A step-by-step process to get full access to most scientific & academic articles and papers

Step 1: search the title at http://scholar.google.com. If a pdf or full-text is available, it will show up as a link on the right-hand side of the search result. This works to find full text for the majority of papers. If it doesn't work, then... Step 2: create/log in to a free http://researchgate.net account, and search for the title. Sometimes the full text will already be there. If not, click the "Request full-text" button to request it from the author (and write them a nice note). Unfortunately, ResearchGate may require an institutional email address or proof of having published prior research/being connected to scientific research in order to create an account. If that doesn't work, then... Step 3. go to the r/scholar subreddit: https://reddit.com/r/Scholar/ and request the paper. Make sure to follow the Posting Guidelines. And...Of course, there is another approach that many people use, but this approach is controversial: https://bit.ly/3FPpEkU And if all of those methods fail, you can email one of the authors directly asking for a full-text copy (academics often have a personal website that provides their contact info). — If you found this helpful, note that each week Spencer Greenberg sends out One Helpful Idea via email (a 30-second read aiming to help you understand the world or improve your life), along with a new podcast episode where he discusses 4 or 5 "ideas that matter" with a brilliant guest. If you're interested, you can sign up here: https://bit.ly/onehelpfulidea