Try reusing content by mapping to an original, rather than copying content.

Here’s why:

When you copy rather than reuse content

• broken links multiply!
• errors proliferate!

Here are some examples:

“Take the CRAP Test” appears in 8 LibGuides and was copied (instead of mapped) by 3 different authors.

1. At the bottom of the CRAP Test (Figure 1), the links for Vanderbilt and Ohio University are broken. If we had reused this content by mapping to the original , we could have updated these links in one place instead of eight!  

Figure 1. Broken URL’s for Vanderbilt and Ohio University in 8 LibGuides.

2. Since we copied the CRAP Test instead of mapping to the original, here are a few of the typos that now occupy 8 different guides! (Figure 2)

Figure 2. Typos in 8 LibGuides

3. Similarly, any redundancy in the test gets regenerated in multiple guides. (Figure 3)

Figure 3. Redundant statement in 8 LibGuides.

The takeaway: Reusing content by mapping to an original makes updates and corrections a breeze!