Finding & Creating Persistent Links

Assigning journal articles or book chapters as class readings? Sending a link to a Drake colleague? Make sure they can use those links without errors. Also, linking to online readings is the best way to comply with copyright law.

1. Make sure that Drake University provides access through SuperSearch or our licensed databases.
2. Include a persistent link to the article, book, or chapter in your Blackboard course so your students can access them from anywhere.

Depending on the resource you're using, there are several ways to find persistent links.

1. Look for a DOI

An increasing number of databases and publishers provide the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) for their online works. The DOI can be appended to the URL “http://dx.doi.org/” to create a persistent link to the work. The DOI link will look something like this:

http://dx.doi.org/10.1021/nn800264q

2. Look for a Permalink

Some databases provide persistent links using different terminology. For example, EBSCO databases call them "Permalinks," while other databases may use the term "Persistent link" or "Stable URL." If available, such links are usually offered in the area of the article’s export or sharing tools.

3. Use the Citation

Nearly all databases offer some way to view a work's citation in one or more style formats, and in most formats, a stable URL or DOI is presented as the last element of the citation.

4. Use the Browser's Address Bar

In most cases, you can copy the URL that appears in your browser's address bar. This may seem obvious, but be aware that some sites don't make it so easy and may require strategies like the ones above.

Ensure Off-Campus Access

To ensure that Drake users can access the database link from on or off campus, you'll need to add Drake’s proxy prefix, which is "https://cowles-proxy.drake.edu/login/url=". This is true no matter which of the above strategies you use to obtain the URL. So, for example, a link to an article with the URL "https://doi.org/10.1080/19322909.2019.1684223" becomes the following (proxy prefix in purple):

https://cowles-proxy.drake.edu/login/url=https://doi.org/10.1080/19322909.2019.1684223

Use the form below to convert a normal URL into a proxied URL.

Ask a Librarian

Of course, we're always willing to help you find stable URLs for any of the resources we offer. Contact us