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Teaching Using Canvas: Articles & Databases

Linking to Articles from Databases

When linking to articles from a database, you will need to look for a persistent link that will allow your students to access research materials that are available through the Jim Dan Hill Library. These links are sometimes called:

  • Stable links
  • Permalinks
  • Stable URLs

Quick Tip: Encourage students to use persistent links and not the URL at the top of the page! This URL will not get them back to item in the database. Knowing this will save students much time and headaches during their research.

To find these links in a database, click on the article's title on the database's results page. Then, look for the above phrases. Here's where to look for this link in EBSCO databases, such as Academic Search Complete, PsycINFO, and SocINDEX:

Once you click on the "Permalink," a box will pop up towards the top of the page (see image below). Copy that link, and paste it into your Canvas course.

Accessibility Tip: When copying this link into your Canvas course page, be sure to insert the link with text displayed as opposed to inserting the entire URL directly into the page. This will make your page accessible to screen readers, which would normally read the entire URL to the user. Instead, the screen reader will read the text description to the user and indicate that it is a link they can click on.

Also, it is best practice to include a full citation of the article, as well as a DOI or persistent link so that students will be able to find the article themselves if the link is broken.

Linking to Databases

When inserting a database link into your Canvas course page, you will again need to use the database's persistent link. You can find this link by going to the Databases A-Z page and clicking the two-pronged share button next to your chosen database (see image below).

Then, you can copy the link that appears in the pop-up box and paste that into your course page.

Again, remember to insert this link in your course page with a text description to make it readable for screen readers!