COinS

ContextObjects in Spans, commonly abbreviated COinS, is a method of embedding latent OpenURL ContextObjects in web pages. This allows client software to retrieve bibliographic metadata and to use an OpenURL resolver to find a mediated link. A principal advantage of using COinS, rather than giving a static OpenURL, is that the client can determine which resolver to use. This allows, for instance, searching for a copy of a book in one's own library.

In this example, Zotero is displaying the references it can retrieve. The OpenURL referrer is responsible for the Find in a library links.

COinS have been added to various parts of Wikipedia. They are basically just a chunk of bibliographic information stored in a way that machines can read. This has two applications:

• The information can be converted into a full OpenURL and resolved by a local OpenURL resolver. For instance, with LibX, OpenURL referrer, or a similar extension or bookmarklet installed in Firefox, a link will appear after many of the books and journal articles in a Wikipedia article's References section. If the extension is configured correctly, the user can click a link after a book to check if his organization's library has a copy. If the organization has the appropriate access, clicking the link after a journal article may bring up a copy of the article.
• The information can be stored by bibliographic tools like Zotero. The tool can download the bibliographic information from an article into a personal library for future research and retrieval.
  • Zotero also has Wikipedia export, which allows references to be dragged into a Wikipedia edit box, where they will appear formatted as Wikipedia citation templates.

So far, COinS have been added to:

• Wikipedia:Book sources – just contains the ISBN
• Many citation templates and infoboxes – see: Category:Templates generating COinS
• MediaWiki:Citethispage-content – generated when you click Cite this article; contains information for citing Wikipedia itself in other documents

Template

For use on templates generating COinS:

{{UF-COinS}}

It adds pages to the above category.

Templates needing COinS

COinS could, and should, be added to these templates:

• {{Infobox comics character}}
• {{Infobox graphic novel}}

COinS in citation templates

The COinS keys used in most Citation Style 1 templates are listed at Module talk:Citation/CS1/COinS.

For example:

Markup	Renders as
{{cite book |last=Bloggs |first=Fred |editor-first=John |editor-last=Doe |title=Big Compilation Book with Many Chapters and Distinct Chapter Authors |publisher=Book Publishers |date=January 1, 2001 |pages=100–110 |chapter=Chapter 2: The History of the Bloggs Family |isbn=978-1-234-56789-7}}	Bloggs, Fred (January 1, 2001). "Chapter 2: The History of the Bloggs Family". In Doe, John (ed.). Big Compilation Book with Many Chapters and Distinct Chapter Authors. Book Publishers. pp. 100–110. ISBN 978-1-234-56789-7.

Which renders the following HTML:

'"`UNIQ--templatestyles-0000000B-QINU`"'<cite id="CITEREFBloggs2001" class="citation book cs1">Bloggs, Fred (January 1, 2001). "Chapter 2: The History of the Bloggs Family". In Doe, John (ed.). ''Big Compilation Book with Many Chapters and Distinct Chapter Authors''. Book Publishers. pp.&nbsp;100–110. [[ISBN (identifier)|ISBN]]&nbsp;[[Special:BookSources/978-1-234-56789-7|<bdi>978-1-234-56789-7</bdi>]].</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.atitle=Chapter+2%3A+The+History+of+the+Bloggs+Family&rft.btitle=Big+Compilation+Book+with+Many+Chapters+and+Distinct+Chapter+Authors&rft.pages=100-110&rft.pub=Book+Publishers&rft.date=2001-01-01&rft.isbn=978-1-234-56789-7&rft.aulast=Bloggs&rft.aufirst=Fred&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fsi.wikipedia.org%3ACOinS" class="Z3988"></span>

Picking out the COinS keys:

Key	Data
fr_id	info:sid/en.wikipedia.org:
rft.atitle	Big Compilation Book with Many Chapters and Distinct Chapter Authors
rft.au	Bloggs, Fred
rft.aufirst	Fred
rft.aulast	Bloggs
rft.btitle	Chapter 2: The History of the Bloggs Family
rft.date	January 1, 2001
rft.genre	bookitem
rft.isbn	978-1-234-56789-7
rft.pages	100-110
rft.pub	Book Publishers
rft_val_fmt	info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:book

Pollution

Incorrect data in fields can pollute the metadata. For example, adding all of the authors into the |authors= field:

Markup	Renders as
{{cite book |authors=Smith, John; Johnson, Joe; Green, Ethan |title=Big Compilation Book with Many Chapters and Distinct Chapter Authors |publisher=Book Publishers |date=January 1, 2001 |pages=100–110 |chapter=Chapter 2: The History of the Bloggs Family |isbn=978-1-234-56789-7}}	"Chapter 2: The History of the Bloggs Family". Big Compilation Book with Many Chapters and Distinct Chapter Authors. Book Publishers. January 1, 2001. pp. 100–110. ISBN 978-1-234-56789-7.

'"`UNIQ--templatestyles-00000010-QINU`"'<cite class="citation book cs1">"Chapter 2: The History of the Bloggs Family". ''Big Compilation Book with Many Chapters and Distinct Chapter Authors''. Book Publishers. January 1, 2001. pp.&nbsp;100–110. [[ISBN (identifier)|ISBN]]&nbsp;[[Special:BookSources/978-1-234-56789-7|<bdi>978-1-234-56789-7</bdi>]].</cite><span title="ctx_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info%3Aofi%2Ffmt%3Akev%3Amtx%3Abook&rft.genre=bookitem&rft.atitle=Chapter+2%3A+The+History+of+the+Bloggs+Family&rft.btitle=Big+Compilation+Book+with+Many+Chapters+and+Distinct+Chapter+Authors&rft.pages=100-110&rft.pub=Book+Publishers&rft.date=2001-01-01&rft.isbn=978-1-234-56789-7&rfr_id=info%3Asid%2Fsi.wikipedia.org%3ACOinS" class="Z3988"></span>

Key	Data
rft.au	Smith, John; Johnson, Joe; Green, Ethan
rft.aufirst	not used
rft.aulast	Smith, John; Johnson, Joe; Green, Ethan

See also

• The planned citation microformat