Writing Notes and Comments for Journal Members

Webpages are frequently modified or taken down. This has been a major problem in the past because many of the URLs that appeared in citations would often be "dead links" by the time an article was published. Perma.cc addresses the problem of "link rot." Perma.cc allows users to preserve links by making archival copies of webpages. As a result, future readers will always be able to see what a webpage looked like at the time when the Perma link was created, even if the webpage is subsequently changed or removed. Perma.cc allows authors and student editors to feel more confident about relying on electronic sources in citations.

Please see our Perma.cc guide for more information about using Perma.cc. 

Step 1: Log in to your Perma.cc account. If you don't have one, or if your account isn't associated with the Robert Crown Law Library, email reference@law.stanford.edu to get set up. 

Step 2: Copy and paste the URL of the link you wish to preserve and select the appropriate folder where this link should be saved (e.g., your journal's folder). Click the blue "Create Perma Link" button.

Step 3: After a few seconds, you will see your Perma.cc record. You should add the Perma link URL (shown in blue near the top of the screen) into the citation by placing it in brackets following the URL, pursuant to Bluebook Rule 18.2.1(d). The Perma link will become permanent after 24 hours.

Occasionally, Perma links will be marked as private records. This frequently happens with resources that are behind a paywall, such as articles from the New York Times. Only the creator of the link and the organization that controls the Perma.cc account will be able to see the content at the Perma link, but you should still create Perma links for these sources to archive those webpages.