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A persistent URL (PURL), or permalink, is a durable link that connects you directly to an article, eBook, or other item in NU Library. Persistent URLs can be helpful if you wish to share a library resource with a classmate or an instructor, or if you wish to quickly link back to a resource. PURLs also help us remain in compliance with copyright rules when sharing and linking to Library resources.
If you choose to use PURLs, keep in mind that you must be properly authenticated in order to access the resource. You may be prompted to provide your NU institutional credentials in order to connect to the resource. Additionally, each Library database has a different process for capturing PURLs.
Lastly, be aware that while PURLs are persistent, they are NOT necessarily permanent. PURLs may become obsolete over time, especially as our Library database subscriptions change year to year.
As an alternative, you may choose to collect and save links to your resources in an online research management tool. RefWorks is an online research management writing and collaboration tool designed to help researchers easily gather, manage, store and share all types of information, as well as generate citations and bibliographies. For additional information, including how to set up a RefWorks account, see the RefWorks LibGuide.
Another alternative to PURLs is to create individual library database accounts. Two of our most popular Library databases which allow you to create personal accounts where you can save resources are EBSCOhost and ProQuest. See our page on Personal Database Accounts for more information.
Accessing a Resource Permalink in NavigatorSearch and EBSCOhost Databases
ONLY CREATE A PERMALINK IF THE FULL TEXT IS ACCESSIBLE VIA PDF, EPUB, OR HTML. If you do not see these full-text options, follow the links until you get to a full-text version of the resource and create the permalink in that database.
First Option (URL): If you see the PDF, EPUB, or READ ONLINE (HTML) links under Access Options then you are ready to capture the permalink. Capturing the permalink is as simple as copying the URL in your address bar. For a "friendly URL" that is shorter, continue to the second option to capture permalinks in EBSCO on this page.
If you see Read Full Text from NU or Linked Full Text, or anything other than PDF/HTML/EPUB, you will need to click the resource link to access and capture the permalink from the referenced database. Use the subsequent tabs in this guide for steps on obtaining the permalink from a specific database.
Second Option (Share Button): While the URL works as a permalink, you can also capture a "friendly" URL that is shorter and cleaner by creating a permalink with the Share button.
A window will pop up where you can select "Create Link." Copy the link created to use as a shorter version of the permalink.
Content: Scholarly journals, e-books, videos and more.
Purpose: A key multidisciplinary database for most topics. It is one of the library’s main search engines and the most comprehensive single search.
Note: Certain library databases and publisher content are not searchable in NavigatorSearch, and individual databases may need to be searched to retrieve information due to unique content. NavigatorSearch can be found at https://resources.nu.edu.
Content: One central search that contains all of NU's subscribed EBSCO databases.
Purpose: Search for articles from multiple disciplines with this collection of databases from EBSCO.
Content: A multidisciplinary ebook collection downloadable for offline reading powered by EBSCO.
Purpose: Download or read ebooks online.
Accessing a Resource Permalink in Alexander Street Press
Click Share.
Then click Copy next to the Via permalink option.
The permalink that is generated is unique to the institution and does not need the OpenAthens prefix.
Content: The most comprehensive video database covering more than 67,000 titles on anthropology, business, counseling, film health, history, music, and more.
Purpose: Curated for the educational experience of all types of library patrons.
Content: Instructional videos on psychotherapy for diverse populations.
Purpose: Use when seeking reliable, detailed instructions for implementing therapeutic approaches, as well as serving diverse populations and therapeutic issues.
Accessing a Resource Permalink in ACM Digital Library
Use the following steps to access and create a resource permalink for ACM Digital Library:
1. First, right-click and copy the DOI link found near the top of the resource page.
2. Next, enter the DOI link in the OpenAthens Redirector Link Generator to create an encoded access URL and permalink for NU users. Then, click Copy for the new resource permalink. Your link should look similar to this example:
https://go.openathens.net/redirector/ncu.edu?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdoi.org%2F10.1145%2F3374587.3374635
Content: The Association of Computing Machinery database is a research, discovery and network platform. The database provides journals, conference proceedings, technical magazines, newsletters and books.
Purpose: An essential database computing and technology research topics.
Special Features: Provides a list of authors after an initial topic search, includes a dataset search filter, and the ability to sort results by most cited.
Accessing a Resource Permalink in Annual Reviews
Use the following steps to access and create a resource permalink for Annual Reviews:
1. First, copy the link found in the URL address bar.
2. Next, enter the link in the OpenAthens Redirector Link Generator to create an encoded access URL and permalink for NU users. Then, click Copy for the new resource permalink. Your link should look similar to this example:
https://go.openathens.net/redirector/nu.edu?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.annualreviews.org%2Fdoi%2Fabs%2F10.1146%2Fannurev-environ-110615-085634
Content: Literature review database covering psychology, sociology, anthropology, environment and resources, law and social science, political science, and public health.
Purpose: Provides articles that synthesize primary research and discuss the topic in historical context. Discover seminal works and literature gaps.
Special Features: Multimedia and supplemental materials.
Accessing a Resource Permalink in BioMed Central
Scroll down to the About this article section and copy the DOI link.
Content: Database of open access, peer-reviewed journals specializing in biomedicine and life sciences.
Purpose: Database for science and medical students.
Special Features: Easily browse by journal, however, there is no advanced searching functionality.
Accessing a Resource Permalink in Cochrane Library
Use the following steps to access and create a resource permalink for Annual Reviews:
1. Right-click and copy the DOI link found near the top of the resource page.
2. Enter the DOI link in the OpenAthens Redirector Link Generator to create an encoded access URL and permalink for NU users. Then, click Copy for the new resource permalink. Your link should look similar to this example:
https://go.openathens.net/redirector/ncu.edu?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdoi.org%2F10.1002%2F14651858.CD010070.pub3
Content: Database of intervention focused systematic reviews.
Purpose: Learn the effectiveness of interventions proven through evidence-based research.
Special Features: Includes MESH and PICO search functionality.
Accessing a Resource Permalink in CREDO Reference
Click on Page Link at the top of the resource page. Then, copy the link displayed.
Next, paste the link into the Open Athens Link generator: https://go.openathens.net/generate/nu.edu/72357138
Content: A reference database useful for accessing scholarly definitions, background and contextual information. Subjects covered include art, biography, business, economics, education, history, literature, music, psychology, religion, and science and technology.
Purpose: An excellent starting point for brainstorming a research topic and building out your initial search terms list.
Special Features: Mindmap; related articles; image search
Accessing a Resource Permalink in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
Copy the DOI link found on the page. Double-check the link to ensure it connects you to the full-text article.
Content: Repository of scholarly, open access, peer-reviewed journals. Covers science, technology, medicine, social sciences, arts, and humanities.
Purpose: A single point of reference for finding high-quality open-access journals.
Accessing a Resource Permalink in the Directory of Open Access Books (DOAB)
Copy the link in the URL field found on the resource's page.
Content: Repository of multi-disciplinary scholarly, open access, peer-reviewed books.
Purpose: A single point of reference for finding open access, scholarly books online.
Special Features: Researcher FAQ
Accessing a Resource Permalink in Ebook Central
Click Share Link to Book and copy the link that appears in the pop-up window.
Content: Ebooks with coverage across all academic disciplines. The collection offers a critical mass of more than 150,000 foundational scholarly ebooks with balanced quantity and quality to improve teaching, learning and research workflow and outcomes.
Purpose: Provides access to multidisciplinary ebooks for download or to be read online.
Special Features: Browse by subject option; highlight and take notes in text.
Accessing a Resource Permalink in ERIC
Right-click and copy the Download full text link.
Content: Government (Department of Education) database focusing on education research and information. This federally subsidized database indexes both journals and other resources important to educators; ERIC Journals (EJ): journal articles; ERIC Documents (ED): all non-journal materials (some books, unpublished reports, and presentations). Some faculty limit the use of EDs.
Purpose: Excellent database to use for all topics in education.
Special Features: After an initial search, filter by audience, grade level, survey used, and main topic. Includes a thesaurus to aid in the discovery process.
Accessing a Resource Permalink in Films on Demand
Click the Share link directly below the video player. Then, select Embed/Link and copy the Record URL.
Content: National University Library's collection of Films Media Group streaming videos.
Purpose: Access Films and videos from a wide range of academic disciplines
Special Features: Content ranges from major academic subjects to vocation and even life-skills categories
Accessing a Resource Permalink in Gale
Use the following steps to access and create a resource permalink for Gale:
1. First, click the Get Link option in the right-hand corner of the page and copy the link.
2. Next, you MUST edit the link provided by removing the &xid=***** value from the link prior to posting. Posting an incorrectly formatted link can be in violation of our licensing agreement.
INCORRECT: https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A418467179/AONE?u=nu_main&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=09703031
CORRECT WITHOUT THE &xid=***** value: https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A418467179/AONE?u=nu_main&sid=bookmark-AONE 
Content: Multidisciplinary content in a number of different formats, from academic articles to magazines
Purpose: Provides users with a broad range of content about diverse topics in different source types
Special Features: Includes a visualization tool and browse-by-topic feature that aids in brainstorming topics, a Lexile feature that filters texts by difficulty, the ability to highlight and add notes to text, and a read-aloud feature.
Content: Reference e-book collection
Purpose: Users may read the full text of e-books from a range of academic disciplines
Special Features: Includes a visualization tool and browse-by-topic feature that aids in brainstorming topics, a Lexile feature that filters texts by difficulty, the ability to highlight and add notes to text, and a read-aloud feature.
Accessing a Resource Permalink in HeinOnline
Use the following steps to access and create a resource permalink for HeinOnline:
1. Click on the chain-link icon near the top of the page. 
2. Next, copy the HeinOnline link provided and enter the link in the OpenAthens Redirector Link Generator to create an encoded access URL and permalink for NU users. Then, click Copy for the new resource permalink. Your link should look similar to this example:
https://go.openathens.net/redirector/nu.edu?url=https%3A%2F%2Fheinonline.org%2FHOL%2FP%3Fh%3Dhein.journals%2Fukalr12%26i%3D521
Content: Traditional legal materials (reported cases, statutes, government regulations, academic law reviews, commercially produced law journals and magazines, and classic treatises), historical, governmental, and political documents, legislative debates, legislative and executive branch reports, world constitutions, international treaties, and reports and other documents of international organizations.
Purpose: Informs users about a broad range of legal and governmental topics.
Special Features: Users can narrow by topic and subject and may also search particular databases.
Accessing a Resource Permalink in Homeland Security Digital Security
Use the following steps to access and create a resource permalink for Homeland Security Digital Library:
1. Copy the link in the URL field.
2. Next, enter the URL in the OpenAthens Redirector Link Generator to create an encoded access URL and permalink for NU users. Then, click Copy for the new resource permalink. Your link should look similar to this example:
https://go.openathens.net/redirector/ncu.edu?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hsdl.org%2Fc%2Fview%3Fdocid%3D794603
Content: Material from Federal, State, international, and private sources related to security policy, strategy, and management. The content is primarily current with some historical material.
Purpose: Informs users about current topics related to homeland security and national defense.
Special Features: Informs users about current topics related to homeland security and national defense
Accessing a Resource Permalink in IEEE Xplore Digital Library
Use the following steps to access and create a resource permalink for IEEE Xplore Digital Library:
1. First, copy the link found in the URL address bar.
2. Next, enter the link in the OpenAthens Redirector Link Generator to create an encoded access URL and permalink for NU users. Then, click Copy for the new resource permalink. Your link should look similar to this example:
https://go.openathens.net/redirector/ncu.edu?url=https%3A%2F%2Fieeexplore.ieee.org%2Fdocument%2F10094141
Content: Full-text peer-reviewed journals, transactions, magazines, conference proceedings, and published standards in the areas of electrical engineering, computer science, and electronics.
Purpose: Users may learn about technology industry information
Special Features: Users may search datasets
Accessing a Resource Permalink in IGI Global InfoSci
To link to an entire book or entire video, copy the link in the URL address bar. To link to a specific book chapter or video segment, right-click the title and copy the link for the specific section.
NOTE: When obtaining links from this database, users may be routed to the OpenAthens administration page where they must search National University under Find Your Institution.
Content: Books, chapters, and peer-reviewed content about a diverse range of topics.
Purpose: Users may access full text, and authoritative information about many topics.
Special Features: Users may explore topics and subjects.
Content: Educational videos on business, education, medical & healthcare, security & forensics, information science and technology, and other social sciences topics.
Purpose: Informs users of a range of social science topics through video lectures that are between 1-5 hours in length.
Accessing a Resource Permalink in JSTOR Open Access
Copy the link in the Stable URL field.
Content: Open-access articles and book chapters covering arts, humanities, business, education, government, health, medicine, and psychology.
Purpose: Provides users with open-access content ranging from peer-reviewed literature to books.
Special Features: Features JSTOR Daily, which combines news trends with scholarly literature and includes links to open-access works.
Accessing a Resource Permalink in LearnTechLib
Copy the link found in the URL address bar.
NOTE: When obtaining links from this database, users may be routed to the OpenAthens administration page where they must search National University under Find Your Institution.
After selecting National University, users must choose their institutional affiliation (select “1-1 Students for formerly NCU) and enter their school login credentials.
Content: Ebooks, journals, and conference proceedings related to education and instruction.
Purpose: Informs users of trends and theories regarding education and instruction.
Special Features: Users may explore topics or search for particular formats.
Accessing a Resource Permalink in MergentOnline
Copy the link found in the URL address bar.
NOTE: When obtaining links from this database, users may be routed to the OpenAthens administration page where they must search Northcentral University under Find Your Institution.
Content: Database for company and industry research containing detailed information about many publicly traded companies, including inactive companies.
Purpose: This is a key database for business, accounting, and economics students.
Special Features: Economic and industry reports, as well as company filings, financials, a report builder, and much more.
Accessing a Resource Permalink in National Academies Press Free eBooks
Scroll down to the Publication Info found towards the bottom of the resource page. Copy the DOI link found there.
NOTE: Users can freely read National Academies Press eBooks online. However, you must create a free account if you want to download the eBook in PDF format.
Content: Books in behavioral science, technology, education, and medicine.
Purpose: Informs readers about a wide range of topics from the social sciences to the hard sciences.
Special Features: Searchable by topic, such as autobiography or mathematics.
Accessing a Resource Permalink in Nexis Uni
Click the Actions hyperlink found to the right of the resource title and click Link to this page from the drop-down that appears. Copy the resource permalink.
NOTE: When obtaining links from this database, users may be routed to the OpenAthens administration page where they must search Northcentral University under Find Your Institution.
Content: Database supporting business and legal research.
Purpose: News, journals, and company profiles and directories for both public and private companies.
Special Features: U.S. Supreme Court decisions dating back to the 1790s, New York Times articles, Cases, Law Reviews, Company & Country Information, and much more.
Accessing a Resource Permalink in O'Reilly for Higher Education
For example, if the title URL for Hands-On Large Language Models is https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/hands-on-large-language/9781098150952/
Then, the permalink for the title is the main URL followed by the title URL:
https://go.oreilly.com/nationaluniversity/https://learning.oreilly.com/library/view/hands-on-large-language/9781098150952/
Content: Instructional material on programming, IT networking, project management, graphic design and business strategy.
Purpose: Teaches users via how to guides, courses, books, and videos
Special Features: Users may arrange information topically and can build skills via recommended resources
Accessing a Resource Permalink in Ovid
Use the following steps to access and create a resource permalink for Ovid:
1. First, click the Email Jumpstart link on the right-hand side of the page and copy the link that appears in the dropdown.
2. Next, enter the link in the OpenAthens Redirector Link Generator to create an encoded access URL and permalink for NU users. Then, click Copy for the new resource permalink. Your link should look similar to this example:
https://go.openathens.net/redirector/ncu.edu?url=https%3A%2F%2Fovidsp.ovid.com%2Fovidweb.cgi%3FT%3DJS%26CSC%3DY%26NEWS%3DN%26PAGE%3Dfulltext%26AN%3D00006205-200106000-00003%26LSLINK%3D80%26D%3Dovft
Content: Medical database covering nursing, allied health, education and training, development and management, midwifery, health and healthcare economics, clinical medical and healthcare social work, psychiatry and mental health, and traumatology, emergency and critical-care medicine.
Purpose: Provides information about all topics relevant to nursing and nursing education
Special Features: Advanced search functions including MESH capability.
Accessing a Resource Permalink in Project Gutenberg
Project Gutenberg eBooks are in the public domain and may be freely read online or downloaded in a variety of formats. To link to all of the available download and format options, simply grab the URL in the address bar.
Accessing a Resource Permalink in ProQuest
From the resource page, navigate over to the Abstract/Details tab. Scroll down on the page and copy the link found in the Document URL field.
Content: Collection of more than 30 Proquest subject-specific databases covering Business, Health and Medical, Social Sciences, Education, Science and Technology, and Humanities.
Purpose: Students can view a massive amount of peer-reviewed research across multiple disciplines.
Special Features: Includes a Thesaurus feature that assists in using the database’s controlled vocabulary, as well as read-aloud feature. AI research assistant on the full text page with key takeaways.
Accessing a Resource Permalink in Psychiatry Online
Use the following steps to access and create a resource permalink for Psychiatry Online:
1. First, right-click and copy the DOI link found near the top of the resource page.
2. Next, enter the DOI link in the OpenAthens Redirector Link Generator to create an encoded access URL and permalink for NU users. Then, click Copy for the new resource permalink. Your link should look similar to this example:
https://go.openathens.net/redirector/ncu.edu?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdoi.org%2F10.1176%2Fappi.books.9780890425787
Content: Strong in psychiatric reference materials, but also including some journals. Includes the DSM Library.
Purpose: Use when researching psychiatry, mental health, and behavioral science topics.
Special Features: Includes the DSM-5 manual
Accessing a Resource Permalink in Psychotherapy.net
Copy the link in the URL address bar.
NOTE: When obtaining links from this database, users may be routed to the OpenAthens administration page where they must search Northcentral University under Find Your Institution.
Accessing a Resource Permalink in SAGE Journals, SAGE Knowledge, and SAGE Research Methods
Use the following steps to access and create a resource permalink for SAGE Journals, SAGE Knowledge, and SAGE Research Methods:
1. First, copy the link found in the URL address bar.
2. Next, enter the link in the OpenAthens Redirector Link Generator to create an encoded access URL and permalink for NU users. Then, click Copy for the new resource permalink. Your link should look similar to this example:
https://go.openathens.net/redirector/nu.edu?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmethods.sagepub.com%2Freference%2Fthe-sage-encyclopedia-of-educational-research-measurement-and-evaluation%2Fi15659.xml
Content: Scholarly, peer-reviewed journal articles only, in health science, biomedical science, engineering, social science, and the humanities.
Purpose: Use for scholarly research in most fields.
Special Features: Includes discipline hubs for browsing and citation search.
Content: Reference sources, primarily books but also videos and business cases.
Purpose: Use for finding reference sources like encyclopedias and handbooks that provide contextual or explanatory material.
Special Features: Includes Sage Navigator
Content: Books, reference works, journal articles, and instructional videos on research methods and design.
Purpose: Use to learn more about qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research.
Special Features: Includes a methods map, project planner, and "which stats" test
Accessing a Resource Permalink in ScienceDirect
Use the following steps to access and create a resource permalink for ScienceDirect:
1. First, copy the URL found in the URL address bar.
2. Next, enter the link in the OpenAthens Redirector Link Generator to create an encoded access URL and permalink for NU users. Then, click Copy for the new resource permalink. Your link should look similar to this example:
https://go.openathens.net/redirector/nu.edu?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.sciencedirect.com%2Fscience%2Farticle%2Fpii%2FS0039606018302186
NOTE: When obtaining resources from this database, first-time users may be required to click Access through Your Institution where they must search for Northcentral University. 
Content: Elsevier’s science database covering computer science, health science, and social sciences. Contains peer-reviewed and open-access journal articles and book chapters.
Purpose: A great resource that covers foundational science to new and novel research.
Special Features: Covers theoretical and practical aspects of physical, life, health, and social sciences.
Accessing a Resource Permalink in SpringerLink
Use the following steps to access and create a resource permalink for SpringerLink:
1. First, copy the link found in the URL address bar.
2. Next, enter the link in the OpenAthens Redirector Link Generator to create an encoded access URL and permalink for NU users. Then, click Copy for the new resource permalink. Your link should look similar to this example:
https://go.openathens.net/redirector/nu.edu?url=https%3A%2F%2Flink.springer.com%2Farticle%2F10.1007%2Fs10880-015-9441-8
Contents: Scholarly journals and other resources covering science, technology, business, engineering, medicine, and the social sciences, 1997 to present
Purpose: Millions of scientific documents on a large variety of disciplines.
Special Features: Browse by discipline or keyword search. Filter results by article, book chapter, reference book, discipline, and sub-discipline. Coverage for most journals is from the first issue to the current issue.
Accessing a Resource Permalink in Statista
Copy the link in the URL address bar.
NOTE: When obtaining links from this database, users may be routed to the OpenAthens administration page where they must search Northcentral University under Find Your Institution.
Content: Database containing data and statistics on over 60,000 topics, including media, business, finance, politics, and much more.
Purpose: A key database for business and economics students.
Special Features: PDF/PNG downloadable content for easy insertion into papers or presentations, charts, graphs, reports, and dossiers.
Statista Research AI delivers concise, written responses tailored to user queries, integrating statistics, infographics, diverse topics, and key insights from market research. Each answer highlights its sources for easy verification and deeper understanding. Beyond direct answers, Research AI suggests personalized follow-up questions to further explore insights.
Accessing a Resource Permalink in Taylor & Francis
Use the following steps to access and create a resource permalink for Taylor & Francis:
1. First, right-click and copy the DOI link found near the top of the resource page.
2. Next, enter the DOI link in the OpenAthens Redirector Link Generator to create an encoded access URL and permalink for NU users. Then, click Copy for the new resource permalink. Your link should look similar to this example:
https://go.openathens.net/redirector/nu.edu?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdoi.org%2F10.1080%2F02607476.2020.1829965
Content: Scholarly, peer-reviewed journals covering all disciplines.
Special Features: Browse by topic or keyword search.
Content: E-books covering science, technology, engineering, medical, humanities, and social science.
Special Features: Browse by topic or keyword search. Includes forthcoming titles.
Accessing a Resource Permalink in Wiley Online Library
Use the following steps to access and create a resource permalink for Wiley Online Library:
1. First, right-click and copy the DOI link found near the top of the resource page.
2. Next, enter the DOI link in the OpenAthens Redirector Link Generator to create an encoded access URL and permalink for NU users. Then, click Copy for the new resource permalink. Your link should look similar to this example:
https://go.openathens.net/redirector/nu.edu?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdoi.org%2F10.1111%2Fpolp.12411
Content: Scholarly journals, e-books, and reference materials.
Purpose: Subject areas include Anthropology, Business, Economics, Finance, Geography, Family Studies, Law, Management, and Psychology.
Bad Request Error when Accessing a Library Resource
A Bad Request error can be attributed to an improperly formatted link to a resource. The NU Library can assist with locating the resource and providing a properly formatted link to access it. If you have received this message in error, please contact the NU Library directly by calling 888-628-1569, by texting 928-550-6552, by emailing library@ncu.edu, or by chatting with us during live help hours.
