How does it link?

This page provides you with an overview of how Scopus linking works. Please refer to the Linking Lifeline for full details of all Scopus linking options and how to set them up within your institute.

Links to full-text articles

There are three options for linking to full text from Scopus:

1. Accessing Full Text via a Link Resolver
2. Accessing Full Text without a Link Resolver
3. Pre-resolved Links

Full text via a Link Resolver

Scopus is OpenURL-compliant and will work with any link resolver currently available in the market. The resolvers' links appear in the Scopus results list, record and references. The function of a link resolver is to ensure an institution's entitlements are easy to get to by the users.

Link resolvers and Scopus work together using two methods of linking to the full text:

1. Image-based linking
(How image-based linking works)
2. Non-image-based linking

Image based Linking

By means of image-based linking, institutes that subscribe to a link resolver that supports this technology (see list below) are shown links to the entitled full text in the Scopus interface as a "Full Text" image link.

Depending on the link resolver configuration, when users click on the "Full Text" image link, they will be taken either directly to the full text or to a resolver-specific entitlements screen from which they must choose the appropriate full text or alternative service.

Within the sources browse page of Scopus, users can also see to which journals they are entitled via the 'subscribed' (blue) and 'non-subscribed' (white) icons.

Library administrators can configure the links via the Admin Tool (for Scopus customers only).

These link resolvers currently support image-based linking:

• SFX
• 1Cate
• TOUResolver

Non Image based Linking

Alongside image-based linking, a branded resolver-specific image link can be displayed.

These links are always displayed, regardless of entitlements, unless specifically turned off by the administrator.

Pre-resolved Links

Scopus offers pre-resolved links to the full text of articles at the publisher's site.

This is done either via links provided by CrossRef, using the article DOI, or via a Scopus database of algorithmic links to articles from publishers who are not members of CrossRef.
This means that Scopus can offer full-text links to articles published by smaller publishers or learned societies that are not CrossRef members.

A team of linking specialists are dedicated to testing and reviewing these links on a regular basis to ensure they remain current and active.

The pre-resolved links can be displayed conditionally based on an institute’s subscription. Contact the Scopus E-helpdesk who will display the “View at Publisher” button based on your institution’s entitlements. Once activated, your users will be able to seamlessly link to Open Access titles and all subscribed content.

Links to your OPAC or other library resources

You can activate unlimited services from Scopus, such as your library catalogue/OPAC, a free Web or federated search engine or to another database. For example, you could choose to link to the Ulrich's database, if you are subscribed to it, in order to provide your users with supplementary information about a particular journal in Scopus. These links can be displayed at both the record level and the journal level.

Links to interlibrary loan and document delivery services

Scopus enables you to show your users that articles can be borrowed or delivered via interlibrary loan and document delivery linking.

There are two options for activating interlibrary loan or document delivery services in Scopus:

• Link to our generic Web form and a request will be sent to an email address of your choice
• Link directly to a Web form of your choice

Search portals outside of Scopus

Administrators can create a link that sends search terms used in Scopus to a search system outside of Scopus, such as an OPAC or search engine.

This means that users are given access to relevant resources without having to re-enter their search terms numerous times. Furthermore, administrators can highlight to their users other resources they might not have known about or thought of using.