You should not hesitate to ask the library for articles like this. The library most likely will pay a fee, but it will probably be less than the $40 for you to access it directly, and is an expected budget item for academic libraries.

There are costs associated with interlibrary loan (ILL) transactions, but they are minimal for articles that can be handled entirely electronically (for things that need to be physically transmitted, like books, and/or processed in some way, like print articles that must be scanned, the costs can be substantially higher). Since you found this article online, it probably falls in that cheapest category.

Many libraries also have agreements with publishers to "buy on demand" some articles that are requested through ILL. This usually happens entirely behind the scenes, so you probably wouldn't know the difference between such an article and traditional cross-library lending. It may cost the library more than ILL, but the library then "owns" the article so any future requests for that article will be at no additional cost, unlike ILL, which costs the same every time.

As an academic librarian, I can tell you that the library almost certainly has a budget for this kind of thing, and if it were my institution, I would want you to use this basic library service to get the materials you need to do your job (almost as much as I want students to get the materials they need). Nothing in a library is actually free*; making information accessible is the reason libraries—and library budgets—exist.

*Of course there are open access journals, donated books, etc., but someone had to pay for all of those, too, one way or another.

As to publishers: if the article you need was published by the same publisher as the journal you're reviewing for, there is a chance. Indeed, a few publishers grant temporary online subscriptions to reviewers. But otherwise, probably not.

Also, if you contact the editor and let them know that you need this other article to be able to review properly, and if the editor happens to have institutional access to the journal in question, and if they are not too busy, they might send you a copy of the article as a professional courtesy.

Likely not. Most university libraries have partnerships with other libraries. They will likely contact a library that does have access and request a copy. This usually comes with some limitations (for example they might only give you a paper copy, not a .pdf version) but they shouldn't pay anything extra.

I do not believe publishers will ask provide papers at request however. They likely expect you to do the above process if you don't have access.

When you ask your university library for a copy of an article the library does not simply hand you the $39.95 PDF that the journal’s website sells. Most academic libraries subscribe to large journal packages, and for titles they do not subscribe they usually obtain the article through one of two routes: * **Interlibrary loan (ILL).** The library places a request with another institution that already has a subscription or a licensed copy. The lending library supplies a PDF or a scanned page at no charge to the borrower. The cost, if any, is absorbed by the lending library’s budget, not by the students’ tuition. * **Document delivery from a publisher’s site.** Some publishers have a “request a copy for a reviewer” function that gives reviewers direct access to the article at no cost. If the journal’s manuscript‑handling system offers that option, the publisher supplies the file for free. If the article is not available through either of these channels, the library may need to purchase it outright. In that case the purchase price could be comparable to the $39.95 you saw, but the library decides based on factors such as expected use, cost‑effectiveness, and the number of requests. The decision is made at the library’s discretion, not automatically passed on to the student who requested it. Regarding the peer‑review request, many journals provide reviewers with a temporary password or a direct link to the article, often covering the cost themselves. If a reviewer cannot access the article through the journal’s system, the editorial office typically arranges for a copy via the library or the publisher, again at no charge to the reviewer. In short, the library rarely incurs the same per‑article fee you saw on the paywall, and publishers usually supply review‑required articles at no cost. Your best step is to contact the library’s ILL department and ask them to place the request; they will handle the logistics and any associated fees.