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4 Accessing Materials Shared in this Book

by Melissa Colón, Lydia Burrage-Goodwin, and Lucas Hall

 

Red, Yellow, Blue, and Purple Plastic Ball Toys by Dnessa Franklin. Unsplash. CC BY.

One of the goals of this book is to provide readers with high-quality resources that will deepen their understanding of Latine students and their communities. All the resources included in the book have been chosen by content experts, and the majority are free and accessible to the public. There are, however, some sources that will require a few additional steps for readers who are not affiliated with the University of Massachusetts Boston.

This is a black and white icon that looks like a sheet of paper or document, with a magnifying glass angled onto the document. In the center of the magnifying glass is a lowercase "i", for "information".

Many of our sources are articles from peer-reviewed journals, which are scholarly publications that are vetted by experts before they are published. This review process ensures publications meet the highest levels of academic and research standards. Articles published in peer-reviewed journals require that readers have special access to the journal where they are published, usually through a university or public library. The icon above indicates that our source (a peer-reviewed journal article, a book, or a film) is not open to everyone;  the link given will only work for University of Massachusetts Boston-affiliated readers.  Below, we include information on how you can access these important sources:

 

How to Access Peer-Reviewed Articles

Watch this short how-to video for step-by-step instructions on how to access peer-reviewed articles.

How to Access Peer-Reviewed Articles

There are several ways to access peer-reviewed articles for free.

1. Public Libraries:

The most important resource we all have access to is our public libraries and the librarians who work in them. Most public libraries provide free access to databases that hold peer-reviewed articles from academic journals, as well as eBooks and films. Their librarians also have a wealth of knowledge on how to access peer-reviewed articles for free.

2. WorldCat: 

WorldCat is a global catalog of library collections that allows users to search and request access to books, articles, journals, and other materials held in libraries worldwide, including your local library.

3. Google Scholar:

Google Scholar is a free search engine designed specifically for finding scholarly literature, including peer-reviewed articles. While some articles listed are freely available as full-text PDFs, others may require institutional access, which you can get through your local libraries.

4. Colleges and Universities:

If you are a student or alumnus of a college or university, you can access peer-reviewed academic journals (as well as eBooks and films) for free through your college library. In addition,  many colleges and universities also allow public access to research materials through institutional repositories or community programs.

 

We are committed to democratizing access to knowledge and research, and strongly recommend working with librarians to access materials that are of interest to you. This will save you time, money, and most importantly, connect you to the wonderful work of librarians whose mission is to help you get access to the information you need.

Now, let’s get started!

Media Attributions

License

Icon for the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Accessing Materials Shared in this Book Copyright © 2025 by Melissa Colón is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.

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