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Table 3 Mechanisms through which to retrieve full-text systematic reviews free of charge or at little cost once identified through database searches

From: SUPPORT Tools for evidence-informed health Policymaking (STP) 7: Finding systematic reviews

Mechanism

Comments

HINARI

Who is eligible to use it?

 

• Institutions in selected low- and middle-income countries have either free access or low-cost access. To check if an institution is already registered or if an institution is located in a country that is eligible for free or low-cost access, go to: HINARI

 

How can it be accessed?

 

• An institution must register and all staff are then given unlimited access

 

• Alternatively if a computer is recognised as being based in an eligible country, users may access HighwireFreeAccessforDevelopingCountries (which includes HINARI and other selected resources)

 

What resources are provided for research results?

 

• A scientific abstract and full-text article for all included journals

Cochrane Library

Who is eligible to use it?

 

• Institutions in selected countries have free access - to check if a country (or region) is covered by a programme for low-income countries or by a subscription, go to: CochraneLibrary

 

How can it be accessed?

 

• Country-or region-specific access details are available at the same site

 

What resources are provided for research results?

 

• A scientific abstract, lay summary, and full-text review for all Cochrane reviews, as well a summary of some form for the three most relevant constituent databases described in Table 1

 

Note

 

• The Cochrane Library can also be accessed through HINARI

Journals

Who is eligible to use them?

 

• Anyone

 

How can they be accessed?

 

• Websites of open-access journal publishers

 

   - BioMedCentral (journals beginning with BMC and select others)

 

   - OpenJournalsPublishing (many journals beginning with 'South African' and select others)

 

   - PublicLibraryofSciences (journals beginning with PLoS)

 

   - SciELO(ScientificElectronicLibraryOnline) (many journals from Latin America and the Caribbean)

 

• Directories of open-access and/or free journals

 

   - DirectoryofOpenAccessJournals

 

   - FreeMedicalJournals

 

   - OpenJ-Gate

 

• Repositories through which journal publishers make available articles (often after a defined time period)

 

   - PubMedCentral

 

   - BiolineInternational (journals from Brazil, Cuba, India, Indonesia, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, Zimbabwe)

 

What resources are provided for research results?

 

• A scientific abstract and full-text article for all included journals