Document Delivery

If the Library does not hold the title you need,
and it is not available via NHS ATHENS, we can order it for you:

Who can make requests?
What can be supplied?
How will it be supplied?
How to make a request
How long does it take?
Copyright Legislation – what you can and can’t do with an article we supply
Contact

New service: “Request a Digital Copy”

In addition to our existing Document Delivery service, there is new functionality built into iDiscover.
You can “request a digital copy” of a paper or chapter that is not held by the University, and it can be delivered as a PDF within 24hrs.

More details are available at this LibGuide.

Overview of all document delivery services available

The University has a number of centralised services to get you the articles and book chapters you need. These are almost all free, and have a very fast turnaround (24-48 hours). If you have tried ‘request a digital copy’ and it didn’t work, using these centralised services is the recommended next step. The University Library website has a full overview.

Medical Library Document Delivery: Who can make requests?

You must have a valid Medical Library membership before proceeding.

What can be supplied?

Copies of journal articles.
Chapters of books
Loans of books and whole issues of printed journals.
Conference papers and theses may also be available.

Please check iDiscover (the library catalogue) and NHS Knowledge and Library Service Hub for those with an NHS ATHENS account
before placing your request to confirm that the item you require is not available via Medical Library resources.

Although we can supply over 90% of requests we cannot always guarantee to be successful.

How will it be supplied?

E-Mail – A link to the document will be delivered by email.

How to make a request?

If that request fails:

Use this online form – a member of the Medical Library team will source the paper/document for you.

How long does it take?

As we rely on other institutions for material supplied by document delivery we cannot predict how long it might take to supply your request.
If you “request a digital copy” you will receive a response within 24hrs.
If you then need to make a second request using our online form, you should expect a response regarding your request within 3-5 working days. In practice many requests are supplied within 1-2 working days but this is not guaranteed.

We will keep you informed if there is any reason for delay in supplying your request.

Copyright Legislation

What you can and can’t do with an article we supply.

We will not process your request unless you agree with the following Copyright Declaration. The request form gives you the opportunity to agree with these terms and conditions.

I AGREE TO COMPLY WITH THE FOLLOWING COPYRIGHT DECLARATION:

- - - I hereby request you to supply me with a copy of the item detailed in this form required by me for the purpose of private study or research for a non-commercial purpose.
    - I have not previously been supplied with a copy of the same material by you or by any other librarian.
    - I will not use the copy except for private study or research for a non-commercial purpose and will not supply a copy of it to any other person.
    - To the best of my knowledge no other person with whom I work or study has made, or intends to make at about the same time as this request, a request for substantially the same material for substantially the same purpose.
    - I understand that if this declaration is false in any material particular the copy supplied to me by you will be an infringing copy and that I shall be liable for infringement of copyright as if I had made the copy myself.
    - If this item was delivered by an electronic method, I will retain only a single paper copy and destroy any electronic copies after printing.
  https://www.information-compliance.admin.cam.ac.uk/data-protection/general-data

For information on copying for teaching see the Copyright Licensing Agency.

Contact for further information

Please contact us if you have any questions about the service or a particular document delivery request:

illreq@medschl.cam.ac.uk

If the Library does not hold the title you need,
and it is not available via NHS ATHENS, we can order it for you: