There are multiple image links on the Scholarly search page with the same alt text.
The alt attribute for a functional image, such as an image link, will be used to create the accessible name for the link. Screen readers have tools to collate links into a traversable list and someone using one will often use this feature to quickly find links they are interested in. When alternative text is repeated on the page it is confusing for them. Refer to this W3C tutorial article for more information about functional images, "W3C Tutorials -> Images -> Functional images" - https://www.w3.org/WAI/tutorials/images/functional/
In this instance the image links are being used to direct someone viewing the page to citation resources for the articles in the search results. The links text "Institution-provided link" is not sufficient to inform someone about the purpose of the links. A best practice for these links would be to include the purpose of the link as well as the article it is referencing. Suggest:
//notice the alt attribute for the image as been set to null, including text on the link makes an alt attribute unnecessary and it can be considered decorative.
Citation resources for: The role of dissolved organic carbon in Great Smoky Mountains National Park streams impacted by long-term acid deposition // notice a CSS class has been included on the link text to remove it visually from the page.
CSS
visually-hidden {
clip: rect(0 0 0 0);
clip-path: inset(50%);
height: 1px;
overflow: hidden;
position: absolute;
white-space: nowrap;
width: 1px;
}