How can one obtain free access to academic journals through academic platforms?

Free access to academic journals is primarily achieved through platforms hosting open access publications or those provided via institutional subscriptions. Access commonly occurs through publicly accessible open access journal platforms and repositories, institutional library subscriptions requiring authentication, academic social networks, and targeted search tools. Key principles include identifying legitimate open access sources, utilizing verified institutional credentials for subscription access, understanding journal open access policies and embargo periods, and using specialized search engines like Google Scholar or CORE that filter for free full-text. Always verify the source's legitimacy to avoid copyright infringement. To apply this, researchers should first determine if their affiliated institution provides licensed access, leveraging library portals for discovery and authentication. For other sources, search platforms using keywords combined with filters like "Open Access" or "Free full text," seek preprints in subject repositories, or verify individual journal websites for self-archived articles ("green" OA). Persistent checking of diverse sources, including publishers' temporary free access periods, maximizes finding legally available content.