Citing Electronic Documents & Sources
The purpose of a citation is to allow the reader to locate the same item. The citation for an electronic item should allow the reader to locate it as well. The Chicago Manual of Style (REFERENCE Z253 .U69 1993) recommends using the author's name (if one is credited), name or title, and source. They also recommend including a designation following the source, either: [database online], or [electronic bulletin board]. They also include any unique identifier such as a number, and the source of the item.
One way of locating an item is called an "URL" or Uniform Resource Locator (pronounced "earl"). The URL consists of: protocol, site/server, path to the item, and file name, if any.
World Wide Web URLs are the most frequently seen, and look like this:
http://www.yahoo.com/Recreation/Dance
where:
http = HyperText Transport Protocol (means this is a Web document)
www.yahoo.com = the Internet address of the server where the Web document resides
/Recreation/Dance = These are the subdirectories on the machine leading to a list of items dealing with dance
At the minimum, cite the item with its title and URL. Here is an example of a World Wide Web document citation in MLA style:
Library of Congress. "Today - 2,000 Years Later." Scrolls From the Dead Sea: The Ancient Library of Qumran and Modern Scholarship. http://sunsite.unc.edu/expo/deadsea.scrolls.exhibit/Today/today.html (27 Oct. 1995)
Guides to citing documents found on the Internet
American Psychological Association (APA)
- Electronic Reference Formats Recommended by the American Psychological Association (how to cite information from the Internet and the World Wide Web)
Modern Language Association (MLA)
- Documenting Sources from the World Wide Web. Click on "MLA Style," then "Frequently Asked Questions about MLA Style," then "How do I document sources from the World Wide Web in my works-cited list?" Gives formats for Scholarly Project, Professional Site, Personal Site, Book, Poem, Article in a Reference Database, Article in a Journal, Article in a Magazine, Work from a Subscription Service, and Posting to a Discussion List.
- Using MLA to Cite and Document Sources, a chapter from the book Online!
- Style Sheets for Citing Internet Resources: MLA, APA, Turabian from the U.C. Berkeley library.
Other pages on how to cite Internet documents and items in bibliographies:
- Columbia Guide to Online Style
- Guide for Writing Research Papers based on Modern Language Association (MLA) Documentation Look for section "Electronic/Online Resources."
- IFLANET Citation Guides for Electronic Documents has pointers to authoritative web sites regarding citation of electronic sources
- Purdue University Online Writing Lab's Citing Electronic Sources
Books
Here are some books in our collection which will give you information on how to cite electronic documents and information.
- American Psychological Association.
Publication manual of the American Psychological Association.
4th ed. Washington, DC : American Psychological Association, c1994
Call number: BF76.7 .P83 1994 REFERENCE (Additional copy on Reserve.) - Gibaldi, Joseph.
MLA handbook for writers of research papers.
5th ed. New York : Modern Language Association of America, 1999.
Call number: LB2369 .G53 1999 REFERENCE (Additional copy on Reserve.)
- Keene, Michael L.; Adams, Katherine H.
Easy access : the reference handbook for writers.
Mountain View, Calif. : Mayfield Pub. Co., c1999. 2nd ed.
Call number: PE1408 .K425 1999 REFERENCE
- Li, Xia; Crane, Nancy B..
Electronic style : a guide to citing electronic information.
Westport : Meckler, c1993.
Call number: PN171.D37 L5 1993 REFERENCE
- Patrias, Karen.
National Library of Medicine recommended formats for bibliographic citation.
Bethesda, MD : U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, Public Health Service, National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, Reference Section, 1991.
Call number: R119 .P38 1991 REFERENCE - University of Chicago. Press.
The Chicago manual of style.
14th ed.
Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 1993.
Call number: Z253 .U69 1993 REFERENCE - See COMPUTER PROGRAMS AND ELECTRONIC DOCUMENTS, sections 15.423, Programs or Software, and 15.424, Documents.
If you need assistance, ask at the Reference Desk, call ext. 7155 (864-7155 from off-campus) or e-mail libref@loyno.edu.
Also see our friends at Writing Across the Curriculum. Their Resources for Students page is great!
