Link to an Article on a Discussion Board

Find out how to add a link to an article from a research database on a discussion board in Desire2Learn.

Step 1: Find the Right URL

As it turns out, linking to an article is not as easy as copying the URL from the browser's address bar. Each research database provides a different way to establish durable, long lasting links to articles called persistent URLs (PURLS).

To find the PURL in some popular databases:

Academic OneFile and General OneFile (Gale) - Bookmark this Document in the Tools box to the right

ProQuest Central - Find the Document URL below the article

Issues and Controversies - Find the Record URL below the article

CINAHL (Ebscohost) - Permalink in the Tools box to the right of the article

Step 2: Use the Link Generator to Create "Proxified" Links

To set up links that will work from off-campus, you need to format the links so it redirects them through the EZproxy server. If you don't do this, the links will work from on-campus, but not from off-campus.

• You do not need to do this for freely available sites (such as Google) or links that already begin with https://lcc.idm.oclc.org/login?url=
• The links generated will work from both on-campus and off-campus.
• This tool requires JavaScript enabled in your browser to work.

1. Copy and paste the article URL here:

2. Click the "Create link" button below:

3. Copy and use the resulting link

4. Clear the form to make another link

Step 3: Add the Link to a Discussion Board in D2L

Take the link generated above and add it to Desire2Learn.

1. Log in to Desire2Learn and click on Discussions in the blue bar across the top of the screen.
2. Click on the title of your Discussion Board you want to post to.
3. Select Compose from the Discussion Topic Toolbar. This will open a new window.
   • Enter your post title in the Subject box.
   • Enter your post content in the Message box. To add the article link, click on Insert Quicklink.
   • Select the Category - URL.
   • In the Link Details box, select http:// and paste the article URL.
   • Type the article title in the Link Caption box.
   • Click on Open In New Window.
   • Click on Insert
   • Click Post to add your post to the discussion board.

Related Pages

• Online Learning - Student Success
• Desire2Learn Resources for Students
• Desire2Learn Training for Students

Social Bookmarking

You can also create links to articles from the databases in Facebook, Delicious and other social networking sites. Look in the database toolboxes for a Share icon.

Need Help?

You may need to read the database Help information or Ask a Librarian for assistance creating links to articles.