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EnglishWhat is WebCite and what problem does it solve?
Updated
WebCite is an on-demand archiving system for web references—cited webpages, websites, and other internet-accessible digital objects—used by authors, editors, and publishers of scholarly papers and books to keep cited web material available to readers in the future. It solves two related problems: cited URLs going dead (readers hitting "404 File Not Found") and cited pages changing so that readers see something different from what the citing author saw. One important current condition: WebCite is not accepting new archiving requests, but snapshots archived in the past can still be accessed and cited.
The problem WebCite addresses
Scholarly writing increasingly cites webpages and other digital objects that can "disappear" overnight. WebCite's own site cites a study published in Science finding that 13% of internet references in scholarly articles were inactive after only 27 months. A second, separate problem is drift: a cited page may change, so the reader no longer sees the version the author relied on. WebCite describes this combination—unstable web citations plus the lack of routine digital preservation of cited objects—as an issue "calling for an immediate response" from publishers and authors.
As a result, a growing number of editors and publishers ask authors to make a local copy of a cited webpage and archive the cited URL in a system like WebCite so readers retain permanent access.
What a WebCite-enhanced reference contains
A WebCite-enhanced reference keeps the original live URL—which can and probably will disappear or change—and adds a link to an archived copy of the material exactly as the citing author saw it when accessing it. In practice, a reader of such a reference can follow the live link if it still works and fall back to the archived snapshot if it does not.
Who it was built for
WebCite's own overview organizes usage by role, which maps to the audiences it serves:
| Role | Purpose in the WebCite model |
|---|---|
| Citing author | Archive webpages they intend to cite |
| Reader | Open archived copies behind cited links |
| Editor | Apply archiving expectations to submitted references |
| Publisher | Require or support archived references |
| Library / internet archive / preservation organization | Use archived snapshots for digital preservation |
| Citable web author (blogger, copyright holder) | Self-archive their own web material |
WebCite was formerly a member of the International Internet Preservation Consortium.
Current status and what it means for you
The site states plainly that it is currently not accepting archiving requests. That changes the practical decision:
- If you need to archive a new citation now, WebCite is not an available route; you need another archiving service or a local copy plus a stable repository.
- If you are citing something already archived with WebCite, you can still link to and cite the existing snapshot.
- If you are a reader following an older WebCite-enhanced reference, the archived copy should still resolve even where the live URL has died.
The site does not state pricing or login requirements for accessing past snapshots; the only confirmed operational fact is that new archiving requests are closed while past snapshots remain accessible and citable.