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Finding Books and Articles: Permalink: How to Save Your Research

A short tutorial on finding books in the catalog, using ebooks, and locating articles in databases.

Different ways to organize your research

This tab goes over different ways to organize and save your research. Please keep in mind that where a permalink is in a database may vary depending on the database used. 

Method

Purpose

Advantages

Limitations / Recommendations

Linking to a Specific Database

Provide direct access to a database’s interface for searching/browsing

Directly opens the database platform, which can streamline access to its resources and tools

The link takes you to the database's homepage (or login page) rather than specific content; may require authentication or additional navigation to locate desired material

Saving Search Links

Save a collection of search results for later review

Quick way to preserve your search strategy and revisit multiple results

Results may change over time as new material is added; best for tracking your search process rather than for saving specific articles

Saving Individual Articles/Linking to a Specific Ebook

Save a specific article/ebook for precise future reference

Ensures you access the exact article/ebook intended

Look for a Share option or Permalink. Also, it is a good habit to save the citation information for the article/ebook, too, in case the link does not work. 

Permalink Options

If you would like to link to a specific database, use the share option on our Databases A-Z page. 

  1. Click on the share symbol to the right of the database name
  2. A popup will appear with the database URL
  3. Click the button that says "copy link to clipboard." 

Image showing how to create a database link.

How to link to search results differs depending on the database you are using. Here are some examples for popular databases. Note: Saving the link at the top of the browser will not work for all databases. It is a good idea to also save how you did your search. Here is one way:

Date: (this is the date you ran the search)

Number of Results: (how many sources were retrieved)

Search Phrase: (what terms did you search, e.g. cats AND companionship)

Limits Applied: (what limits did you apply, if any. e.g. full text, peer reviewed, a date limit)

Database Used: (What database did you use, e.g. Academic Search Complete, Business Source Complete, CINAHL)

Permalink to Search: (copy and paste the link to the search results here)

 

EBSCO databases

For EBSCO databases, after searching you can get the permalink to the search by copying and saving the link at the top of the browser. 

 A screenshot showing how to save the search results in an EBSCO database (it is the link at the top of the browser)

Gale databases

For Gale databases, click on the "Get Link" tool at the top of the page to save the search results.

Screenshot showing how to use the "Get Link" tool in Gale databases to save the permalink to a search

ProQuest databases

For ProQuest databases, click on the "Save search" dropdown and then click on "Get Search Link" to get a permalink to the search results. 

Screenshot in a ProQuest database showing how to use the "Save Search" tool to "Get Search Link."

Catalog

It is also possible to save a search from the catalog. After you conduct your search, click on the QR code in the upper right of the screen. Then you can either copy the link or take a picture of the QR code. 

Screenshot showing how to save a catalog search

If you would like to place a journal, magazine, or newspaper article link in Canvas, use the persistent link option in the database where you found the article. 

Each database may have a different way of providing the permalink. In most instances, it will be listed under the "Tools" or "Share" option. 

A screenshot showing how to use the Share tool to get the permalink to an article in an EBSCO database


 

permalink ebsco


Sometimes you can find a permalink by using the citation generator that is located within the database. 


To link to a specific ebook, use the permalink provided by the catalog. 

Step 1: Use the library catalog to find your specific title.

Step 2: Click on the link under "Full text availability"  to view the ebook

Step 3: When viewing the ebook, click Share Link to Book

share link to book

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