Who is this guide for?
This guide is for Hypothesis LMS app users who are experiencing issues launching assignments that include VitalSource text.
Book Access Error
When launching a Hypothesis assignment that uses a VitalSource text, a user may get a Book Access Error message. See sample error message below.
This error suggests that the VitalSource text used in the Hypothesis assignment is not in your VitalSource account’s library.
To correct this, you may follow the steps below.
- Check with your instructor what particular book is needed for the Hypothesis assignment.
- Go to your VitalSource account from the VitalSource tool in your LMS (sometimes called Course Materials). If the VitalSource tool is not available in your LMS, you may access your account by logging in here.
- Once logged in to your account, check ‘My Library’ and see if the book needed for the assignment is in your library. If not, then you will have to purchase the book first.
- Launch the book to confirm that you have access to it.
- Re-launch the Hypothesis assignment.
VitalSource Account not found
When launching a Hypothesis assignment that uses a VitalSource text, a user may get a VitalSource account not found message. See sample error message below.
This error suggests that there may be an issue with your VitalSource account and how it interacts with the Hypothesis LMS app.
To correct this, you may try the possible solutions below.
Merge your VitalSource accounts
If you have multiple VitalSource accounts, it’s best to merge them into a single account. This helps prevent confusion and ensures you always log in to the correct account. You may merge your accounts by following the steps in this guide from VitalSource.
Contact Hypothesis Support
If you have one VitalSource account and yet you are still getting the‘VitalSource Account not found’ message when launching the assignment, please open a support ticket with Hypothesis here. Include the email address associated with your VitalSource account in the details of your support ticket.
Error messages related to third-party cookies
You may encounter the following sequence of windows when launching a Hypothesis assignment that includes a VitalSource text.
Clicking the Back to Sign In button will lead to the window shown below.
Clicking the Open in New Tab button will take you to the VitalSource login page. If you’re already logged in, it will display your VitalSource account. Once logged in, click My Library to see the books you have access to. Opening a book will display its content along with the Hypothesis sidebar, indicating that you’re in the Public Group.
If you see the sequence of windows shown above, it means that your browser is unable to access the necessary cookies to display the VitalSource book within your LMS assignment. Instead, it opens the book in the Hypothesis web app.
Annotations made in the web app are posted to the Public Group, which is not linked to your assignment. As a result, your instructor will not see your annotations. To ensure your work is properly recorded, you’ll need to adjust your browser settings to accept cookies. Please refer to our related article on How to enable third-party cookies for Hypothesis integrations.
After enabling third-party cookies for Hypothesis, relaunch the assignment. Check if the VitalSource text appears with the Hypothesis sidebar showing that you’re in the assignment group rather than the Public group.