Google Scholar and IEEE Xplore

If you are studying at a university which doesn't have complete subscription to all IEEE journals (or journals in your field), this can present somewhat of a challenge. I am sure none of us want to spend $40 to read one paper.So look at the abstracts of papers on IEEE Xplore and google the authors. Many times if these authors are professors, they will keep an online copy free, or a similar paper online on their university homepages. "Google Scholar" is another useful tool when searching for papers.

If you are just getting started on this, try to look for survey papers, which summarize the major advances in a field for novices. Persistence pays... don't get disheartened if all of it doesn't make sense.