Note: Google Analytics 4 has replaced Universal Analytics.
First, create a property in your Google Analytics account.
Note: WorldCat Discovery instructs Google Analytics to use anonymous IPs. Google Anonymization will use and store the first part of the IP to gather general location data. To read more on Google IP anonymization in analytics please refer to Google's support documentation on IP anonymization.
Note: Measurement ID starts with a G-
Per Google, it can take up to 30 minutes for data to begin appearing in your new GA4 property. Some reports can take 24-48 hours to appear.
Refer to the WorldCat Discovery Community Center (sign in required) to discuss using Google Analytics for WorldCat Discovery.
Once you add Google Analytics 4 (GA4) tracking to your website, use the real-time data and the standard reports to view and analyze your data. Refer to Understanding Google Analytics Reports (GA4). You can also set up custom dimensions to track additional data WorldCat Discovery supports to collect more meaningful data specific to your site. Refer to Custom dimensions and metrics (GA4).
GA4 tracks:
Set up event parameters with specific events to create custom dimensions. Afterward, use these custom dimensions to generate custom reports to help you visualize your analytics data.
In GA4, the event name is the top-level way of identifying events. GA4 allows us to send additional event parameters along with events. These can vary based on the event name. View these event parameters in the Realtime view when you drill down into events. To be able to drill down into their values over the longer-term analysis views in Google Analytics, as well as to build custom reports based on them, it is necessary to add custom dimensions for each unique event parameter.
Once added, new events will have the parameters processed as custom dimensions, and those values will be usable in reports.
Events automatically generated by Google Analytics can be reviewed at [GA4] Automatically collected events.
For a list of some of the common events generated by WorldCat Discovery, refer to the below table. Contact OCLC Support for assistance with additional events.
| Location | Event Type | Action | Event Name |
|---|---|---|---|
| Header | click | Users click Advanced search link from navigation bar | Click Advanced Search |
| Header | click | Users click Course Reserves link from navigation bar | Click Course Reserves Link |
| Header | click | User clicks Sign in link | Click Sign in |
| Header | mousedown | User selects Institution Logo | Select Institution Logo |
| Header | mousedown | User selects Resources menu from the navigation bar and selects an item from the list | Navigate Library Resource Link |
| Footer | click | User expands language picker drop-down menu | Click Footer-Language link |
| Footer | click | User clicks A to Z Journal link in footer | Click Footer-Library Links-A to Z Journals |
| Footer | click | User clicks Proxy Authentication link in footer | Click Footer-Library Links- Proxy Authentication |
| Footer | click | User clicks WSILL form link in footer | Click Footer-Library Links-WS ILL form |
| Footer | click | User clicks Course Reserves link in footer | Click Footer-Library Links-Course reserves |
| Advanced Search | change | User clicks ALl checkbox for Databases Group | Change Select All for [Databases Group] |
| Advanced Search | click | User clicks All checkbox for Databases Group | Click Select All for [Databases Group] |
| Advanced Search | change | User clicks database checkbox for Databases Group | Change Select All for [Databases Group] |
| Advanced Search | click | User clicks All checkbox for Databases Group | Click Select All for [Databases Group] |
| Advanced Search | change | User clicks database checkbox | Change Click on [Database Name] from [Database Group |
| Advanced Search | click | User clicks database checkbox | Click on [Database Name] from [Database Group |
| Advanced Search | click | User clicks Search Term text box | Click adv-module-searchterm_[text box number] |
| Advanced Search | change |
User enters terms in Search Term text box |
Change adv-module-searchterm_[text box number] |
| Advanced Search | change |
User clicks Search index from drop-down menu |
Change selected-index-[search index menu number]-adv-search-module |
| Course Reserves | click |
User clicks search text box |
Click Course Search Box |
| Course Reserves | change |
User enters text in search box |
Change Course Search Box |
| Course Reserves | click |
User clicks search button |
Click Search Course Reserves |
| Course Reserves | click |
User expands Sorted by drop-down menu |
Click Sort Course Reserves |
| Course Reserves | change |
User clicks sort option from drop-down menu |
Change Sort Course Reserves |
| Course Reserves | click |
User clicks All status filter |
Click All Courses Status Filter |
| Course Reserves | click |
User clicks Active status filter |
Click Active Courses Status Filter |
| Course Reserves | click |
User clicks Inactive status filter |
Click Inactive Courses Status Filter |
| Course Reserves | click |
User clicks Course Name link |
Click Course Name Link |
| Basic Search | click | User clicks Search button | Select Search Button |
| Basic Search | click | User clicks a search suggestion from the search box | Select Search Suggestion Option |
|
Search Results |
click |
User has entered search terms into the search box from the search results page and initiated a search |
SearchEventCustom |
|
Search Results |
click |
User has selected a facet |
Select Facet |
|
Search Results |
mousedown |
User has clicked on the title from the search results |
Navigate Brief Result Title Link |
|
Search Results |
click |
User click Elink |
Select Elink |
| Item Details | click |
User has clicked the Place Hold or ILL request button |
Select Fulfillment CTA |
|
A to Z Journal |
click |
User clicked the Browse Tab on the AtoZ search page |
Click Browse Tab |
|
A to Z Journal |
click |
User clicked the Search button on the Article search page |
Click ilr-form-search-article |
|
A to Z Journal |
click |
User clicked Edit Search button on the search results page |
Click Edit Search |
|
A to Z Journal |
click |
User clicked Full Text link on the item details page |
Click Full Text Article Link |
|
A to Z Journal |
click |
User clicked export button for [Citaiton Service name] |
Click Export to [Citation Service] |
For a list of some of the common parameters generated by WorldCat Discovery, refer to the below table. Contact OCLC Support for assistance with additional parameters.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| eventType | Type of event (click, mousedown, change, etc.) |
| event_name |
Name of the event (Click Advanced Search, Click Course Search Box, Select Elink, etc.) |
| pageName |
Page the event took place on (Advanced Search, Search, Item Details, etc.) |
| pageSection |
Section the event took place in (Search Box, Refine Search, Access Options, etc.) |
| queryParams_databaseList |
Database IDs corresponding to the databases selected for search (WorldCat.org, Academic Search Complete, Directory of Open Access Journals, etc.) |
| queryParams_clusterResults |
Hide Duplicates enabled: True/False |
| queryParams_groupVariantRecords |
Group Editions and Formats enabled: True/False |
| queryParams_queryString |
Search terms entered |
| queryParams_expandSearch |
Expand search with related enabled: True/False |
| queryParams_lang |
Display language |
| queryParms_translateSearch |
Translate Search enabled: True/False |
| referrer |
The address of the webpage where a person clicked a link that sent them to the page |