We have answers to some commonly asked questions about the Perma.cc service and Perma Links.
Who needs an account?
Is there a limit to the number of Perma Links I can create?
How do I create a Perma Link?
Does the Perma.cc service work with web pages that require a login or other authentication method?
Does Perma.cc preserve embedded links?
What do readers see when they visit a Perma Link?
How do I use these links in a citation?
Are Perma.cc archives available to search engines?
How permanent are these "Perma Links?"
What is the difference between a doi (digital object identifier) and a Perma Link?
Don't see your question here? Please visit the Perma.cc User Guide. Still not finding the information you need? Email Julia Nims (jnims@emich.edu).
An account is needed to preserve web pages using Perma.cc. However, no account is necessary to view a page archived with the service if you know the Perma Link.
EMU graduate students and faculty qualify for free, unlimited accounts. The EMU Library is a partner library with Perma.cc, which means we can offer EMU graduate students and faculty these accounts under our organizational membership. To sign up for a free, unlimited account through the EMU Library, please email Julia Nims.
Perma.cc also offers individual accounts, which allows users to create up to a certain number of links based on their subscription tier. Perma.cc offers basic use accounts (up to 10 new links each month for $10/mo, up to 100 new links each month for $25/mo, or upto 500 new links for $100/mo - read more). To register for an individual account, visit Perma's signup page.
Is there a limit to the number of Perma Links I can create?
If you have an account set up through the EMU Library, there is no limit to the number of records you can create.
If you have an individual account, the number of links you can create depends on your subscription tier, but range from 10 links for $10/mo. to 500 links for $100/mo. (read more)
Login to your Perma.cc account. Copy the URL from the address bar of the page you want to preserve and past it into the Perma.cc page (in the area "Paste your URL here"). Then just click on 'Create Perma Link' button. When the Perma Link has been created, you will see the preserved page and its URL in the address bar of your browser.
There are browser extensions for Chrome and Firefox, as well as a bookmarklet, to make creating Perma Links even easier. You can find these in your account under Settings > Tools.
Does the Perma.cc service work with web pages that require a login or other authentication method?
No, Perma.cc generally works with publicly available pages only. For example, a page from your EMU email account cannot be preserved using the Perma.cc service.
If you want to preserve a web page that Perma.cc cannot capture, you can upload your own archived image or pdf file to Perma.cc and create a Perma Link to it.
Does Perma.cc preserve embedded links?
No. Perma.cc preserves only the targeted page. It does not drill down to capture pages that are linked on the targeted page. So for example, if you use Perma.cc to preserve a page that has 10 links on it, you would preserve that page but not the pages available at the 10 links.
What do readers see when they visit a Perma Link?
Your readers will see an interactive, web archive version of the record. They will also have the options to look at a screenshot view of the page and to visit the live web page.
How do I use these links in a citation?
You can use the Perma Link in your citation any way you like.
The most common method is to include both the original citation and the Perma Link in the citation.
For example:
Which web browsers does Perma.cc support?
Perma.cc works on Chrome, Firefox, Safari and IE10+.
Are Perma.cc archives available to search engines?
No. The Perma.cc archives are not crawled by search engines, such as Google, Yahoo, or Bing. The only way someone can see a web page you preserved is by using the Perma Link you create.
How permanent are these "Perma Links?"
Perma Links become truly permanent after 24 hours. If you want to delete a Perma Link you created, you need to do so within 24 hours of creating it. After that, the links become part of Perma.cc's permanent archives.
The Harvard Library Innovation Lab, which created and runs the Perma.cc service, has a detailed contingency plan to preserve its archives of Perma Links in the event the service shuts down.
What is the difference between a doi (digital object identifier) and a Perma Link?
A doi is an identifier used to permanently link to an article or document on the web. They are usually used for published journal articles, studies, data sets, and other downloadable content.
A Perma Link is a link used to view a preserved web page, such as news stories, blogs, and other impermanent web pages. Articles and other downloadable files are not captured with a Perma Link.
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Don't see your question here? Please visit the Perma.cc User Guide. Still not finding the information you need? Email Julia Nims (jnims@emich.edu).
EMU faculty, staff, and graduate students can request a Perma.cc account or additional information by emailing Julia K. Nims (jnims@emich.edu).