science Directetc., and open it.
- Then, locate and copy the DOI link as shown in the picture below:
- Now, open the Sci-Hub website. Then, paste the link there and hit the open button.
- Then, a PDF version of the research paper will open; simply hit the download button.
That’s it. Now, you will find that paper inside your PC’s download folder. So, that’s how you can download any paper using the DOI link. The DOI link is a unique identity provided by the publication to each article to make it easier for viewers to find it.
Method 2: Library Genesis
Another website, or we say directory, will help you download your research papers for free. It has over 2 million articles, journals, papers, etc., in the database. So, let’s take a look at how you can use this website to get the paper:
- First of all, go to the official website of the Library Genesis.
- Then, search for your paper topic and hit the enter key.
- Then, click on the paper that you need from the list of results and if there’s a download option available, simply download it directly. But, if there is no download button, copy the DOI link again and follow the method you use in the Sci-Hub.
Method 3: Unpaywall
It has a much larger database for its users, with over 21 million free scholarly articles from 50,000 different publishers and content repositories. However, you can use it by two methods, i.e., directly from the website or using the Google Chrome extension. Well, I think you should use the extension instead of the website to download research papers.
- First of all, you need to download the Unpaywall Chrome extension. Then, follow the on-screen instructions to install it.
- That’s it. Now, whenever you try to access an article in Unpaywall’s database, a green button appears on the screen, allowing you to download it directly.
Method 4: Get Permission From The Author
The above three methods that we have mentioned in this guide will work only for the papers that are open to all. But now, what can you do if the article’s author protected it and is not directly allowed to download or use it? In that case, when you open that article, there is a request button, or sometimes the author’s email address is available.
So, you need to mail them to express your appreciation for the concept they have explained in their research. However, you need that paper because you want to study it further to clarify things.
However, there is a 90 percent chance that the article’s author will agree and email you the PDF version of their paper. But, yeah! In some cases, they may ask you to pay for it. Therefore, it’s up to you whether that paper is valuable to you or not.
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From Editor’s Desk
These are some methods that I used while writing my research papers. You can also use them. I think the Sci-Hub website is one of the best, and it is highly recommended that you use it. It’s easy and fast.
We hope that you find this guide helpful. However, if you know of any other free method for downloading review or research papers, please let us know in the comments section.
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