Skip Menu

Return to Skip Menu

Main Content

Persistent links for library resources

Linking from Summon search results | Digital object identifier (DOI) | Linking to databases | Linking to Addison | Direct linking | Exceptions

Persistent Links are URLs that connect users directly to an article, ebook, ejournal, or library database by clicking a link embedded in a webpage. Persistent links can be useful when creating syllabi, online reading lists or bibliographies, and other research tools. Persistent links can assist instructors in complying with copyright rules when downloading an article from a library database and making it available through a Scholar course or departmental website may not be allowed by the database vendor's contracts with the University. Linking to these articles also provides the University Libraries with more consistent usage statistics for our databases.

When adding these links to your web pages, you will want to be sure they work for off-campus students by adding our Off Campus Sign In (proxy) prefix to each URL. You can either manually add the prefix http://login.ezproxy.lib.vt.edu:8080/login?url= to each URL, or you can use the Off Campus Sign In system first, even when on campus, and copy the resulting URLs into your web pages. The proxied URLs will work for off- and on-campus students.

You can also use the converter below to create proxied links.

 

Off Campus Sign In link converter

 

Linking from Summon search results 

Everything indexed in Summon has a persistent link: almost all of our ebooks, all our our print materials, the majority of the articles in our subscribed journals, plus conference proceedings, government publications, reference sources, and dissertations. Simply search Summon, right-click on the result you need, and copy the URL. It will be in the form http://vt.summon.serialssolutions.com/link/0/ followed by a long string of characters.

The advantage of this URL is it will always point to the Summon record for this item (the article, ebook, journal, print record, etc) even when the source for that item changes: the journal switches publisher, the ebook changes platforms, or even when the item is no longer available through our subscriptions. The user will always be directed to our current form of access for the item. If we do lose access to an item, the user will see a Get VText screen that will offer access through interlibrary loan.

We recommend using this method over all other below.

A similar method is to use an article's DOI (Digital Object Identifier), which is a standard method for identifying electronic items like journal articles. DOIs often appear in the citation or the abstract of an article or even in its full-text format. To convert a DOI to a Web address add the following URL to the DOI http://dx.doi.org/ to get a URL like http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ac0354342 which will then connect to the same service as the OpenURL resolver above to connect users to the actual article. Databases and vendors that use DOIs are listed below.

Linking to a library database 

URLs to our various databases can change over time, either because the vendor for the databases has changed or the vendor itself has changed domains or URL structure. Instead, try linking to the database's entry in our A-Z list. Search for the database on the library's Articles/databases page, then click the Full Record link under the database's entry. Use the URL of that full record screen as your persistent link.

Linking to Addison screens 

Linking to individual record screens in Addison for items like books, journal titles, videos, and music CDs is as simple as copying the link labeled Persistent Link to this Record located at the bottom of the page. You can also link to search result pages. Use URLs created from the main search screen and not those generated from subsequent searches from result pages (use the New Search button to start over each time). Also, do not use URLs after paging forward through results. These URLs will no longer work if additional items are added to the collection that match your search criteria after you have copied these links.

Direct linking 

The following database vendors allow direct linking to full text (just view the full text article or book and copy the address from your browser):

  • Alexander Street Press
  • American Institute of Physics (AIP)
  • American Mathematical Society
  • ASAE Technical Library
  • BioOne
  • CIAO: Columbia International Affairs Online
  • ENGnetBASE
  • ERIC from Dept of Education (these do not require Off Campus Sign In link)
  • GPO Access
  • HeinOnline
  • Highwire journals (Use PDF link)
  • IEEE Xplore (use PDF link)
  • Informaworld
  • Knovel
  • Literature Resource Center (including MLA)
  • Mergent Online
  • Oxford (including Art Online and Music Online)
  • Project Muse
  • Sage Full Text Collection (use PDF link)
  • Valueline
  • Wiley

Digital Object Identifier 

Many vendors are using Digital Object Identifiers (DOI) to uniquely identify articles in their databases. Look for the DOI or doi: field on bibliographic record screens, often found by clicking on the title of the article or a full record link. Simply copy the DOI as it appears and paste it after the URL http://dx.doi.org/ to construct the persistent link, i.e. http://dx.doi.org/10.1146/annurev.soc.30.012703.110510. Vendors that use the scheme include:

  • American Institute of Physics (AIP) [aee note below]
  • American Physical Society (APS)
  • Annual Reviews
  • Anthrosource
  • APS journals
  • ASCE [uses AIP method of constructing DOI persistent links]
  • ASME [uses AIP method of constructing DOI persistent links]
  • Cambridge Scientific Abstracts (CSA)
  • Emerald journals
  • Institute of Physics (IOP)
  • ScienceDirect
  • Springer
  • Wiley/Blackwell/Synergy

Exceptions 

Some electronic resources require additional effort to create a persistent link. Follow the instructions listed by vendor/provider.

ACM Digital Library

Click on the full citation link for the article. Find the link labeled Bookmark: Use this link to bookmark this Article and copy that link.

American Institute of Physics (AIP)

AIP uses DOIs but also provides their own method for creating persistent links starting with the base http://link.aip.org/link/? to get a link like http://link.aip.org/link/?cha/12/995.

Chadwyck-Healey

When viewing a document, look for the blue button labeled Durable URL.

CQ

Click the Cite Now! button and look for the URL listed after the citation.

EBSCOhost

  1. Click on the article title to retrieve the complete record
  2. Scroll down to find the Persistent Link to the article
  3. Copy the URL

Factiva

Factiva doesn't directly support persistent links, but you can manually construct a link to an article. Search for an article, using the full article display, scroll to the end of the article and locate the accession number which will look something like this - RNKE000020090402e54100005. Enter that accession number into the form below and click Convert to get the persistent URL.

 

 

Factiva Persistent Link generator

 

 

FirstSearch

On the article full-text screen, click the Link Pickup button in the upper right corner of the screen. In the middle of the screen find the IP-address recognition URL for direct article access and copy the provided URL.

Harper's Weekly

Page URLs are persistent, but users must agree to the usage license and store a cookie before proceeding. So the user may need to back up and click the link again.

JSTOR

When viewing a full-text article, click the CITATION/STABLE URL link at the top of the screen. Then copy the provided "Stable URL."

Kluwer Online

Copy the View PDF link. Then delete all but the standard http URL portion:
javascript:openWindow('http://ipsapp007.kluweronline.com/content/getfile/4566/20/14/fulltext.pdf','PDFPopUp',
'PDFJ4566I20A14',580,520,'no','no','yes','yes','yes','yes')

LexisNexis

  1. Run a search, using any search form in LexisNexis Academic.
  2. Click on a document in the results list.
  3. You will see the Icon Bar (as shown on the right) appear in the top right corner of your document.
  4. Click the Permalink icon (as indicated by the arrow in the image below.)

<

A new window will pop up with instructions on how to copy your permanent link for later use. Simply right-click on the link provided (as shown in the picture to the left) and select "Copy Shortcut" or "Copy Link Location" from the menu. Once you've copied the link, paste the permanent URL anywhere you like.

Metapress ejournals

When viewing Metapress ejournals, look for the URL: Linking Options link at the top of the screen, whether viewing at the volume/issue level, or at the individual article level. The linking options page gives three types of persistent URLs: using Metapress's object identifier method, using an OpenURL method, and using a DOI method. Any of these URLs will work as a persistent URL.

Oxford English Dictionary

When viewing an entry, copy the URL and remove everything after the ? (http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50176204?single=1&query_type=word&queryword=persistent&first=1&max_to_show=10 becomes http://dictionary.oed.com/cgi/entry/50176204).

Ovid

View the Ovid Full Text article. In the Output box on the right of the screen, click the Email Jumpstart link (not the Email Article Text link). The persistent link URL is listed as Your Jumpstart URL is.

ProQuest

Click on the article title on the search results page (not the full text link). This shows bibliographic information. Find the field labeled Document URL and copy the listed address.

Safari Tech Books Online

The persistent link to the book is at the bottom of any page for that book, i.e. http://proquest.safaribooksonline.com/0596005768.

SpringerLink

Look for a link labeled Linking Options on the left side of the screen to get several options for persistent links.

If you have questions about persistent links, or are trying to use a database not listed above, contact Robert Sebek.