Skip to Main Content

University Library

Robert S. Swanson Library and Learning Center

Textbooks Archives
Today's Hours:
 
Ask Us

Linking Articles & Films in Canvas: Overview

Linking Articles & Films in Canvas

If I have the link to an article, why do I need to change it?

When people attempt to access library content on campus, they hit an authentication page that prompts them to log in with their UW-Stout credentials to verify that they have paid access to the content. When trying to access the same material off-campus, that authentication page may not appear, and instead the person who wants access will just see an access denied page or a page asking for payment.

By running the URL of an article through our generator it adds redirect information for the authentication page, so that when the link is clicked on, the user will be prompted to log in and gain access to the content.

Off-Campus Article Link Generator

Use the Article Link Generator to create links to articles in library databases that can be added to Canvas courses. To create a link you must find the persistent, or stable, URL assigned to the article. Copy and paste the persistent URL into the box below. Click GO to generate a new URL that will work on and off campus for those with a UW-Stout account. This new URL can be pasted into Canvas, web pages, emails, etc., and will prompt users for a UW-Stout login to connect to articles.

Type or paste persistent URL here. Remember to include the http://

Use this URL to link to the article
 

 

  1. Go to the article
  2. Find the persistent link
  3. Paste URL into the top link box
  4. Click on the Go button
  5. Copy the URL in the bottom "use this URL to link" box
  6. Please verify the link's functionality.

 

Frequently Asked Questions

1.How do I know if a persistent link will work from outside the UW-Stout campus? 
In order for a link to an article to work from outside the UW-Stout campus, it must contain special coding that will allow Stout users to access the article using their Stout credentials. Follow these steps to determine if your persistent link will work off campus.
Does the URL or link that you found have the word "ezproxy" somewhere in it?

  • If yes, the link is ready to be saved or shared.
  • If no, the link will need to be put into the Off-Campus Access Link Generator before you save or share it.

2. What is the Off-Campus Access Link Generator? 
The Off-Campus Access Link Generator is a tool that will add coding to a persistent link or add coding to a DOI Name found in a database that will allow it to be used from outside the Stout campus network if it is not already embedded in the URL. Putting a URL through the Off-Campus Access Link Generator will not allow non-Stout affiliates to access online library-licensed resources. Only UW-Stout students, staff, and faculty with valid credentials have remote access to library-licensed electronic resources.

3. Why can't I just copy the address from the address bar to save a link to an article? 
Web addresses, or URLs, that appear in the address bar of your web browser may contain session-based or search-based information that causes the URL to not work later. This is especially true of the URLs that appear when searching a database. This is why many online databases provide a separate persistent or stable link in each record for an article but you may still need to add specific UW-Stout coding to the persistent link.

4. What is the persistent or permanent link? This is a URL that will remain stable over time and allows a user to access the linked document later. A persistent link may be referred to as Permanent, Durable, Jumpstart, Stable URL or Digital Object Identifier (DOI) Name.

5. How do I find persistent links in online databases? 
Some databases include a persistent or durable link or a DOI Name in the article record. Visit our Finding the Permanent/Persistent Link in Databases page for instructions on finding the persistent link in various databases.

6. How do I make persistent links to e-books? 
You can use the Permalink feature in the Search@UW catalog to create permanent links to e-books.

  • Find the e-book in the library catalog by searching by title or keyword.
  • Click on link icon to the right of the title to get the "Permalink".
  • Copy the URL from the popup box. (This is the persistent link to the item.)
Subjects: Instructor Toolkit