Oxy’s library databases, such as those from JSTOR, EBSCO, and ProQuest, provide a wealth of resources for instruction and research. Professors can link to articles discovered in OneSearch by adding the article’s permalink (also known as durable or stable links) to their Moodle site. There are several reasons to link to an article rather than uploading the article as a PDF or other downloaded file:
- Copyright compliance. It is always permissible to link to an article, whereas uploading an article may require permission.
- Usage Data. The Library collects data on how often and how many articles are downloaded. Linking to an article gives a more accurate representation of usage and can be critical when making decisions about keeping databases or journal subscriptions.
- Information Literacy. Linking to articles exposes students to where they came from and can generate a better understanding of and appreciation for the information ecosystem and how to navigate it.
- Accessibility. Articles in library databases are typically “cleaner” than those scanned from journals and consequently more accessible, particularly for anyone with impaired vision.
In general, to add a URL to a Moodle site:
- Turn editing on using the green button in the top navigation bar.
2. In the topic area where you want to add the link, click on Add an activity or resource
3. In the pop-up window, scroll down and select the “URL” tile
4. Under the settings for editing your new URL, you add a name and, optionally, a description. For the name, consider providing a proper bibliographic citation to model the kind of citing practices you expect from your students.
5. In the External URL paste the permalink URL you get from OneSearch.
To get a permalink from OneSearch:
- Conduct a search starting in from the Oxy Library homepage.
- From the search results, click on the record for an article you wish to use.
- Click on the Permalink icon and then click the “Copy the Permalink to Clipboard” button. The link can now be pasted in Moodle (see step 5 above).
Make sure to click Save once you’ve added and edited your linked resource.