Avoiding URL Reference Degradation in Scientific Publications

While we applaud PloS’ use of Digital Object Identifi ers (“The What and Whys of DOIs,” PLoS Biol 1: e57 doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.0000057), we also note the lack of provisions in your instructions for authors for preserving access to electronic information residing at a cited Internet addresses via Uniform Resource Locators (URLs). Medical and scientifi c literature increasingly cites information only found on the Internet. However, URLs may become inaccessible shortly after article publication. Please consider requiring PLoS’ authors to (1) submit all cited URLs to the Internet Archive (www.archive.org), a nonprofi t organization that has been preserving electronic content since 1996, and (2) maintain a printed copy of the electronic information for future communication until the URL becomes available at the Internet Archive (about a six-month lag time). The Internet Archive, the largest digital library of Internet sites and other digital data, stores cited Internet information at no cost to the author, reader, or publisher. By requiring PLoS’ authors to submit all cited Internet-based information to the Internet Archive, PLoS will better preserve the integrity of its content for the future.