Creating Persistent Links: Home

Many databases allow you to create a persistent link. "Persistent links" are links that will consistently take your students directly to an article or eBook without having to conduct a new search. Due to copyright laws and license restrictions governing the use of subscription databases, persistent links can only be used where authentication is available. Persistent links can be created from Blackboard course sites, course web pages, and syllabi using the following instructions explaining how to capture the correct URL for the article and add the authentication prefix to that URL.

These instructions give specific steps for creating persistent links in multiple databases provided by 4 different vendor companies. If you need to link to an article in a database not included in these instructions, please contact Wendy Crist in the library at 870-972-2964 or by email at wcrist@astate.edu for specific instructions. If you need help with setting up the links inside of Blackboard, please contact the Faculty Center for assistance (870-972-2334).

The databases:

ProQuest Databases

EBSCO Databases

JSTOR Database

Gale Databases

Before creating links:

• The article must be available full-text through a database subscribed to by the Dean B. Ellis Library. For a complete listing of our databases, see the library’s Research Databases page (https://libguides.astate.edu/az.php). If you already have a specific article in mind, consult our Journals Catalog to see if the publication is available electronically through a database.

• Use of these links is restricted to students, faculty, and staff of A-State Jonesboro (access from off-campus will require an A-State login. Use the same login you use to access My.Astate). Your students will need to know how to login to databases when off-campus.

• If you need assistance determining whether or not the full-text of an article is available online, please contact the Library Service Desk (870-972-3077 or library@astate.edu). Keep in mind that the majority of full text articles online have a publication date of 1990 or later.

After creating links for use:

• Check the links to make sure they work on-campus

• Check the links from off-campus to make sure that off-campus students can link to the articles.

Links are usually persistent, but not permanent.

• When using a link, include the article citation and the database where the article is located so that you and your students can find the article even if the link expires.