What is a permanent/persistent/stable link?

The URL (Uniform Resource Locator or Web address) that appears in Internet Explorer's or another Web browser's address box, when an online article is viewed, is usually intended to be temporary and often does not function a few days or weeks later. Links designated as "permanent", "persistent" or "stable" are designed specifically to remain active and useable over time.

The goal of this guide is to help you to locate permanent links to individual online articles, particularly to those contained in journals Concordia University Libraries subscribe to.

Types of permanent links

Digital Object Identifier (DOIs)

Most frequently used permanent link is the Digital Object Identifier (DOI). A DOI is a standardized method for identifying an electronic object. A more detailed explanation is available.

DOI's often appear in the citation or the abstract of an article or even in its full-text format.

There is also a free online tool called the Free DOI Lookup which can be used to locate DOIs (see Locating and Using Permanent Links). It is important to note that not all articles have DOIs.

To convert a DOI to a Web address add the following URL to the DOI:
http://dx.doi.org/
Therefore the above example becomes:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ac0354342

Other Types of Permanent Links

Some database providers (ex: EBSCO, ProQuest, etc.) and publishers (ex: American Institute of Physics (AIP)) provide their own permanent links to articles in formats different from DOIs. These can often be found with the citation information for an article, as in the example below.

Example of an EBSCO (Academic Search Premier) permanent link:

Please see our list of Journal Publishers & Database Providers with Alternative Permanent/Stable Links.

NOTE - When given the choice, linking to a journal via its publisher is usually more reliable than via a database provider with full-text access to this journal. This is because database providers, which will give access to journals of many publishers (ex: EBSCO), sometimes remove full-text access to journals from their databases. Exceptions are JSTOR and Project MUSE, databases which are both intended as repositories/archives for a selection of scholarly journals by many publishers.

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Modifying links for off-campus access to online articles

When providing a permanent link to an article, it is necessary to consider how the article is made accessible:

1. Is it accessible because Concordia University Libraries pays for access to the journal?
2. Or is it accessible freely on the Web via an individual or organization (ex: Open access journals)?

For #2 you will not have to worry about modifying the link, but for #1 (for resources that require payed subscriptions) you will need to add the Libraries' server address, also called a proxy, to the permanent link you locate if you want to make it accessible outside of the University campus to Concordia students faculty and staff.

The Libraries' proxy allows an electronic journal provider or publisher to recognize whoever is trying to access online content as a Concordia University affiliate. Anyone with a university ID & Library PIN will be allowed access.

For example, the EBSCO permanent link shown above would not function outside of Concordia University's campus without a proxy because EBSCO's Academic Search Premier is not a free database.

The following is the syntax for a link containing the proxy:

http://0-website.domain.mercury.concordia.ca/
remainder.of.permanent.link

Examples:

Permanent link without proxy:
http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ac0354342
http://search.epnet.com/direct.asp?an=11167137&db=aph

Permanent link with proxy:
http://0-dx.doi.org.mercury.concordia.ca/10.1021/ac0354342
http://0-search.epnet.com.mercury.concordia.ca/direct.asp?an=11167137&db=aph

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Locating and using permanent links

STEP 1

The first step to finding a permanent link to an article is locating it full-text online.

• To verify whether Concordia subscribes to the journal you are trying to link to in electronic format check Concordia Libraries' E-Journals or check CLUES using the JOURNAL TITLE search.
• If you are able to locate a DOI or other permanent link for your article go to STEP 4, otherwise follow the next steps.
• IMPORTANT: It may not be possible to link to the full-text of a journal article online if the library does not subscribe to the journal or if it is not available for free.

STEP 2

If you have located a full-text article in electronic format and were not able to find its DOI, try the following tool.

• Free DOI Lookup: http://www.crossref.org/05researchers/37guest_login.html
  • Complete the form on this Web page with information about the article. Not all fields (text boxes) need to be filled in, but it is recommended to provide: first author's last name; title of the journal (not the title of the article); volume number; beginning page number; year of publication.
  • If you do not have all this information, enter the citation information you do have. A list of journal titles covered is provided on the above Web site. Please note that not all articles have DOIs.
• The result of your search, when successful, will be the DOI for your article.
  • For example entering the following citation information in the DOI Lookup tool:
    
    "Multistep Microreactions with Proteins Using Electrocapture Technology". Analytical Chemistry 76.9 (2004): 2425-2429
    
    Retrieved this DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/ac0354342
• If this step is successful proceed to STEP 4, otherwise see next step.

STEP 3

If you are having difficulty locating a permanent link please see our list of Journal Publishers & Database Providers with Alternative Permanent/Stable Links.

• You will need to know the name of the publisher of the journal where your article appears (ex: American Institute of Physics (AIP)) or the identity of the database through which you accessed the article online (ex: EBSCO Academic Search Premier). Try searching the title of the journal in Concordia Libraries' E-Journals to find this information.
• If you are successful finding a permanent link then proceed to STEP 4.

STEP 4

If you have located a DOI or other permanent link follow these steps to complete the link.

• To convert a DOI to a URL precede it with the following:
  http://dx.doi.org/
  
  For example: 10.1108/10176749910303496
  
  Becomes: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/10176749910303496
  
  
• To create a link to a journal or database that Concordia Libraries' subscribes to, add the Libraries' proxy to your permanent link (for an explanation see Modifying links for off-campus access to online articles).
  
  For example: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/10176749910303496
  
  Becomes: http://0-dx.doi.org.mercury.concordia.ca/
  10.1108/10176749910303496

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