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Evaluate the permanence of the site
Here today and gone tomorrow! There is no guarantee that a
particular file of information will reside in the same location today
that it did yesterday. On the Internet, files move from server to
server, undergo online editing or deletion, and otherwise change
their form and/or their location routinely. It is important to note
the date and time that a site is visited if one plans to use the
information and a citation is taken. In some cases, the researcher
may wish to download, or otherwise capture the file or the section of
the file being cited, for on-site reference.
Things to look for:
- Explicit statements of temporary or changing location of servers or
files
- Author's relationship to the server infrastructure
- Impermanent or transitory nature of the information
College of Arts and
Humanities. This site has changed servers.
inforM: Information for
Maryland. This site was the main online information resource for the
University of Maryland until recently. Explanation
Amnesty
Intl Student Organization. This site has changed locations
several times over the past 5 years. Where is it now?
Table of Contents | Next
Originally published May 1996 by Lida L. Larsen, Assistant Director,
Collegial Relations and Information Services, Office of Information
Technology, University of Maryland, College Park. Revised
April 2006. Copyright Protected
Questions, comments, and suggestions can be sent
to lidalarsen@acm.org
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