Source trail route: update date, correction note, policy comparison, and archive link

A government page citation should show when the page was accessed and when the page says it was last updated, because those dates answer different questions.

The access date tells readers when you saw the page. The update date tells readers when the publisher says the visible page changed. Both matter when the page covers eligibility rules, deadlines, tax guidance, benefits, permits, visa instructions, public-health notices, or procurement rules. A reader checking the source later may see a different page with the same URL.

A practical citation note can use this order:

- Page title.
- Agency or publisher.
- URL.
- Published date, if shown.
- Last updated date, if shown.
- Access date.
- Archived link, if the page is likely to change or disappear.

Example wording: “Department page title, Agency name, last updated 2026-05-18, accessed 2026-06-22.” If you saved an archive copy, add the archive link next to the live URL so a later reader can compare the page you used with the page that exists now.

Do not treat the update date as proof of a specific edit. It may cover a layout change, a link update, or a substantive rule change. If the exact wording matters, compare archived versions or official changelog notes before saying what changed.

The safest summary sentence is explicit: “This summary reflects the live page as accessed on the access date, with the source page showing the update date above.” That gives future readers a clear reason to re-check the source before making a decision.

How to cite a changing government page without losing the update date

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