What this source helps you find
Compare dated web-page captures and retain a link to a viewable version.
Public sources / INT
Wayback Machine
Compare dated web-page captures and retain a link to a viewable version.
Limit to retain in your conclusion
Captures can be partial; their date and content do not validate the page’s claims.
Useful search anchors
- Exact URL
- Reference period
Fields to record when citing a result
- Exact URL
- Capture / acquisition date
- Coverage / exclusions
Evidence record to retain
Original URL, capture URL, capture time and any missing or incomplete page elements.
Check before drawing a conclusion
An archive shows a retrieved version at a time, not content accuracy or its creation date.
Official reference page
Consultation date :
Reference content consulted.
This record concerns the cited page on this date, not permanent service availability or every feature. Data, files and APIs may have different access conditions.
Cross-check this source in a research route
Reconstruct a web presence
Compare current domain registration with archived versions of a precise page.
Domain registrant and content author may differ; captures remain partial.
Compare sourcesReconstruct a documentary timeline
Locate an archival reference, consult a digitised edition and date versions of a web page.
An inventory, historical publication and web capture are different witnesses; gaps do not prove an event never occurred.
Compare sourcesConnect a domain to its infrastructure
Record domain and date, compare ICANN registration data with RIPEstat routing, then inspect archived captures.
A host, ASN or capture does not automatically identify the publisher or owner of content.
Compare sourcesUseful methods
- Read a web archive without distorting the timeline
- Reconstruct a timeline of public signals
- Qualify an open source before using it