Expired Referenced Articles

[Ouabache]

Often, we reference online articles.. and I notice some do expire..
Many posts do not make much sense without them.

Would there be a possibility of archiving those articles offline at PF
and be able link them in, if the old URL expires? (assuming we gain
permission from the originating site to repost).

I have begun to archive links that I have referenced on posts, to my own PC.

 

[Ouabache]

~nudge~

 

[Ivan Seeking]

In most cases that would probably be copyright infringement. And there is no way that we could get permission from every source to repost.

I have had pretty good luck finding alternative sources for dead links.

 

[Astronuc]

Often, we reference online articles.. and I notice some do expire..
Many posts do not make much sense without them.

Would there be a possibility of archiving those articles offline at PF
and be able link them in, if the old URL expires? (assuming we gain
permission from the originating site to repost).

I have begun to archive links that I have referenced on posts, to my own PC.

I think it best to reference a source as one would in a journal article: with author, title, date (publisher) in addition to the link. Are these e-journal articles? If it's news articles, newspapers ususally archive articles by date.

I'd recommend PMing a mentor to edit previous posts with expired references.

 

[Monique]

It is best to use a DOI (Digital Object Identifier).

 

[Ouabache]

Thanks all these great replies! Yes I've noticed scientific papers and many news sources, tend to be more stable in long term availability. That http://www.doi.org/" sounds quite useful too. Perhaps more sites will adopt that protocol.

Well here is an example of an expired reference; in my post, regarding a specific program viewed on Discovery Channel about https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=68942,#1" that originally aired in 1999. There was a nice synopsis providing a description and images from that program, on the page. But now that reference, no longer exists.

Dead links could easily occur on academic websites. Let's say you referenced material a graduate student posted about a technical concept, off their homepage. When the student graduates, those accounts (along with their pages) may be deleted. Professors & academic staff will maintain accounts over longer periods, but they are not obligated to keep all material posted indefinately.

 

[jon855]

In most cases that would probably be copyright infringement. And there is no way that we could get permission from every source to repost.

I have had pretty good luck finding alternative sources for dead links.

While it may be considered as a copyright infringement - there's also something called "Fair Use" and under this fair use - the OP's idea will fall under this clause meaning no copyright infringement has occurred as long it remains under the Fair Use doctrine.Copyright Act of 1976, 17 U.S.C. § 107

Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 17 U.S.C. § 106 and 17 U.S.C. § 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright. In determining whether the use made of a work in any particular case is a fair use the factors to be considered shall include:

1. the purpose and character of the use, including whether such use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes;
2. the nature of the copyrighted work;
3. the amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole; and
4. the effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work.

The fact that a work is unpublished shall not itself bar a finding of fair use if such finding is made upon consideration of all the above factors.