Portable document format (PDF) electronic files are by far the most popular format used to publish, store, and share scholarly journal articles. Recently, new tools for quickly finding and linking to journal article PDFs have been developed. These tools integrate into the researcher's web browser and scan for unique identifiers associated with a journal article. When a unique identifier is found, the tool attempts to locate a PDF copy of the associated article and provide a link. This article will explore how these full-text finders work and discuss the advantages and disadvantages of these tools. Descriptions of several of the most popular tools are provided, and a short discussion of how librarians can facilitate the use of these tools at their institutions is included.
Keywords: Browser extension; Internet; Kopernio; Nomad; PDF; Unpaywall; full-text; open access; research; searching.