E-resources in Canvas

How to link to e-journal articles

A guide to linking to e-resources in Canvas

When linking to e-resources in Canvas it is important that you only provide links and not downloaded PDFs. You should only provide links in order to:

• comply with copyright regulations
• comply with the terms and conditions of our subscription licences
• allow Library Services to monitor usage of our e-journals and e-books more effectively, essential when analysing which resources to renew
• register usage to publishers and enhance impact factor.

How do I link to e-journal articles?

The method for linking to e-journal articles varies according to which publisher provides access. Publishers fall into three categories:

• Publishers that use Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) that can be accessed both on and off campus
• Publishers that use Digital Object Identifiers (DOIs) that can only be accessed on campus
• Publishers that use an alternative method of linking

In order to set up a permanent link to an e-journal, LJMU must have a subscription to the e-journal or it must be an Open Access journal article. Without this, the links will not work and the user will receive an error message or be prompted for payment.

We recommend that you include a full reference to the article or e-book you are linking to in Canvas, rather than an abbreviation of the title with an annotated note on why students should read it.

Guidance is available on how to formulate suitable links. Alternatively, for more detailed information on linking to e-journal articles, please read the following article: 

Langston, M. and Tyler, J. (2004) Linking to journal articles in an online teaching environment: The persistent link, DOI and OpenURL, Internet & Higher Education, 7(1), pp 51-58.