How to Avoid Link Rot without 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.
Save Page Now
1) 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)," and "Save screen shot," boxes.
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.
