Troubleshooting guidance if you are having difficulty accessing online resources when you're off campus.
If you are unable to access online resources off-campus, look for a link to an OpenAthens login or Institutional login. Either follow the link to the OpenAthens Login or if you are shown the “Sign in with an OpenAthens account” page you should use the “Find your organisation” option on the right-hand side of the screen (you may need to scroll down on mobile devices). Start typing Canterbury and select the option from Canterbury Christ ChurchUniversity that appears. You will then be taken to a CCCU login page where you can sign in with your normal CCCU username (i.e. abc123@canterbury.ac.uk) and password.
Note: some online resource websites require additional clicks to authenticate your access to their service. If you are unable to access an online resource, check the list below for further advice.
Find this guide to referencing by selecting “Find Databases A-Z” from the main LibrarySearch page, click on “C” and then on “Cite them Right”.
If you are trying to use it from a link on Blackboard and it does not allow you fullaccess, try the following:
Find this tool for saving and managing your references by selecting “Find Databases A-Z” from the main LibrarySearch page, click on “R” and then on “RefWorks”.
Once you have signed in to OpenAthens you do not normally need to sign in again to access a journal article or ebook. However, you may need to click on extra links on the publisher’s webpage to confirm that you are from CCCU. These links include “Go to the Canterbury Christ Church log-in page”, “Athens”, “Athens login” and “OpenAthens”. At other times it may be “Institutional login” or “Access Management Federation” where you are usually prompted to select Canterbury Christ Church University from a list of universities.
Some publisher’s websites require additional clicks to authenticate your access to the full-text of a journal article. If you are unable to view an article, see which database the article is shown on and check the list below for further advice.
Note: you will need to personally register the first time you use ScienceDirect.
If you have difficulty accessing online library resources please check the following points.
For PC users, we recommend you use Google Chrome as your browser, as some online resources are not compatible with other browsers. Try the following steps:
If you still can’t access items:
Finally, if you still can’t, try using a different browser or try rebooting your pc (or use a different pc) and repeat the steps.
For PC users, most e-resources are downloaded as pdf files, viewable using Adobe Acrobat Reader. Please make sure that you have the latest version of this software which is available free from Adobe.
For Mac users, please ensure that the default pdf viewing software on your Mac is set to Adobe Acrobat Reader and not to Preview (the default pdf viewer which comes with all new Macs).
Your Learning & Research Librarian will be able to help you make the best use of online resources. You can contact your librarian through the Learning Skills Hub.
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