RULE: Capture an archive snapshot (Perma.cc / archive.org) at the moment of citing any web source. Quote verbatim.

Rule: At the moment of citing any web source in Candid content, capture an archive snapshot (Perma.cc preferred; archive.org Save Page Now as fallback). Include both URLs in the citation. Quote the source verbatim (≤25 words) so the claim survives link death.

Why:

• NYT link half-life is ~15 years with 13% content drift even on "live" links (Link rot: NYT external links 1996-2019 show ~15-year half-life; 13% of "live" links no longer point to original content)
• Zittrain Harvard Law 2014: 50% of US Supreme Court opinion links, 70% of Harvard Law Review links broken (Zittrain et al. (Harvard Law 2014): 50% of URLs in U.S. Supreme Court opinions suffer reference rot)
• A footnote with "source: example.com/article-123" leaves no recovery path when the URL dies; a footnote with a verbatim quote remains searchable in archives forever

How to apply:

• Workflow: cite → snapshot (one click in Perma.cc browser extension) → verbatim quote into the citation
• Format: "...[verbatim quote]..." (Source, Date — original URL | archived)
• For research-brief and KB entries: archive every primary source on first use
• For marketing pages citing sources via the KB: the KB entry is the archive layer; marketing pages link to the KB
• Quarterly link-checker pass per CANDID REFERENCE: 9-step link-rot mitigation plan — archive on capture, verbatim quote, persistent IDs, quarterly check
• Candid-authored research artifacts get DOIs via Zenodo (free)