The shadow uniform resource locator: standardizing citations of electronically published materials

Area of Science:

• Computer Science
• Information Science

Background:

• Citing online scientific materials is challenging due to complex Uniform Resource Locators (URLs).
• Existing URL structures lack standardization, hindering efficient scholarly communication.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel URL format for simplifying the citation of scholarly materials published online.
• To enhance the discoverability and predictability of internet-based academic references.

Main Methods:

• Development of a standardized URL format: [Author I. Title of article. http:// domain/year/month-day(e#).html].
• Implementation of a simple HTML device, the "refresh page," to redirect browsers to the actual article URL.
• The HTML code uses a meta-refresh tag to automatically redirect users, suppressing the "refresh page" content.

Main Results:

• The proposed format results in succinct and predictable citations.
• Electronic journals can adopt this system without altering existing file hierarchies by establishing a distinct domain and managing refresh pages.
• This approach moves towards the goal of truly universal resource locators.

Conclusions:

• The "shadow" URL format offers a practical solution to cumbersome internet citations.
• Widespread adoption could significantly improve the efficiency of referencing online scholarly content.
• This innovation represents a step towards more universal and user-friendly online resource locators.