Featured Resource
Research and Documentation in the Digital Age by With advice for finding, evaluating, and documenting sources, this handy spiral-bound pocket guide covers the essential information college students need for research assignments in more than 30 disciplines. New, up-to-date documentation models guide students as they cite common sources and newer sources in the current editions of one of four documentation styles (MLA, APA, Chicago, and CSE). Advice, examples, and activities help students engage in the research process, find entry points in debates, and develop their authority as researchers.
Understanding URLs and DOIs
Uniform Resource Locator (URL)
A URL specifies the location and retrieval protocol for a digital resource on a computer network, often the World Wide Web. URLs of web pages are displayed in the address bar of most web browsers, but copying and pasting these links can be problematic. They often contain search parameters or session data that will expire and fail to link back to the resource you want.
Permalink
A permanent link, or permalink, is a special type of URL intended to remain unchanged and to provide stable access to a particular digital resource. Other names for this type of link include stable URL, persistent link, and persistent identifier. When you want to link to a resource in a bibliography, Canvas site, syllabus, or email message, always look for the permalink.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
DOIs are permanent, unique alphanumeric names used to identify certain types of digital content, such as a journal articles, e-books, or individual chapters within e-books (but not magazine or newspaper articles).
A DOI begins with the number 10; e.g., 10.1177/1362361315607724
A permalink may incorporate a DOI.
Attributing Creative Commons-Licensed Work
Many electronic works are released under one of a variety of Creative Commons licenses that indicate how creators prefer others to use their work. Before reusing such a work, be sure to review its license and to provide proper attribution.
- CC0: The work is in the public domain and may be used by anyone for any purpose.
- CC BY: Anyone may reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute the work, including commercially, as long as they credit the original creator
- CC BY-SA: Anyone may reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute the work, including commercially, as long as they credit the original creator and share their own version of the work under the same terms.
- CC BY-NC: Anyone may reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute the work with proper attribution, but not commercially.
- CC BY-NC-SA: Anyone may reuse, revise, remix, and redistribute the work with proper attribution and shared under the same terms, but not commercially.
- CC BY-ND: Anyone may reuse or redistribute the work with proper attribution, even commercially, but may not alter the work.
- CC BY-NC-ND: Anyone may reuse or redistribute the work with proper attribution, but may not alter the work or use it commercially.
To create an attribution, identify the title, creator, and license for the work using the following formula:
[Title] by [Creator] is licensed under [license name].
Example: "Creative Commons 10th Birthday Celebration San Francisco" by tvol is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Click here for more details about attributing works with Creative Commons licenses.