How to Avoid Link Rot with an Archive.org Account: Wayback Machine
Wayback Machine: Welcome
The internet is constantly changing with websites constantly changing their URLs, sites merging with other sites, or information being removed without notification. This can also create problems for researchers and scholars that want to cite the internet in their research. All of this can, unfortunately, result in what is often referred to as "link rot" or dead links. The Wayback Machine, built by the Internet Archive, is an important tool in the preservation of information and can also be a useful tool for scholars to archive links so that they will always work in the future, so long as the Internet Archive continues to exist in one form or another.
Create an Archive.org Account
Before beginning it is highly recommended to create an archive.org account so that any sites that you archive are saved to your account. To do so follow these directions:
1) Click the Sign Up/Log In button
2) You can either Use your Google Account to continue or create a unique Internet Archive account. As shown below if you want to use your google account just click the "Sign in with Google" button"
Save Page Now
1) Once you have created an account go to web.archive.org and paste the URL you wish to save under the "Save Page Now" section and push the "Save Page" button.
2) After pasting the URL and clicking the "Save Page" button you will be directed to another page with several options and boxes that you will need to click. It is suggested that you check the "Save Outlinks," "Save error pages (HTTP Status=4xx, 5xx)," "Save screen shot," and "Save also in my web archive" boxes. The last is important so that it is saved to your account where you can access it in the future easily.
When you have selected the boxes you desire click "Save Page."
3) After clicking the "Save Page" button it will take several minutes for the Wayback Machine to save everything associated with the page. This can vary depending on how complicated the website is. When it is finished it will look like the screenshot below and the archived link will be available for you to copy and paste into your research under the "Snapshot was captured. Visit Page" section.
