A DOI is a unique and persistent alphanumeric label, (a NISO standard), created to identify a piece of intellectual property; mostly used for articles in ejournals, but also for ebooks and chapters within them.

As it will not change it can be used to create a stable URL for embedding links to e-resources in web pages, etc.

See our DOI briefing note for more information.

The Library currently subscribes to over 10,000 ejournals and ebooks, all of which can be linked to.

The exact linking method varies depending upon the publisher site but there are two main alternatives:

• YorSearch or BrowZine linking: provides stable URLs though not all publishers allow linking via this method to article level in journals.
• Direct linking: URLs can link to article level but may be unstable, use this method when a publisher does not provide linking via YorSearch to article level in journals.

YorSearch or BrowZine linking

You can link to journals and articles using the permalink option in YorSearch:

• Click on the three dots (...) in the top-right of a result in YorSearch and select Permalink from the list at the bottom of the screen.
• Click the title of the resource in the results list and then the Send To link to see the Permalink option.

You can link to articles via BrowZine by left clicking on the Link to Article symbol in an article record and selecting Copy Link Location.

Direct linking

Where direct linking to an article is appropriate please use the following method.

• Access the full text of a journal article via YorSearch, a database or other route, display the article and then copy and paste the URL.
• Sometimes the publisher site may have an option to create a permanent link so you could also use that.

Beware: this method may be prone to the instability of publisher URLs, should a publisher change their URL the link will be broken and have to be mended if and when it comes to your attention.

Off campus

All titles are also available off campus. You should use links in YorSearch or BrowZine where you will be asked to log in using your IT Services username and password.

On campus

Nearly all our ejournals can be accessed from University network computers without the need for a special username and password.  Use links in YorSearch or BrowZine to access ejournals.

What if I'm not a member of the University of York?

If you are not a University of York member of staff or student, you will only have access to the full text of the small number of journals which are freely available to anyone.

If you are able to visit the Library in person you can access a wider range of ejournals using our Walk-in Access service.  Publishers' licence conditions restrict off campus access to ejournals to University of York staff and students only.

There are two formats which are commonly used for ejournals:

• HTML format
  You can view these pages via your web browser.
• PDF format
  You will need the Adobe Acrobat Reader software. Reader is available on all University network PCs, including classrooms, and can also be downloaded for free from the Adobe website.

An ejournal may:

• be an exact full text copy of a print version
• include only some of the print articles
• leave out some types of content such as adverts, notices and letters to the editor
• include all the print material plus extra information only available in the electronic version
• be electronic only
• have tables of content only, with or without abstracts (summaries) of the article

The ejournals in YorSearch and BrowZine all contain full text articles.

Printing articles

You can use the Print option in your browser to print the full text and graphics of an article.

Remember that you can change your print options to reduce your printing costs:

• Print two pages side by side on one sheet of paper
• Use double-sided (duplex) printing where available

Saving and downloading articles

You can use the Save option in your browser to save the article to a file.

Copyright legislation restrictions

Remember that copyright legislation applies when you print from an ejournal. The "fair dealing" provision in copyright law permits individuals engaged in research or private study to print or photocopy only one complete article from a single issue of a journal.

It is your responsibility to ensure you are not breaking copyright law.

For more information about copyright please see the Copyright pages.

Publisher licence restrictions

The ejournals we subscribe to are also subject to licence agreements with the publishers who produce them. The conditions of licences with individual publishers and information providers vary, but they always prohibit downloading a substantial part of a database or the entire contents of a publication, for example an entire issue of an ejournal.

It is your responsibility to ensure you are not breaking the licence agreement.

When should I use the Find ejournal service and when should I use a database?

Use YorSearch or BrowZine when you know the journal title you need, for example if you are looking for a specific article from a reference.

Use a database when you need to find out what articles are available on your subject in a range of journal titles. See our E-resources Guide for information on the databases we provide and how they can help you.

Why do some links go directly to the journal title, but others go to a search page?

Some publishers don't allow us to link directly to the specific journal title. In these cases you will need to search for the journal title or for an article title if you have it.

YorSearch or BrowZine says that a journal is available in full text but the article I want is only an abstract. Why is this?

Some publishers don't give permission for the most recent issues of a journal to be made available in full text electronic format. This embargo can range from a couple of months up to a year, depending on the title. During this time you may still be able to access the table of contents and abstracts.

How much do ejournals cost?

There are a variety of subscription arrangements for ejournals.

• Some ejournals are free with our print subscription
• In some cases our subscription covers either the print or electronic form, but not both
• Sometimes we can pay a supplement to the standard subscription to get both formats
• Journals in electronic format only are sometimes free, but usually there will be a subscription cost. Free trials are often available for a limited period

NESLi2 is the UK's national initiative for the licensing of ejournals on behalf of the higher and further education and research communities.

Since 1999 we have taken advantage of deals negotiated with leading scholarly publishers which have lessened the financial, legal and technical barriers to the widespread take-up of ejournal provision.

Unfortunately, many publishers are unwilling to offer deals and in these cases ejournals can be an expensive option.