Full page screenshots for researchers
Short answer
Web sources change and disappear, and a citation to a URL is a citation to whatever that URL holds today. Capturing the full page at the moment you cite it preserves the version you actually read, which is the version your argument depends on.
Updated 13 August 2026Written by the Full Page Screenshot team
A workflow that holds up
- Capture at the moment of citation
- Not later. The gap between reading and writing is where pages get edited.
- Record the date and URL in the filename
- A capture with no provenance is much weaker than one whose filename carries the domain and the date it was taken.
- Use PDF for anything going into an appendix
- A 20,000 pixel PNG is unusable in a document. A paginated PDF drops straight into an appendix.
- Pair it with a public archive
- A personal capture proves what you saw to you. For anything contested, also submit the URL to a public web archive so there is an independent record.
Settings for source capture
- Format
- PDF for appendices, PNG for figures
- Filename pattern
- Date, domain, page title
- Paywalled sources
- Capture in your own session while signed in
Frequently asked questions
Is a screenshot a valid citation?
It supplements a citation, it does not replace one. Cite the URL and access date as normal, and keep the capture as the record of what that URL contained.
Can I capture a paywalled article I have access to?
Yes, in your own signed-in session. Whether you may redistribute it is a copyright question, not a technical one.
How do I keep captures organised across a long project?
Use a date-first filename pattern and one folder per project. Chronological sorting is what you will want when reconstructing when you read what.
Capture your first full page screenshot
Free, no account, and nothing leaves your computer.
Keep reading
Full page screenshots for students
Save whole webpages for study notes, coursework references and submission evidence, as one image or a PDF you can annotate.
Save a webpage as PDF, exactly as it looks
Turn any webpage into a PDF that matches what you see on screen. A4, Letter, Legal or one continuous page, in portrait or landscape.
Full page screenshots for legal and compliance
Capture web pages as dated PDF records for compliance files — and an honest account of the evidentiary limits of a self-made screenshot.
Website screenshots for design, records and review
Capture a website exactly as it renders, at full page height and real display density. For design references, records, reviews and reports.