IV · 35

Preprint (arXiv)

An OpenURL for an arXiv preprint — identified by arXiv ID, using the Journal format with genre=preprint.

Scenario

A reference cites a preprint deposited on arXiv. The preprint has an arXiv ID; that identifier is the most reliable way to reach it. Descriptive metadata is included to help resolvers that do not consult arXiv directly.

OpenURL

https://resolver.example.edu/openurl?
url_ver=Z39.88-2004
&ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004
&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal
&rft.genre=preprint
&rft.atitle=A+Preprint+Title
&rft.aulast=Doe
&rft.aufirst=Jane
&rft.au=Roe%2C+Richard
&rft.date=2021-03-01
&rft_id=info:arxiv/2103.00010
&rfr_id=info:sid/arxiv.org

Decoded

ctx_ver
Z39.88-2004
rft_val_fmt
info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal — preprints are described with the Journal format, distinguished by rft.genre.
rft.genre
preprint — one of the legal values of the Journal format's genre descriptor.
rft.atitle / rft.aulast / rft.aufirst / rft.au
Title and authors of the preprint.
rft.date
2021-03-01 — date of deposit.
rft_id
info:arxiv/2103.00010: the arXiv identifier as an info URI. The info:arxiv namespace was registered in the info-URI registry in 2006.
rfr_id
info:sid/arxiv.org: identifies arXiv as the source system.

Notes

  • The title, authors and identifier above are illustrative. Use the real arXiv ID of the paper you cite.
  • arXiv identifiers have the form YYMM.NNNN for papers from April 2007 to December 2014 and YYMM.NNNNN from January 2015; older papers use archive/YYMMNNN (for example hep-th/9901001).
  • Journal volume, issue, and page descriptors are usually omitted for preprints — they have no journal placement.
  • If the preprint has been formally published, a second OpenURL pointing to the journal version (with rft.genre=article and the journal's metadata or DOI) is the conventional way to capture both.

Sources