webcitation.org

No. WebCite's own site states: "We are currently not accepting archiving requests." The archival state and snapshots of websites archived with WebCite in the past can still be accessed and cited, so existing WebCite links in published work remain usable. If you need to archive a webpage you are about to cite, you must use another service or follow your publisher's instructions for saving a local copy.

What WebCite Was Built For

WebCite is an on-demand archiving system for web references — cited webpages, websites, and other internet-accessible digital objects. It was used by authors, editors, and publishers of scholarly papers and books to keep cited web material available to future readers. It was formerly a member of the International Internet Preservation Consortium.

The problem it addresses is documented on its own site: authors increasingly cite webpages that can "disappear" overnight. One study published in Science found that 13% of internet references in scholarly articles were inactive after only 27 months. Cited pages can also change, so readers may see something different from what the citing author saw. A WebCite-enhanced reference solves this by pairing the original live URL with a link to an archived copy, exactly as the citing author saw it.

What Still Works Today

If a paper you are reading or editing cites a WebCite link, that link should still resolve to the archived snapshot. Readers and editors do not need to do anything differently for existing archives.

What to Do If You Need a New Archive

Because WebCite is closed to new requests, you need a substitute before you cite a live webpage. The general requirements are:

1. Capture the page as you saw it. Save a local copy (PDF or full-page screenshot) at the time of access, as many editors and publishers now request.
2. Create a stable archived link. Use a web archiving service that produces a permanent URL for the snapshot.
3. Check your publisher's policy. Some publishers specify which archiving services they accept, or require the local copy to be deposited alongside the manuscript.
4. Cite both. Follow the WebCite pattern: original live URL plus the archived copy link, so readers can reach the material even if the live page disappears or changes.

When comparing alternatives, the two questions that matter most are whether the service generates a stable, citable link and whether your target publisher or journal recognizes it. Confirm both before relying on any single service.

Key Takeaway

WebCite is a read-only archive now: historical snapshots remain accessible and citable, but no new pages can be archived. For new citations, save a local copy and use an accepted alternative archiving service, checking your publisher's requirements first.

WebCite can no longer accept new archiving requests. The site states that it is "currently not accepting archiving requests," so authors cannot submit a new webpage for archiving through WebCite today. What still works is access to material archived in the past: existing snapshots remain available to view and cite. If a journal or publisher asks you to archive a cited webpage now, you need another archive service or a locally preserved copy; WebCite is only an option for references that were already archived there.

What WebCite Was Designed to Do

WebCite was 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. Its purpose was to keep cited web material available to future readers.

The problem it addressed is documented on the site: webpages cited in articles can disappear or change. One study published in Science found that 13% of internet references in scholarly articles were inactive after only 27 months. A WebCite-enhanced reference solves this by pairing the original live URL with a link to an archived copy showing the material exactly as the citing author saw it.

What a WebCite-Enhanced Reference Contains

A WebCite-enhanced reference includes two elements:

1. The original live URL — which may disappear or change in the future.
2. A link to the archived copy — the snapshot the citing author accessed when preparing the citation.

This lets readers reach the cited material even if the live page returns a "404 File Not Found" error or has been edited since.

Archiving a Page: What Is and Isn't Possible Now

Because new submissions are closed, the practical steps for an author depend on whether the page was already archived:

• If the page already has a WebCite snapshot: use the archived link alongside the live URL in your reference, and verify the snapshot opens and matches the content you are citing.
• If the page has no WebCite snapshot: WebCite cannot create one now. Save a local copy of the page yourself and use an alternative web archive to produce a citable snapshot, then include that archive link with the live URL.

Verifying a Reference Before Submission

Whichever archive you use, check the reference the same way a reader would:

1. Open the archived link and confirm it loads the content you cited, not an error page.
2. Compare the archived copy with what you saw when you accessed the page, since live pages may have changed since archiving.
3. Keep the original live URL in the reference even when an archive link is present — the WebCite format includes both.

Common Pitfalls

• Assuming WebCite still accepts submissions. The closure notice is the first thing to check; planning a workflow around new WebCite archives will fail.
• Citing only the archive link. The enhanced-reference format keeps the live URL as well, so readers can see the original source.
• Skipping the verification step. An archived link that no longer resolves leaves the same broken-reference problem the archive was meant to prevent.

For new citations, treat WebCite as a source of existing snapshots and pair it with a currently operating archive or a preserved local copy to meet publisher requirements.

WebCite is no longer accepting new archiving requests, but snapshots archived in the past remain accessible and citable. Readers can reach them through the archive link embedded in a WebCite-enhanced reference or by searching the site; editors and publishers can use the same routes to confirm that a cited page was archived and to see what the citing author saw.

What still works on WebCite

The site's own notice draws a clear line between two functions:

• New archiving: unavailable. "We are currently not accepting archiving requests."
• Existing snapshots: available. "The archival state/snapshots of websites that have been archived with WebCite in the past can still be accessed and cited."

So the practical question for a reader or editor is not "how do I archive this page" but "how do I find the snapshot that already exists."

Accessing a snapshot from a citation

A WebCite-enhanced reference contains two links: the original live URL and a link to the archived copy "exactly as the citing author saw it when he accessed the cited material." For a reader, this is the fastest path:

1. Open the article or book reference containing the citation.
2. Locate the archived-copy link in the reference (it sits alongside the original URL).
3. Follow it to view the preserved version of the page.

The expected result is the page content as captured at archiving time, even if the live URL now returns a "404 File Not Found" error or shows changed content. This is the core value WebCite describes: the original URL "can and probably will disappear in the future, or its content may change," while the archived copy preserves what was actually cited.

Finding an archive without a ready-made link

When you have only a URL or a citation without a working archive link, the site's navigation offers SEARCH alongside HOME, FAQ, NEWS, and MEMBERS. Use the search entry to look up whether a given URL has a stored snapshot.

A practical check for editors verifying a submission:

• Take the cited URL from the manuscript.
• Search WebCite for that URL.
• If a snapshot exists, open it and compare it with the claims the author attributes to the source.
• If no snapshot exists, note that the reference cannot be verified through WebCite — and remember that new archiving requests are not being accepted, so the gap cannot be closed through this service.

Why this matters for editors and publishers

WebCite frames the underlying problem with a concrete figure: in one study published in Science, 13% of Internet references in scholarly articles were inactive after only 27 months. The site also notes that an increasing number of editors and publishers ask authors to make a local copy of a cited page and archive the URL in a system like WebCite so readers retain permanent access.

For an editor today, that guidance translates into a verification routine rather than an archiving one: confirm that the enhanced reference includes an archive link, open it, and check that the preserved content matches what the text cites. Where the link is missing or dead, the reference rests on a live URL that may already have changed.

Limits to keep in mind

• No new captures. Pages not archived before the service stopped accepting requests cannot be added now.
• Snapshot, not live page. The archive shows the page as captured; later corrections or updates to the source will not appear there.
• Citation still requires the original URL. A WebCite-enhanced reference keeps the live URL alongside the archive link, so both belong in the reference.

For readers, the archive link in a citation is usually all you need. For editors, the combination of that link and a WebCite search gives a workable way to confirm what an author actually saw when citing a webpage.

A WebCite-enhanced reference is a citation that includes both the original live URL and a link to an archived copy of the cited web material, captured exactly as the citing author saw it when they accessed it. This dual-link format lets readers reach the cited content even after the original URL disappears or its content changes. It is used in the reference lists of scholarly papers, books, and similar publications.

The Core Structure

The defining feature is the pairing of two links:

• The original live URL — the address the author actually cited. WebCite notes that this URL "can and probably will disappear in the future, or its content may change."
• A link to the archived copy — a snapshot preserved at the time of citation, reflecting what the author saw.

A reader who clicks the live URL and hits a "404 File Not Found" error can follow the archive link instead and see the same page the author relied on.

Why the Snapshot Matters

The archive link is not just a backup of the URL; it preserves the content at a point in time. WebCite describes the archived copy as "exactly as the citing author saw it when he accessed the cited material." This addresses a second problem beyond link rot: a page that still loads may have been edited, so the reader would otherwise see something different from what the author cited.

How It Helps When the Original Link Fails

The mechanism is straightforward:

1. A reader encounters a citation in a reference list.
2. They try the original URL.
3. If the page is gone or altered, they use the archived link to view the preserved version.

This is why WebCite frames archiving as a routine step for authors: without it, "future readers may encounter a '404 File Not Found' error when clicking on a cited URL." The enhanced reference is the visible output of that archiving step.

Where It Appears

WebCite-enhanced references are intended for the reference lists of journal articles, books, and other scholarly publications. The system was designed for use by authors, editors, and publishers of scholarly papers and books, and WebCite notes that a growing number of editors and publishers ask authors to archive cited URLs in a system like WebCite so readers retain permanent access.

An Important Current Limitation

WebCite's site states: "We are currently not accepting archiving requests." Snapshots of websites archived with WebCite in the past can still be accessed and cited. So the enhanced-reference format remains valid and usable for material already in the archive, but new archiving requests are not being accepted at this time. If you are preparing a new citation and need an archived copy, check whether the page already exists in WebCite's archive; otherwise, the format described here still shows you what to look for in an existing enhanced reference.

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:

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.