Pragmatic citation guidance for archived snapshots and compare views.
Suggested citation
Copy and adapt the citation below to your preferred style.
HealthArchive.ca Project. “Archived snapshot” (snapshot from 2026-02-01T17:40:25.140Z). Archived copy of Public Health Agency of Canada web page (https://www.youtube.com/api/stats/qoe?cpn=2pDLylNnUR-VVtLP&el=embedded&ns=yt&fexp=v1%2C24004644%2C27005591%2C53408%2C34656%2C106030%2C18644%2C117689%2C9252%2C3479%2C13030%2C23206%2C15179%2C20226%2C64534%2C763%2C9720%2C5385%2C25059%2C4174%2C25717%2C3966%2C764%2C1257%2C491%2C11768%2C4936%2C253%2C1734%2C560%2C19143%2C137%2C4434%2C1628%2C3609%2C5801%2C198%2C1780%2C8456%2C5728%2C1242%2C661%2C9404%2C18129%2C5697%2C9500%2C1840%2C799%2C6%2C9203%2C485%2C2112%2C512%2C4158%2C4406%2C2257%2C5797%2C4510%2C1365%2C299%2C217%2C9589%2C2885%2C3350%2C1904%2C3455%2C1566%2C452%2C48%2C1685%2C5010%2C2283%2C40%2C197%2C541%2C1672%2C9263&cl=861965570&seq=1&event=streamingstats&docid=BCXCwNNpQ-0&cbr=Chrome&cbrver=135.1.77.95&c=WEB_EMBEDDED_PLAYER&cver=1.20260130.01.00&cplayer=UNIPLAYER&cos=X11&cplatform=DESKTOP&vps=0.000:N,0.018:B,0.187:ER&cat=streaming&ctmp=noVp9:t.13;,pafmtstr:t.170;s.,pafmts:t.170;isManifestFilled.0&cmt=0.018:0.000,0.187:0.000,0.187:0.000&bat=0.187:1:1&vis=0.187:0&bh=0.187:0.000&qclc=ChAycERMeWxOblVSLVZWdExQEAE). Accessed 2026-05-01. Available from: https://healtharchive.ca/snapshot/847548.
Important note
These citations refer to archived content — not current guidance or medical advice.
For up-to-date recommendations, always consult the official source website.
1) Cite a snapshot
Recommended format
HealthArchive.ca Project. “<Page title>” (snapshot from <capture date/time>). Archived copy of <source organization> web page (<original URL>). Accessed <access date>. Available from: <HealthArchive snapshot URL>.
Example
HealthArchive.ca Project. “COVID-19 epidemiology update: Canada” (snapshot from 2025-02-15 00:00 UTC). Archived copy of Public Health Agency of Canada web page (https://www.canada.ca/...). Accessed 2025-12-03. Available from: https://healtharchive.ca/snapshot/12345.
- Use the exact snapshot URL you visited.
- Use the capture timestamp shown on the snapshot page (UTC).
- Always cite the original URL as well.
2) Cite a compare view
Compare views highlight descriptive text differences between two archived captures of the same page.
HealthArchive.ca Project. “Comparison of archived captures” (from snapshot <ID A> to snapshot <ID B>). Archived copies of <source organization> web page (<original URL>). Accessed <access date>. Available from: https://healtharchive.ca/compare?from=<ID A>&to=<ID B>.
- Compare output is descriptive only and does not interpret meaning.
- Record both snapshot IDs and the capture timestamps shown on the compare page.
- Live compare views (/compare-live) are not archival records; cite the snapshot instead.
Where to find the citation fields
On /snapshot/<id> you can find the page title, capture date/time (UTC), source organization, original URL, and the snapshot URL.
On /compare?from=<id>&to=<id> you can find both snapshot IDs, both capture timestamps (UTC), the original URL, and a descriptive change summary.
/compare-live pages perform a live fetch on each request; they do not replace a snapshot citation.
Want help finding an example? Start from the archive explorer and open any snapshot.
