In Blackboard, you can link directly to a full text article in InfoTrac, LexisNexis, or other subscription databases via the following procedure. Providing a link to the article in the database instead of cutting and pasting the article into a Word document is preferred because it prevents copyright violations and saves storage space on the Blackboard server.

Keep the following points in mind:

• You would only want to use this procedure for articles that have the full text of the article contained in the database, not for those that only have a citation or abstract in the database.
   
• The procedure varies depending on whether you are originally identifying the article while using a computer located on or off campus. See step 9.
   
• If you perform step 10 properly, students will be able to use the link whether they are on or off campus.

1. Perform an InfoTrac, LexisNexis, JSTOR, or other database search and display the full text article.
    
2. In the browser's Address or Location bar, highlight the entire URL. (see Special Instructions for CQ Weekly or JSTOR )
    
3. Note that the URL may be quite long. Be sure to highlight the entire URL.
    
4. Press Ctrl-C (or click on Edit, Copy) to copy the URL.
    
5. Log in to Blackboard, select Control Panel, select External Links, then Add Item. OR see other Blackboard options below.
    
6. In the URL window on the Blackboard Add Item screen, erase the default text.
    
7. Then press Ctrl-V (or click on Edit, Paste) to paste the article's URL which you copied in step 4.
    
8. IF you are accessing the database from on campus, you can proceed with step 10.
    
9. IF you are identifying the link for the article while using a computer from off campus, you will also need to do the following:
    
   • From off campus, the link for the article will start off something like
     http://mendel.csuniv.edu:2048/login?url=http://mendel.csuniv.edu:2051/...
     Note that the first four-digit number in that segment can vary, while the second one will always be 2051.
      
   • Without losing what comes after that beginning segment, change that beginning segment to one of the following, depending on which database you are using:
      

   CJPI	http://proquest.umi.com/pqdweb?
   Contemporary Authors	http://galenet.galegroup.com/
   Contemporary Literary Criticism	http://galenet.galegroup.com/
   CQ Weekly	see Special Instructions
   Criminology: A SAGE Full-Text Collection	see Special Instructions
   Dictionary of Literary Biography	http://galenet.galegroup.com/
   Education Full Text (WilsonWeb)	see Special Instructions
   Health & Wellness Resource Center	http://galenet.galegroup.com/
   Health Reference Center Academic	http://web4.infotrac.galegroup.com/
   InfoTrac	http://web4.infotrac.galegroup.com/
   JSTOR	see Special Instructions
   LexisNexis Academic Universe	http://web.lexis-nexis.com/universe/
   LexisNexis Congressional Universe	http://web.lexis-nexis.com/congcomp/
   Magill On Literature	http://web5.epnet.com/
   Short Story Index (WilsonWeb)	see Special Instructions

   
    
   • For example, a link to an InfoTrac article originally seen on an off campus computer might be:
     http://mendel.csuniv.edu:2048/login?url=http://mendel.csuniv.edu:2051 /itw/infomark/828/577/24484693w4/purl=rc1_EAIM_0_A63296775&dyn=19!ar_ fmt?sw_aep=chazsu_main
      
   • You would edit it to
     http://web4.infotrac.galegroup.com/itw/infomark/828/577/24484693w4/purl=rc1_EAIM_0_A63296775
     & dyn=19!ar_ fmt?sw_aep=chazsu_main
      
   • Proceed with step 10.
      
10. Take the on campus article URL you pasted in step 7 OR the off campus URL you edited in step 9, and precede it with http://mendel.csuniv.edu:2048/login?url=   This prefix is essential to allow students to access the article if they are using Blackboard from off campus. It will not affect students using computers on campus.
     
11. Please excuse the way the example URL's wrap in these instructions. When you create these links, there should be no spaces, just one continuous, very long URL, with no breaks.
     
12. There will be two instances of http:// in the URL, but only one instance of mendel.csuniv.edu
     
13. The complete URL will look something like this:
    http://mendel.csuniv.edu:2048/login?url=http://web3.infotrac.galegroup.com/itw/infomark/47/80/37419112w3
    /purl=rc1_EAIM_0_A72049805&dyn=4!xrn_3_0_A72049805?sw_aep=chazsu_main

14. Fill in the name and description fields in Blackboard as desired. The name is what will appear on the External Links page for the student to click on.
     
15. Click on your link in Blackboard to verify that it connects to the article properly. If possible, check your link from both on and off campus. Remember that many of your students will access Blackboard from off campus.
     
16. Contact Eileen Lutzow at elutzow@csuniv.edu or 863-7951 if you have any questions or difficulties getting these links to work properly.
     

Other Blackboard Options

The procedure above suggests putting the link on the External Links section in Blackboard. You may prefer to:

• Add your links to a Word document, then post the Word document under the Course Documents section in Blackboard. To create hyperlinks in Word, look in the Word Help file under hyperlinks, inserting or hyperlinks, formatting.
  E.g.: The Marines Learn New Tactics--From Wal-Mart Business Week, Dec 24, 2001
   
• Add your link and a short excerpt or personal commentary to a Word document, then post the Word document under the Course Documents section in Blackboard.
  E.g.: The following excerpt from 'Common Sense' Tactics Suit Marines Corps' Business Plan (National Defense, Jan 2001) is also particularly interesting: "An unresponsive bureaucracy that delays repairs of equipment and deliveries of supplies for weeks and months makes for many frustrated Marines, says Col. Robert E. Love. But he avows that relief is on its way."
   
• When including links in a Word document under the Course Documents section in Blackboard, you can include an entire page of links, or mix-and-match plain citation-style links and links with excerpts or your personal commentary.
   
• Thanks to Dr. Bill Bowers for the above three ideas.
   
• If you have other ways to include journal article links on Blackboard, please send them to Eileen Lutzow at elutzow@csuniv.edu or 863-7951 so they can be shared here with your colleagues.
   
• Return to step 5.

Special Instructions for CQ Weekly

Since CQ Weekly displays the full text of the article in a new window which lacks an address bar, you will need to use browser options to force the display of the address bar in order to see the URL for the article. This will vary depending on what browser and which version you are using.

• Internet Explorer 5.x
1. View the full text of the article.
2. Click on View.
3. Click on Toolbars
4. Click on Address bar.
5. Copy the URL.
6. Return to step 5.
    
• Netscape Navigator 4.x
1. View the full text of the article.
2. Click on View.
3. Click on Show.
4. Click on Location Toolbar.
5. Copy the URL.
6. Return to step 5.

Special Instructions for Criminology: A SAGE Full-Text Collection

In Criminology: A SAGE Full-Text Collection, URLs in the browser location window on full text articles are session specific and cannot simply be copied and reused as is at a later time. An extra step is required to display a URL for the article which can be reused later.

1. Mark the article's record by clicking on the small box next to the article's search result number. You can mark several articles at the same time.
2. Click on one of the "Save/Print/Email" buttons located at the top and bottom of the screen.
3. Using the pull-down arrow, change "Show Full Record" to "Show Citation"
4. Click on the "Print Preview" button at the bottom of the screen
5. Copy the "Full Text Link" listed in the citation on that page. That page also lists the citation in a format suitable for easy cut-and-pasting.
6. Note that this full text link starts out http://www.csa.com... whereas the link in the full record's browser location window starts out http://sage.csa.com
7. Return to step 10.
    

Special Instructions for JSTOR

In JSTOR, URLs in the browser location window on full text articles are session specific and cannot simply be copied and reused as is at a later time. An extra step is required to display a URL for the article which can be reused later.

1. View the full text of the article in JSTOR.
2. Click on the "Citation/Stable URL" link located at the top of the full text article.
3. Copy the stable URL listed below the citation on that page. That page also lists the citation in a format suitable for easy cut-and-pasting.
4. Return to step 5.
    

Special Instructions for WilsonWeb databases (Short Story Index and Education Full Text)

In the databases from WilsonWeb (Short Story Index and Education Full Text), URLs in the browser location window on full text articles are session specific and cannot simply be copied and reused as is at a later time. An extra step is required to display a URL for the article which can be reused later.

• After retrieving a full-text article,
1. Click Print Email Save.
2. Click the Save button under Destination.
3. Click Full Text Links under Include.
4. Click Records Displayed on the Previous Page under Which records do you want to Print Email Save?
5. Click Start to retrieve citations. The Full Text Link will be at the bottom.
6. Copy the Full Text Link URL Address into another application, such as MS Word or MS Excel.
• If you prefer, you may mark one or several full-text articles by using the check boxes from the Brief and/or Full Display screens. Note that the articles must be available in HTML format. Then, follow the above procedure except select Marked Records under Which records do you want to Print Email Save? The Full Text Link will be at the bottom of each citation.
• Return to step 10.