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Linking to journal articles
It is possible to link to online journal articles from Vision using persistent or stable URLs, also called permalinks.
While it is possible to copy and paste a URL for a journal article from your browser's address window, this method will not create the most reliable or durable link. These URLs may change over time. Journals may change publisher and/or move server or the URL may be linked to a search session which expires when the session ends. To create a more durable, persistent link to a journal article, use a stable URL.
These can usually be found in the database record for the journal article. Stable URLs are provided in different ways by different publishers. Some examples are given below :-
The EZProxy prefix
To ensure links to journal articles from Vision have in-built (EZProxy) authentication (i.e. can be accessed using a Heriot Watt University username and password) stable URLs should have the following prefix -
http://ezproxy1.hw.ac.uk:2048/login?url=
If copying and pasting the stable URL from off-campus, these should have the EZProxy prefix built-in e.g. if using the Library's Discovery service or Science Direct.
For services off-campus where there is no stable URL or permalink which includes the EZProxy prefix or if copying the stable URL or permalink from on-campus where no EZProxy prefix is included, you can add the EZProxy prefix to the stable URL/permalink e.g.
EZProxy prefix : http://ezproxy1.hw.ac.uk:2048/login?url=
followed by . . . . .
Ready-made stable URLs
Some publishers/journal services provide you with ready-made stable URLS e.g.
EBSCOhost & Discovery
EBSCOhost and the Library's Discovery service provides persistent URLs or permalinks which can be found in the record for each article e.g.
The permalink for this item is : http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=57556205&site=ehost-live
The complete URL plus the EZProxy prefix authentication would be :
http://ezproxy1.hw.ac.uk:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=buh&AN=57556205&site=ehost-live
JSTOR
JSTOR provides ready-made stable URLs for all its articles which are provided on search result screens, tables of contents and citation screens. JSTOR doesn’t use DOIs but SICI (Serial Item and Contribution Identifier). SICI identification is specific to article identification whereas DOIs can be used to describe different types of digital objects.
The complete URL plus the EZProxy prefix authentication would be :
http://ezproxy1.hw.ac.uk:2048/login?url=http://www.jstor.org/stable/4093075
Digital Object Identifers (DOIs)
If the journal article has a DOI (digital object identifier), you can create a stable URL which would look like this: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chembiol.2004.12.003
This is made up of a DOI resolver address: http://dx.doi.org/
and a DOI e.g. 10.1016/j.chembiol.2004.12.003
You can check if an article has a DOI and get the persistent link using the DOI look-up service.
A DOI (Digital Object Identifier) is a unique identifier which describes an individual published item rather than a location on the internet eg 10.1016/j.chembiol.2004.12.003 describes the journal article -
The DOIs for articles usually appear on the record/abstract page for an article on the publishers/journal service's website. The example below is from Science Direct - where you can right click on the DOI, select ‘copy shortcut’ and paste as a stable link.
If the DOI does not provide a right click, copy shortcut option to get the stable URL, you can create the URL manually by using the prefix http://dx.doi.org/ then copying and pasting the DOI (e.g. 10.1016/j.chembiol.2004.12.003) as a suffix e.g.http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chembiol.2004.12.003
The complete URL plus the EZProxy prefix authentication would be :
http://ezproxy1.hw.ac.uk:2048/login?url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chembiol.2004.12.003
If
you require further information on other journal providers please contact your Subject Librarian