Getting Started with Omni

If you’re having trouble getting to Library e-resources, try these easy steps first:

1. Clear your browser’s cookies and cache, or open a private/incognito window and try again.
2. Try a different browser—if you usually use Chrome, give Firefox or Safari a try.
3. Try your search in Omni if you’re using Google Scholar or another website.
4. Is it the start of a new semester? Contact us to check that your Library account is set up and working.

Sometimes a link may be broken or there might be a technical issue. If that happens, click the Report an Issue button in Omni to let the Library know—we’ll look into it and help you get access.

This error usually happens because of a problem with your browser. Try these quick fixes:

• Clear your browser’s cookies and cache, then try the link again;
• Or, open a private/incognito window and try the link there.

Still not working? Use the Report an Issue button in Omni to let the Library know, and we’ll look into it and help you get access.

If you don’t see links right away, click the title or the Available Online link in your search result.

That will take you to the full details screen, where you’ll find the links under Full Text Availability to access the item.

The “Get It at Guelph” button searches for the item in the Library’s collection. If we have it, you’ll see Full Text Availability links in Omni.

If we don’t have it, those links won’t show up. In that case, click Borrow from Another Library to request a copy through Interlibrary Loan.

Want to learn more? Visit our Interlibrary Loan page.

Sometimes Omni finds an article from a journal we don’t fully subscribe to. If the article is outside of the time period the Library has access to, you’ll only see the abstract (a short summary).

To check, look below the Full Text Availability link—you’ll see the years the Library has access to. If the article is from outside that range, that’s why the full text isn’t available. In that case, click Borrow from Another Library to request a copy through Interlibrary Loan.

Want to learn more? Visit our Interlibrary Loan page.

Sometimes the link will take you right to the article, but other times it just goes to the journal’s homepage. If that happens, don’t worry—you can still get to the article.

You can use the journal’s site menu to find the right volume, issue, and then the article you need.

Journal supplements are special issues that often include content from conferences—like summaries of presentations, speaker abstracts, or posters. These look like regular abstracts, but they’re actually the full content, not just a preview of a longer article.

Want to check if you’re looking at a supplement?

• Look at the article’s citation—it might link to the full table of contents.
• Check to see if “S” for supplement is included in the journal issue number (e.g. S1).
• In the table of contents, see if it mentions conference abstracts, speaker abstracts, oral presentations, or posters. These are usually shorter than standard journal articles.

If you search for a book title, Omni might show you book reviews instead of the book itself. These reviews count as articles, not books.

To fix this, use the Resource Type filter on the left-hand side and choose “Books & eBooks” to narrow your results to just books. Or use Advanced Search and set the Resource Type to Books & eBooks.

For more search tips, see How to search Omni.

Some journals include a mix of free (Open Access) and paid articles. Even if you see the Open Access icon, the article you're trying to read might still be behind a paywall.

If you can't get to it, you can request it through Interlibrary Loan. Just click the Get It from Another Library link in the Omni record.

Want to learn more? Check out our Interlibrary Loan page.

Some journals publish a mix of content—like research articles, book reviews, and editorials. The peer-reviewed icon shows up for all of these because it’s based on the journal as a whole, not the individual article. So even if an article has the icon, it might not be peer-reviewed.

Need help figuring out which articles are peer-reviewed? Check out our tips to find scholarly articles.