Cannot access EBSCO PDFs

jfky · June 13, 2016

Hi, I think this has been covered before, but the solution I saw (adding the EBSCO translator to my translators folder) didn't work (and the translator was already in there anyway).

To recap: I'm using Zotero 4.0.29.10 as a Firefox add-on. In any EBSCO database I can add citation information to my Zotero folders. However, whenever I click on a PDF link in EBSCO I get a 404 Not Found error. Here is an example of the URL on top of a 404 Not Found page: http://content.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.purdue.edu/ContentServer.asp?T=P&P=AN&K=110663381&S=R&D=llf&EbscoContent=dGJyMMvl7ESep7E4yOvsOLCmr06ep7NSsqm4SrKWxWXS&ContentCustomer=dGJyMO7r8Hzz27mF39%2FsU%2BPe7Yvy

When I disable Zotero as a Firefox add-on and restart, I can access the EBSCO PDFs without issue.

Many thanks for any help you can give.

Jane

adamsmith · June 13, 2016

could you post the URL for that same PDF when accessed without Zotero?

One thing you can try is to disable automatic proxy redirection in the "Proxy" tab of Zotero preferences. I'm a bit puzzled how that would cause this, but it's the only way Zotero could possibly affect the accessibility of a PDF through the webpage.

jfky · June 13, 2016

I'm puzzled, too, because I don't have much of an idea what the proxy redirection is all about to begin with, but IT WORKED. Thanks!!

I use Library Literature & Info Sci FT on EBSCO quite heavily, and this problem popped up only recently. Weird.

adamsmith · June 13, 2016

if you don't need the proxy redirection (it makes it more convenient to access resources from off campus without going through your library's website first), you can safely ignore it.

If you do give me the URL of the PDF as you access it successfully, I may also be able to tell you how to fix the feature rather than disabling it.

jfky · June 13, 2016

I actually did kind of "get" it to the extent that i thought, I probably don't need this proxy redirect while I am *on campus* so I'll go ahead & disable it. I'll have to try it from home & see if I get the same problem.

Here is a URL from a PDF within EBSCO:

http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.lib.purdue.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=2&sid=9a9dedfe-bb7f-467a-be5a-7cebc19feaa5%40sessionmgr4003&hid=4204

adamsmith · June 13, 2016

curious -- I'd have to look at this more closely and don't know when I'll get a chance for that.
Glad we have a working solution for you.

yinbin · August 26, 2016

Hello, I have been having exactly the same problem with ebscohost and zotero. I thought it would go away, but it didn't.

In addition, I am also having the same problem with tandfonline.

jfky · August 26, 2016

Yinbin,

I can't remember what I did or what changed but I can now access pdf's through EBSCO databases. I might've changed something in the proxies preferences.

I tried getting pdfs from a T&F journal & was able to do so.

yinbin · August 27, 2016

Hi, jfky, I disabled proxy redirection(which is probably what you did as well), and now everything is fine. I can now access pdf's on both ebscohost and T&F.

danclegg · May 7, 2017

Hey, I have exactly the same problem, been happening for some months, Zotero 4.0.29.18 with firefox 45.9.0 on Debian linux, EBSCO only (any database), I've been working around problem by looking up papers in other portals to get PDF's. I will try the disable noted above, but would be nice to know what's making the 404's!

example link with forwarding on: http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/ehost/viewarticle/render?data=dGJyMPPp44rp2/dV0+njisfk5Ie46bNOtaivUbKk63nn5Kx95uXxjL6rrU+tqK5JtZavUrOpuEi1ls5lpOrweezp33vy3+2G59q7Sq6nr1CzprJQsJzqeezdu33snOJ6u+bxkeac8nnls79mpNfsVbCmrk2rprBRsKirSK6opH7t6Ot58rPufOS884TqyuOQ8gAA&vid=3&sid=9b9b4e64-a77a-459e-98fb-6452a2008801@sessionmgr4006&hid=4109

Which always quickly goes to the standard framed viewer with correct listing on left pane, with blank central pdf viewing pane, and at this point URL reads:
http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=6&sid=9b9b4e64-a77a-459e-98fb-6452a2008801@sessionmgr4006&hid=4109

Within the second whole page redirects to 404 (no more frames) showing this url:
http://content.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/ContentServer.asp?T=P&P=AN&K=16439082&S=L&D=a9h&EbscoContent=dGJyMNHr7ESeprU4y9f3OLCmr0+ep7JSrqi4SrCWxWXS&ContentCustomer=dGJyMPGrtE+wp7dMuePfgeyx44Dt6fIA

After disable proxy redirect works fine:

Original link to pdf:
http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/ehost/viewarticle/render?data=dGJyMPPp44rp2/dV0+njisfk5Ie46bNOtaivUbKk63nn5Kx95uXxjL6rrU+tqK5JtZavUrOpuEi1ls5lpOrweezp33vy3+2G59q7RbSss1CurLFJt5zqeezdu33snOJ6u+bxkeac8nnls79mpNfsVbCmrk2rprBRsKirSK6opH7t6Ot58rPufOS884TqyuOQ8gAA&vid=2&sid=9e36b2db-b88f-4776-87f0-092dbe52dab8@sessionmgr4007&hid=4109

URL of framed viewer where pdf comes up fine:
http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.library.ubc.ca/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=3&sid=9e36b2db-b88f-4776-87f0-092dbe52dab8@sessionmgr4007&hid=4109

danclegg · May 7, 2017

continued from below: when turning proxy redirect back on, same 404 behaviour returns.

Used to work just fine for years, and it all works fine on school computers so I know it's not EBSCOhost's problem alone at least. This started happening one day all of a sudden and has been reliably happening all the time on some articles, not sure if it's all pdf's through ebsco or not but most.