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ProQuest Ebook Central

Using ProQuest Ebook Central

Reading

To begin reading the book, click the “Read Online” button, or on the desired chapter link in the Table of Contents.

Some Ebook Central books have limits on simultaneous readers from UniSA. If the maximum number of readers has been reached, other people from UniSA will only be able to read the book online for 5 minutes at a time. You cannot "Download to PDF" during this 5 minute reading time.

Some Ebook Central books are only available as Read Online due to publisher restrictions (eg. Cengage).

Searching

While reading, you can search within the ebook using the “Search within book” box or the magnifying glass icon in the panel to the left.

Downloading

You can download sections of ebooks as DRM-free PDF files. These files are marked for UniSA, and the allowances are the same as for printing (see below). Use the "Chapter Download" or "Print to PDF" icons above the reader view. Please note that you cannot "Download to PDF" during the 5 minute reading time.

Complete book downloads are only enabled for some titles.

If enabled, you can download a complete book by choosing the “Full Download” button on the book detail page or in the icons above the reader view.

Most downloaded ebooks are protected with Adobe DRM. Please see our guide to Downloading ebooks for information on the software required to read DRM-protected books. Downloaded books have a 1 day loan period, and will need to be downloaded again when this period has expired.

Printing/Copying

To print, use the "Print to PDF" icon above the reader view.

To copy the text of a whole page, use the "Copy" icon above the reader view. To copy specific text, select it and use the "Copy" icon in the pop-up menu.

The copy and print limits on most Ebook Central books are based on a percentage of the number of pages in the book:

  • Copy: up to 20%
  • Print/Download: up to 40%

These limits reset every 24 hours except for Course Reserve titles, so you can return for more if necessary. For more information, see Downloading in Ebook Central and Ebook Central: Per User Per Day Copy, print, and download limits.

Some publishers set more restrictive limits for copying and printing. The limits can be viewed on the book details page or tab. Some books are Read Online only and no copying or downloading is available due to publisher restrictions (eg. Cengage).

Highlighting/Annotating

To highlight text or add notes, select text in the reader view and use the "Highlight" or "Add Note" icons in the pop-up menu.

ProQuest Ebook Central at a glance

Read online Yes. Some titles are Read Online only (eg. Cengage)
Download Yes, sections as PDF or whole book as Adobe DRM.
Print Yes, with page limits on detail page
Highlight/annotate Yes
Personal account No
DRM free Limited book sections only
Simultaneous access Some titles multiple users, some single user
Online help ProQuest Ebook Central guide

ProQuest Ebook Central: Downloading books

Course Reserve etextbooks

Some textbook titles are only offered as ebooks on ProQuest Ebook Central under a Course Reserve model.

Course Reserve titles can be identified in the Library Collection with the following access statement:

Access model: Please note that the platform supports only 3 concurrent users for this Digital Course Reserve resource (3U-DCR)

Image displays a screenshot of the access information as it appears in the Library Collection for a ProQuest Ebook Central Course Reserve title

and in ProQuest Ebook Central with this logo of an apple sitting atop a book: Image of an apple on top a book with the words Course Reserve next to it

These titles differ from other ProQuest ebooks in that:

  • There is a lifetime print/copy/download to PDF allowance limit for each patron for each title, as set by the publisher.
  • The allowance does not renew.
  • Once the publisher-established download limit is met, you will no longer be able to copy or print from that title.
  • You can reprint pages that you have previously printed, but cannot print additional sections of the title.
  • Some publishers (W.W. Norton) do not offer the option of downloading to Adobe Digital Editions.

If you have reached the download limit for a Course Reserve ebook title, you will still be able to read the title online, subject to the limits on simultaneous readers.