Users at an institution intermittently receive Google Scholar's"We're sorry… we have detected unusual traffic from your computer network" message (often accompanied by a reCAPTCHA challenge) when accessing Google Scholar through an EZproxy starting-point link (e.g., https://ezproxy.example.com/login?url=https://scholar.google.com/).
Key characteristics:
The "unusual traffic" error is generated by Google, not by OCLC or EZproxy. Google Scholar's security algorithms are sensitive to a high volume of sessions originating from a single IP address. When many students and staff search the Google Scholar interface through the shared EZproxy outbound IP, Google interprets the aggregated traffic as automated/"bot" activity and triggers a reCAPTCHA or a temporary block on that IP.
Because the trigger and the block both live on Google's side, there is no EZproxy configuration change that reliably prevents it, and — in prior cases — no established OCLC escalation channel to Google Scholar to investigate or expedite clearing. When the block is already active, the only known remedy has been to wait for Google to clear it (typically a few days).
Rather than proxying the Google Scholar search interface, configure Google Scholar Library Links. This lets users search Google Scholar directly (no proxy prefix on the search page), while your institution's"Find it @ [institution]" links appear alongside the results. When a user clicks one of those links, they are routed through your library's OpenURL link resolver and EZproxy to reach the full text — avoiding the bot-detection issue on the search page while preserving authenticated access to subscribed content.
Two ways to enable Library Links:
User-side (manual): In Google Scholar, go to Settings → Library links, search for the library name, click the checkbox of the desired links, and click Save. The links then appear next to results, so long as the library has enabled link display to the user's IP address.
Institution-side (automatic for on-campus users): Configure Google Scholar in WorldShare Collection Manager (or other products with a connection to Google Scholar) so links surface automatically for patrons on the campus network.