Peristent linking

"Persistent Links" are URLs that connect users directly to a library database or article 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 to comply with copyright rules when downloading an article from a library database and making it available through a Blackboard 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 EZProxy prefix to each URL. You can either manually add the prefix http://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.

Linking to a Library Database

Simply visit the library's Articles/databases page and chose the database you are interested in linking. Copy the database address for use in your web pages.

Linking to an Electronic Journal

Simply find the journal in our Electronic Journals Database, and copy the resulting address to your web page. When multiple vendors supply the ejournal, either choose the one with the best date range for your needs, or copy the URL of the search results page and link to all of them.

Linking to an Article

Many of the university Libraries' full-text article databases provide Persistent Link capabilities. Different databasevendors use different means for persistent links to articles (i.e. it's no always a simple matter of copying the address when viewing an article in your browser). A detailed list for each capable database vendor is provided below. Database vendors can usually be identified by their logos in each database or by the database's URL, but when in doubt, ask your college librarian for assistance.

OpenURL Link

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, Blackwell, Britannica Online (article level), CIAO: Columbia International Affairs Online, ENGnetBASE, GPO Access, Grove, HeinOnline, IEEE Xplor (use PDF link), Knovel, Mergent Online, Oxford (including Dictionary of National Biography) , Project Muse (use PDF link), Sage Full Text Collection (use PDF link), and Synergy.

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: Annual Reviews, ASCE, ASME, Emerald journals, ScienceDirect, Springer, and Wiley.

Exceptions

ACM Digital Library

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

EBSCO

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:

1. Search for an article, using the full article display, scroll to the end of the article and locate the accession numberwhich will look something like this - DJI0000020040318e03i0004m
2. To contruct the link use the following base url:
   http://global.factiva.com/en/du/article.asp?NAPC=S&
   AccessionNo=
3. Append the accession number found in the article to the base url:
   http://global.factiva.com/en/du/article.asp?NAPC=S&
   AccessionNo=DJI0000020040318e03i0004m
4. Append the authentication string to the end of this url:
   Authentication string (all one line, no spaces):
   &xsid=S003cbsYXmnNdmnMDItMDIoMDAp5DByMU38ODJ9Rcyq
   UUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUEA
5. Complete url: After adding the base URL and accession number the url will look something like this (again, all one line, so spaces, and yes, it's really long): http://global.factiva.com/en/du/article.asp?NAPC=S&
   AccessionNo=DJI0000020040318e03i0004m &xsid=S003cbsYXmnNdmnMDItMDIoMDAp5DByMU38ODJ9Rcyq
   UUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUFBQUEA

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.

InfoTrac (Gale)

Any Infotrac screen with the Infomark icon can be used as a persistent link, including search results pages. Just copy the address for the page from your browser.

ingenta

Links can be made to the issue level only. Navigate to the issue of the desired journal and copy the URL from your browser. It will look something like this: (all one line, no spaces)
http://www.gateway.ingenta.com/patron/browsing/TOC/vt;
jsessionid=57b8hmv6r3bsq.circus?issue= pubinfobike://klu/user/2004/00000014/00000004

You should also include a note that some ingenta journals will require the user to login with their ingenta ID and password before they can view the full text of articles. Users can register for ingenta IDs and passwords at the site. Some journals will require payment before viewing full text, but the library will pay for these articles (each time a new user views them) automatically once the user has logged in. The appearance of a cost associated with the article can confuse users, so warn them in advance.

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')

Lexis-Nexis

Lexis-Nexis does not support persistent links, but you can construct a search that results in a single article, or just link to a search page with a list of articles. The Academic Universe URL Makers by Raleigh Muns (Reference Librarian, UM-St. Louis Libraries) can help you construct these search URLs.

Metapress e-journals

When viewing Metapress e-journals, 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 methiod. Any of these URLs will work as a persistent URL.

netLibrary

1. The URL for persistent linking from NetLibrary is: http://www.netlibrary.com/summary.asp?id=PRODUCTID#
2. Go to NetLibrary and search for the desired title or find a netLibrary ebook in Addison.
3. Click on the "Show Details" link, and look for the Product ID number.
4. Add the Product ID number to the end of the link.
5. If your Product ID number was 87287 the resulting URL would be:
   http://www.netlibrary.com/summary.asp?id=87287

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.

WilsonWeb

1. Retrieve a full-text article, or mark a series of full-text articles from the Brief and/or Full Display data set
2. Click Print Email Save
3. Click Save Options
4. Under Records, choose either article by number or marked articles
5. Under Fields, choose "All, including full text and images, if available"
6. Under Format, choose HTML
7. Click Save. Another window will open with the citation followed by the full text. The link appears after the citation, but before the Full Text.
8. Copy the Full Text Link(s)' URL Address

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