EBSCO is excited to announce Reference Linking, which is now included as a valuable component of selected EBSCOhost^® databases. Reference Linking is the latest addition to a multitude of linking options available to EBSCOhost users, and represents the latest of many recent enhancements to the popular search service.

Reference Linking provides a powerful means for extending research by allowing users to locate additional information related to an article of interest. Also known as "reference browsing," "reference chasing," or "searchable citations," this functionality lets users link directly from a particular article to other articles cited in the bibliography of the original article. It also allows users to link directly from a particular article to other articles in the database that cite the original article. The basic principal associated with this type of linking considers that if a particular article is of interest to a researcher, then the articles cited by that same article, or that cite the article, are often of value as well.

There are two ways to access information using Reference Linking functionality in EBSCOhost. The first is via links, labeled as "references" or "times cited," that appear within the citation display of individual articles on the EBSCOhost result list. Following a "references" link provides a second list of articles cited by that article (i.e. the bibliography of the original article). Following a "times cited" link provides a list of articles in the database that cite the original article. Links to full text are also available for records in these result lists, including full text available in the database or via EBSCO SmartLinks^TM and CustomLinks^TM (e.g. e-journals). The process of chasing references can continue from either of these lists, as each includes records with links to references and citing articles as well. Thus, the process of Reference Linking can continue indefinitely.

The second method for interacting with references is available via the "References" button in the sub-tool bar located on any EBSCOhost search screen. This can be used as an initial point for launching a search of references. Clicking this button displays a search screen that lets users directly search references for specific information such as author, year, source, title or all. Launching this type of search for a particular author, for example, retrieves all references in the database associated with that author. Once a result list is presented, the process of chasing references can continue indefinitely as mentioned previously.

In addition to providing relevant links for researchers, Reference Linking is a useful feature for professors and other professionals interested in learning the impact that their works had in terms of how often they have been cited, and in which journals/articles available in the database.

Reference Linking has been implemented for more than 1,150 peer-reviewed journals in Business Source^® Premier, more than 1,000 peer-reviewed journals in Academic Search™ Premier, and is also available in PsycINFO^® via EBSCOhost. This functionality will appear as appropriate in other selected EBSCOhost databases in the coming months.

Release Date: July 23, 2003