Monday, October 26, 2015

Research Tip: Locating Stable URLs for Articles

Have you ever been interrupted while researching and copied the search URL in an email with the intent to return to your search at a later time? If so, you have learned that in most cases, it does not work when you return to it.

Why? Each time you start a session in one of the library's databases, a unique session ID is attached to that search. When the window is closed, the database considers your research session over and the URL is no longer valid.

The fix: enter stable URLs. A stable URL is a short URL listed somewhere in the record for the article or periodical that you are interested in. It can also be called a permanent URL. If you bookmark, save, or copy a stable URL, you will be able to directly return to the article you selected. Look for stable and permanent URLs in our library's databases.

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