Shortcuts: {{404}} {{dl}} {{broken link}}

Use {{dead link}} when you find a dead external link within a paragraph or a reference citation. Doing so will place a note by the URL and add the article to one of the Category:Articles with dead external links categories.

Append this template directly after the link or template, leaving the original link intact. Not doing so will prevent detection from automated tools. This tag should be placed just before the </ref> that contains the dead link. The notice will then appear in the footnote reference (instead of in the body of the text, which is not recommended).

Contents 1 Usage 1.1 Optional parameters 2 Examples 2.1 Caveats 3 See also 3.1 Dead link tools

Usage

Common form (with current date)

{{dead link|date=December 2009}}

Optional parameters

url

Provides a history of the linked page via Wayback Machine. Set only if history actually exists, as otherwise it is misleading to users and editors.

date

Given in month name followed by year for use by the categorization system. Use date=December 2009
If you don't add a date parameter, a bot will date your entry with the month and year at a later time.

bot

Bot accounts will specify the |bot= parameter to notify the others that the page was tagged by an automated process. Set as bot=ExampleBot.

Examples

• <ref>{{cite web |url=http://example.org |title=title |accessdate=2000-01-01 }} {{dead link |date=April 2005 }}</ref>
  → ^[1]
• <ref>Plunkett, John. [http://media.guardian.co.uk/site/story/0,14173,1601858,00.html "Sorrell accuses Murdoch of panic buying"],{{dead link}} ''The Guardian'', London, October 27, 2005. Retrieved June 5, 2008.</ref>
  → ^[2]

1. ^ "title". http://example.org. Retrieved 2000-01-01.  ^{[dead link]}
2. ^ Plunkett, John. "Sorrell accuses Murdoch of panic buying",^{[dead link]} The Guardian, London, October 27, 2005. Retrieved June 5, 2008.

Caveats

• Avoid using free links (e.g. http://example.org/{{dead link}}) as software unable handle templates may read an incorrect link, add brackets if necessary.
• Avoid complicated formatting, nesting inside a template in generally not support well.
• Avoid using [ ] { | } < > character between the end of the external link and {{dead link}}, as they are often use to format text

See also

• {{dead links}}
• {{Wayback}}
• {{linkrot}}
• {{Registration required}}
• What to do when a reference link goes dead

Dead link tools

• Checklinks
• DeadLinkBOT
• WebCiteBOT