Template:Dead link

Template documentation

Usage

Use {{Dead link}} when you find a dead link to a website 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. If the citation contains multiple URLs (e.g. chapterurl and url) in a template, and only one is broken, you can use <!-- hidden text --> to explain which one is broken.

If the article uses clickable footnotes, then this tag should be placed just before the </ref> that contains the dead link. The notice will then correctly appear in the reference section (instead of in the body of the text, which is not recommended).

Avoid using this template to identify dead external links that are not used as references for article content. Instead, dead external links should normally be removed.

Common form (with current date)

{{Dead link|date=December 2024}}

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

Month name followed by year, for use by the categorization system. Use date=December 2024
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 specify the |bot= parameter as a sign that the tag was added by an automated process. Set as bot=<bot name>.

Examples

• <ref>{{Cite web |url=http://example.org |title=title |accessdate=2000-01-01 }} {{Dead link |date=April 2005 }}</ref>
  →
• <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, 27 October 2005. Retrieved 5 June 2008.</ref>
  →

Caveats

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

See also

• {{Dead link header}}
• {{Cleanup-link rot}} header
• {{Registration required}} citation flag
• {{Subscription required}} citation flag
• {{Failed verification}} citation flag
• What to do when a reference link goes dead
• {{Wayback}}
• {{WebCite}}