How to find free copies of journal articles?

Finding free journal articles is feasible through legitimate open access sources, institutional affiliations, or author-provided copies. Primary options include open access repositories, university library subscriptions, and direct author requests. Search institutional repositories like BASE or CORE using article identifiers. Utilize university library portals while on-campus or via VPN for subscription access. Contact corresponding authors for personal copies, respecting copyright. Preprint servers often host near-final manuscripts. Verify publisher embargo periods before sharing self-archived versions. First, search open-access aggregators (e.g., Google Scholar, Unpaywall) using DOI/title. If unavailable, access institutional subscriptions via your university library login. Alternatively, email the corresponding author professionally requesting a preprint. Finally, check discipline-specific repositories like arXiv or PubMed Central for permitted versions. These methods support ethical scholarly communication and broaden research accessibility.