CalPoly

SciFinder Scholar

We are very excited to provide SciFinder to Cal Poly faculty, staff, and students!

Access SciFinder

SciFinder requires a couple of steps in order to gain access.

1. Have a SciFinder username and password
   • While you can use SciFinder off campus, you must initially register for an account from a computer on campus
   • Learn how
2. Use Firefox instead of Internet Explorer
   This is not a requirement, but SciFinder seems to work better on Firefox than IE
3. Only two users can use the database at a time
   Please remember to log out of the database when you are not using it
4. Get to the SciFinder web site
   • Off Campus Access
     The first time you access SciFinder off campus you will need to approve a "Secure Certificate" for your computer. See Secure Certificate below for help and information.
   • On Campus Access

Register for SciFinder Scholar

• Register for your account on campus
  Accounts must be created from a campus IP address
• Use your Cal Poly email account for registration
  Accounts require a calpoly.edu address
• Register Now

Handling the "Secure Certificate" Issue

Our instructions below are specifically for Firefox.

For self-signed certificates, Firefox version 3 shows a "Secure Connection Failed" dialog.

1. Click the "Or you can add an exception.." link.
   
2. Click the "Add Exception" button.
   
3. Click the "Get Certificate" button.
   
4. Click "View" to look at the certificate.
   
5. You'll see the certificate's details. Click the "Close" button.
   
6. Ensure the checkbox for "Permanently store this exception" is checked and click the "Confirm Security Exception" button.