URLs do not solve all problems, however; they can complicate as well as
simplify. For example, searches for information on the Internet
sometimes activate Common Gateway Interface (CGI) scripts or lead to
search engines. These often require the researcher to choose from
menu items or to enter search terms which will result in information
being returned. It is true that in both theory and practice, once the
information has been retrieved it can always be represented by a URL,
but the resulting URL may be absurdly long and intricate. For example,
a report from the U.S. General Accounting Office could be represented
in reference-list form by:
This citation, although correct and useable, is unacceptably complicated.
There are two ways to improve it. One is to enclose the basic address within
angle brackets, a common convention on the Internet (the brackets are not part
of the address; they are delimiters to show where the address begins and ends).
The other is to return partially to Li and Crane's earlier (1993) system of
documentation and use elements labeled "Select," "Search,"
"Message," "Subject," or other descriptive terms, to identify
keystrokes that must be entered once the address has been reached. The previous
citation could become:
This citation has several advantages over the original: it is simpler and
easier to understand; it reflects more accurately how the original
researcher actually found the document; and it makes URLs easier to
distinguish from other kinds of information about access.
Harnack and Kleppinger make the important point that there can be many
equivalents of the same electronic address. This principle is obvious in the
example above. Persons who prefer prefer to make citations that reflect the
"step by step" access that is natural to Gopher may use it for that
purpose. My preference is for a form which, if used with a World Wide Web
browser, leads directly to the information:
But there is no inherent reason for rejecting a "hybrid" form which, although
it looks very different, leads to the same information:
The same "hybrid" form can relieve an especially troublesome problem
in documenting electronic information -- the need at times to distinguish
between the electronic address and the content of a document or the sequence of
commands, path names, or keystrokes necessary to retrieve it from that address.
Li and Crane's recommendations are not helpful with this problem. In an earlier
version of this paper, following Li and Crane's model, I recommended the
following citation:
What appears to be a Path name or a File name is actually the body of the
message that is to be sent, but it perhaps is not obvious that there are two
very different kinds of information in the "Available" statement. The
citation could more accurately become:
This "hybrid" form is not elegant. But it is less misleading
than Li and Crane's forms and, at the moment, it is the best way I can
think of to represent the required information without confusion.
The MLA Handbook (sec. 4.9.3a-b) surprisingly suggests that access
information about an online document is optional or merely supplementary. Li and
Crane in their MLA embellished style (pp. 97, 103) insist, rightly, that an
"Available" statement is essential in an electronic citation. On the
other hand, they agree (p. 100) with the MLA Handbook (secs. 4.8.2a,
4.8.3-6, 4.9.2a, 4.9.3a-b) that if the electronic work has a printed
counterpart, the information for the printed source should precede the
information for the electronic source. I do not follow this reasoning. If
a printed source is conveniently available, you should use it alone and
cite it in preference to the electronic source; if you use an electronic source,
you should cite it alone (see the section of this paper entitled "Implications
for Methodology").
My other departures from Li and Crane's forms are less substantial. I
think that Li and Crane's forms for citing postings in lists, Usenet
newsgroups, and email need some changes. There are also in other
forms a few small adaptations in citing volume, issue, and page numbers;
in dates; and in the order of the names of multiple authors, mostly to
bring them in line with Turabian.
The models are as general as possible. Usually, if the model calls for
an item that is missing from the information you are citing, you may
simply pass over it to the next item. The only exceptions are with dates, as
indicated below, where you must be careful to place the date second in a
reference list entry and make the notation "No date" if the date is missing
from any kind of entry. On the other hand, you may occasionally have to
consult the Turabian manual for guidance on citations that are more
complicated than the general ones given here. But such complications as
books in a named series with a series editor, or multi-volume works with
separate volume titles, seldom occur with electronic information.
These forms assume an author or editor for each entry. If there is
neither, the title becomes the first item, as some of the examples show.
(Observe that in a reference list, the date of publication is always the
second element in the citation.)
Documents that stand alone, such as entire databases, computer sites (FTP,
Gopher, Telnet, World Wide Wide), online papers, and email messages, are
treated as books. Conferences, interest groups, Usenet newsgroups, and lists
are treated as periodicals, and the postings that appear in them are treated
as articles. A "message" may, therefore, be an individual work in one setting
and an article in another, and a single-page online paper will have a citation
form that is indistinguishable from that of a thousand-page book that appears
online. Long-time users of Turabian documentation will doubtless find these
conventions strange. Li and Crane nowhere explain fully the philosophy
behind them but hint (pp. 4, 80-2, 99, 182-4) that they rest upon a distinction
between that information which is serial and that which is nonserial in nature.
(Li and Crane consider some databases to be serial, others nonserial; I find
this distinction more troublesome than useful and do not observe it.)
Observe that in citing electronic information there is no such category
as unpublished material. Everything that is available online is
published in some sense.
Nearly all of the examples given below have known dates of publication. If an
entry lacks this information, put "No date" at the proper
place; do not leave this item blank.
Except for "Usenet," "email," and similar protocols,
you may omit the protocol type ater the word "Available" because the
necessary information appears in the URL.
Because of physical limitations on line length, URLS in their printed form may
appear divided on more than one line. Ideally, the line division should come
after one of the / characters, but, if necessary, it may come after any of the
punctuation characters (such as . or -) that are actually part of the URL. A
hyphen is always taken to be part of the URL; never use a hyphen to indicate
continuation of the URL. Be aware that on computer systems you must enter
everything within the angle brackets as one continuous string of characters
from start to finish. Moreover, you must observe meticulously the spelling,
spacing, capitalization, and punctuation, or the attempt to access the
information will fail.
Omit the item "Additional" if the URL is sufficient to retrieve the
information. If you use it, label it "Select," "Search,"
"Message," "Subject," or whatever descriptive term is
needed. As in the example above, repeat the item as many times as necessary to
assure completeness.
The examples sometimes show, in square brackets, optional supplementary
information about the nature of the document being cited. You should furnish such
information when it will be helpful to the reader. For example, you might
improve citations of newspapers by such notations as "News item,"
"Editorial," "Personal column," or "Editorial cartoon."
The examples show only "Online" and "CD-ROM," the
most common types of media. Other common types are "Diskette" and
"Magnetic tape." Li and Crane remark that users of a local area network
may not be able to identify the ultimate type of the medium; they suggest
(pp. 5-6, 103) the generic designator "Electronic" for those cases.
You should use the best descriptive term available.
The forms and examples for notes show no note numbers, because their placement
and style may vary. Turabian (secs. 8.10, 14.14) says to place the numbers for
endnotes on the line (not superscript), followed by a period; numbers for
footnotes may be like those for endnotes or they may be superscript (without a
period) and possibly in a smaller size of type.
Some of the forms show only one model because the information usually
occurs in only one electronic medium (for example, email).
Some style manuals, such as that of the APA (sec. 3.102), recommend the citing
of email only in the text of the paper. If you disagree, use the following
forms. These forms do not usually have "Available" statements, because
email messages are like personal letters, memoranda, or telephone conversations
in that they generally are not freely available to the public. If the contents
of an email message are crucial to a point you are making, you perhaps should
save the message in some archival form so that you can allow public access to it.
If you do so, you should add a statement to the citation, explaining exactly how
a researcher could access the message. (The examples reflect email addresses
that were current on the dates of the messages.)
These materials are not as ephemeral as email, which may vanish completely
unless the senders or recipients deliberately create archival copies. Usenet
postings remain available as long as the host server has room to retain them
on its storage disks (which may be only a few days with busy servers) and may be
accessed by a news reader during that period. Because all
these materials go through some central distribution point
rather than directly from one individual to another, there is an opportunity
for their handlers to store copies of them in electronic archives for later
retrieval by anyone. Such archives are increasingly common. H-Net, for
example, has archives of all of its lists, and Deja News, Inc., has archives
of all Usenet news groups. Always try to find an archival copy to support your
citation (see the section of this paper entitled "Implications for
Methodology"). If you cannot locate one, you may have to omit the
"Available" statement in your citation.
Avoid the temptation to treat everything you encounter as the result of this
kind of search. Documents, home pages, and computer sites are usually not
databases. Selecting a link in an online document is not using a search
term. Using a
search term normally involves your typing a word or phrase of your choosing
rather than selecting from a list of possibilities. Even if you use a search
term to locate an item, it may be like using the index to a book: you often
end up with a perfectly good bibliographic item which you can cite in the
normal way -- for example, a "search" to locate McSwain's dissertation in a
previous section. If the "search" culminates with a definite bibliographic item
and you use it as such, cite it using appropriate forms given above. Use the
following forms only if the "search" yields a temporary set of information
which will vanish as soon as you exit from the database. (Other researchers
who use your citation may recreate the information, but it still is not an
enduring bibliographic item.)
Most electronic documents have titles at their head, just like printed
documents. If you use a browser to access the document, there will probably
also be a title which appears at the top of the browser window. If the two
titles differ, you should choose the title that more accurately describes the
document. If no meaningful title appears anywhere, you may supply a
descriptive title of your own in square brackets.
The date of the document often occurs either at the head or the end of the
document. In either case, it may be labeled "Last revised,"
"Last modified,"
or something similar. In my experience it is not uncommon for authors to
forget to change this information when they make changes in the document. I
have seen papers in which two or more conflicting dates appear. Remember
that the date of the document is usually not the date on which you accessed
the document; do not confuse the two dates. You should always give the
access date, except for email, where the access date is not required in
the citation model. If you cannot find a date for the document, put
"No date" in the citation.
How do you get the URL for an online document that you access? If you were
able to access the document using a given URL, presumably others can do so as
well; use the given URL in your "Available" statement. If you use a
browser to jump from one hypertext link to another, the browser usually
displays the current URL. If not, there is usually a menu choice or keystroke
that will display it -- consult the browser's documentation or online help file.
For example, if you are using Lynx, you can display URLs for both the current
document and the link to which the cursor points by pressing the =
(equal sign) key. If you are using Netscape, the URL of the current document
appears in a small window near the top of the screen, and the URL of any link
on which the mouse cursor is resting appears at the bottom of the screen.
The last two citations in the section entitled "Searches in Online Catalogs
and Databases" illustrate a special problem with citing information found
in electronic sources: some citations may be difficult or impossible for others
to verify. Anyone can use the online catalogs cited in that section by
telneting directly to them and using the public usernames, which do not
require passwords. But some information is restricted to qualified members of
an organization. For example, persons who want to use the VAX Users
Directory at The University of Memphis must themselves have valid usernames
and passwords on that VAX system. Outsiders cannot verify a reference to
that database because they are barred from access to it. There is a subtle,
hidden problem in the citation of the WorldCat database. At The University of
Memphis, access to WorldCat is through the online catalog of McWherter
Library, whose contract with OCLC grants only restricted use of OCLC
materials. Persons who access the online catalog from their password-
protected VAX accounts are presumed to be bona fide members of the
University community. They can, therefore, easily reach FirstSearch through
selecting a procedure on a menu that runs a script; the script connects to a
remote computer and logs in with an unidentified password belonging to the
library. But it would be useless for you to include in your citation the steps
you took to be able to select that procedure, because persons who reach the
online catalog via <telnet://library@library.memphis.edu> have only
"guest" status on the system and will not even find FirstSearch in
the list of databases available to them. They need to know only what is
given in the citation. Using whatever steps
are necessary at their own locations to access FirstSearch, they can then use
the citation to find the information that you found. Unless they have access by some
other means to FirstSearch, they will be unable to verify the last citation.
The same problem is inherent to earlier citations of Mead LEXIS, which, at The
University of Memphis, must be accessed directly from a VAX account, not
through the online catalog, because the contract with Mead is even more
restrictive than the contract with OCLC. Furthermore, only paying
subscribers to the Knight-Ridder information services may use DIALOG.
Again, lack of access to a database results in the inability to verify a
citation made to it.
This is not to say that you must refrain altogether from citing electronic
sources that might be difficult for others to verify. If it alone contained the
information you needed, you would not hesitate to cite a rare book that could
be found in few or no other libraries. Similarly, with electronic information,
you should cite what you actually use. It is simply a fact of academic life
that some libraries have better holdings or better access to information than
others. Still, if you can find the same information in an electronic source that
is freely available to the public, you should cite that source.
How much access information should you provide? Students
sometimes assume, erroneously, that they must account for each and
every link they have used in finding information. Suppose that you used the
Harvard Guide to American History to locate a bibliography on the
colonial period of American history, then used the bibliography to identify
Charles Sydnor's book, Gentlemen Freeholders, as a good source of
information on your topic. The only book you would need to cite is
Gentlemen Freeholders, because that citation is sufficient to lead
readers to the exact material you used in your report. Similarly, suppose
that you used Netscape to access the home page of The University of Memphis,
then selected in turn the links for "Departments," "Colleges,"
"Arts and Sciences," "History," "Resources in history,"
and finally the link for the electronic equivalent of this paper,
<http://www.people.memphis.edu/~mcrouse/elcite.html>. The last URL is
all you would need to cite. Observe carefully that you should not
(as some of my naive students in the past have done) cite only Netscape
(it's not even a URL) or the home page of The University of Memphis, because
that information would not be sufficient to lead to this paper. The URL is
sufficient, because it fully identifies the necessary protocol, computer site,
path, and file.
Be sure to include enough information in the citation to identify the source
clearly and without ambiguity. Otherwise, you might as well say,
"It's out there somewhere; I found it; you probably can, too."
But, on the other hand, don't burden your reader with completely unnecessary
information. Somewhat like Goldilocks, you need to provide "not
too much" and "not too little" but "just
enough."
Never assume that electronic information which was "here yesterday" but
"gone today" has vanished forever. In many cases, what might be thought
to be ephemeral, such as a posting sent to a discussion group (the list H-Teach,
for example), can be located later in computer archives or logbooks (see the
example, above, of Bob Wheeler's posting). You may use
Wide Area Information Services (WAIS) queries or other search engines to search
these archives. (The Internet Resources page of the Department
of History, The University of Memphis, provides links to several search
engines at the URL
<http://www.people.memphis.edu/~history/internet.html>.)
A World Wide Web browser is a "Swiss Army knife" for
the Internet -- it can access almost any information, using
almost any protocol. The time is fast approaching, if it has
not already arrived, when we can assume that researchers on
the Internet will be using the World Wide Web.
U.S. General Accounting Office. 1995. U.S. Vietnam
relations: Issues and implications. Available [Online]:
http://bubba.ucc.okstate.edu/cgi-bin/GPOretrieve?target=wais.
access.gpo.gov:210&base=gao&type=TEXT&size=62546&docid=3=
0%20-62546%20/diskb/wais/data/gao/ns95042.txt;7=%00;&images=0
[25 October 1996].
U.S. General Accounting Office. 1995. U.S. Vietnam
relations: Issues and implications. Available [Online]:
<http://bubba.ucc.okstate.edu/wais/GPOAccess> Select:
General Accounting Office Reports, 10/94- Search:
"vietnam relations" [25 October 1996].
About The University of Memphis. 6 June 1995. Available [Online]:
<gopher://gopher.memphis.edu/00/.campus-info/data._/about-um.txt>
[15 November 1996].
About The University of Memphis. 6 June 1995. Available [Online]:
<gopher://gopher.memphis.edu> Path: Campus Information/About
The University of Memphis [15 November 1996].
H-Net jobs guide [Online]. 26 January 1996. Available
e-mail: mailto:listserv@h-net.msu.edu/get h-net jobguide
[30 January 1996].
H-Net jobs guide. 26 January 1996. Available email
[Online]: <mailto:listserv@h-net.msu.edu> Message: get
h-net jobguide [30 January 1996].
Models and Examples:
Below are the most common forms, inspired by Li and Crane but adapted
to Turabian, with both general models and specific examples. My aim is
to retain, as much as possible, the familiar appearance of the forms
recommended by Turabian (critics will possibly judge that I have been
able to salvage very little indeed), while giving access information
that is complete, consistent, and without ambiguity. I do not discuss
here such matters as the arrangement of the entries within the reference
list or bibliography, the use of parenthetical references in the text
or notes, or the placement of footnotes or endnotes, because Turabian
fully explains them.
Individual Works:
Reference List:
Author or Editor. Date. Title of work. Edition. Available Protocol
[Type of medium]: <Protocol/Site/Path/File> Additional: retrieval
information [Access date].
or
Author or Editor. Date. Title of work. Edition. Available [Type of
medium]: Supplier/Database identifier or number/Item name or number
[Access date].
Kehoe, Brian P. 1992. Zen and the art of the Internet. 2d ed.
Available [Online]: <ftp://quake.think.com/pub/etext/1992/
zen10.txt> [25 March 1995].
Dissertation abstracts ondisc [Bibliographic database]. 1861- [Years
of coverage]. Available [CD-ROM]: UMI/Dissertation Abstracts Ondisc
[11 November 1996].
H-Net jobs guide. 26 January 1996. Available email [Online]:
<mailto:listserv@h-net.msu.edu> Message: get h-net jobguide
[30 January 1996].
Crouse, Maurice. 28 January 1997. Citing electronic information in
history papers. Available [Online]: <http://www.people.memphis.
edu/~mcrouse/elcite.html> [28 January 1997].
The University of Memphis Anonymous FTP Archive. 12 November 1996
[Last update]. Available [Online]: <ftp://ftp.memphis.edu>
[3 December 1996].
Palmer, Pamela. 4 November 1996. Academic Writers' Net Source
[Helps for writers]. Available [Online]: <http://www.people.memphis.
edu/~prpalmer> [3 December 1996].
Moran, Mary. 26 November 1996. Uncle Sam [WWW home page of
Government Publications Department, Regional Depository Library, The
University of Memphis]. Available [Online]: <http://www.lib.memphis.
edu/gpo/unclesam.htm> [3 December 1996].
Online Book Initiative [Public-domain electronic texts]. No date.
Available [Online]: <gopher://ftp.std.com/11/obi> [3 December 1996].
Bibliography:
For the bibliographic form the Turabian manual, 6th ed. (sec. 11.18), shows a comma separating the title from the edition.
This is at odds with the sample bibliography (sec. 14.42); the manual's own
"Selected Bibliography" (pp. 283-6); the corresponding form in the
5th ed. (sec. 11.19); and the corresponding form in The Chicago Manual of
Style (sec. 15.132) -- all of which show a period separating the
title from the edition. I conclude that the 6th ed. form must contain a
typographical error.
Author or Editor. Title of Work. Edition. Date. Available Protocol
[Type of medium]: <Protocol/Site/Path/File> Additional: retrieval
information [Access date].
or
Author or Editor. Title of Work. Edition. Date. Available [Type of
medium]: Supplier/Database identifier or number/Item name or number
[Access date].
Kehoe, Brian. Zen and the Art of the Internet. 2d ed. 1992.
Available [Online]: <ftp://quake.think.com/pub/etext/1992/
zen10.txt> [25 March 1995].
Dissertation Abstracts Ondisc [Bibliographic database]. 1861- [Years
of coverage]. Available [CD-ROM]: UMI/Dissertation Abstracts Ondisc
[11 November 1996].
H-Net Jobs Guide. 26 January 1996. Available email [Online]:
<mailto:listserv@h-net.msu.edu> Message: get h-net jobguide
[30 January 1996].
Crouse, Maurice. Citing Electronic Information in History Papers.
28 January 1997. Available [Online]: <http://www.people.memphis.
edu/~mcrouse/elcite.html> [28 January 1997].
The University of Memphis Anonymous FTP Archive. 12 November 1996
[Last update]. Available [Online]: <ftp://ftp.memphis.edu>
[3 December 1996].
Palmer, Pamela. Academic Writers' Net Source [Helps for writers].
4 November 1996. Available [Online]: <http://www.people.memphis.edu/
~prpalmer> [3 December 1996].
Moran, Mary. Uncle Sam [WWW home page of Government Publications
Department, Regional Depository Library, The University of Memphis].
26 November 1996. Available [Online]: <http://www.lib.memphis.
edu/gpo/unclesam.htm> [3 December 1996].
Online Book Initiative [Public-domain electronic texts]. No date.
Available [Online]: <gopher://ftp.std.com/11/obi> [3 December 1996].
Note:
Author or Editor, Title of Work, edition (Date). Available
Protocol [Type of medium]: <Protocol/Site/Path/File> Additional:
retrieval information [Access date].
or
Author or Editor, Title of Work, edition (Date). Available
[Type of medium]: Supplier/Database identifier or number/Item name or
number [Access date].
Brian Kehoe, Zen and the Art of the Internet, 2d ed. (1992).
Available [Online]: <ftp://quake.think.com/pub/etext/1992/
zen10.txt> [25 March 1995].
Dissertation Abstracts Ondisc [Bibliographic database]
(1861- [Years of coverage]). Available [CD-ROM]: UMI/Dissertation
Abstracts Ondisc [11 November 1996].
H-Net Jobs Guide (26 January 1996). Available email [Online]:
<mailto:listserv@h-net.msu.edu> Message: get h-net jobguide
[30 January 1996].
Maurice Crouse, Citing Electronic Information in History Papers
(28 January 1997). Available [Online]: <http://www.people.memphis.
edu/~mcrouse/elcite.html> [28 January 1997].
The University of Memphis Anonymous FTP Archive (12 November 1996
[Last update]). Available [Online]: <ftp://ftp.memphis.edu>
[3 December 1996].
Pamela Palmer, Academic Writers' Net Source [Helps for writers]
(4 November 1996). Available [Online]: <http://www.people.memphis.edu/
~prpalmer> [3 December 1996].
Mary Moran, Uncle Sam [WWW home page of Government Publications
Department, Regional Depository Library, The University of Memphis]
(26 November 1996). Available [Online]: <http://www.lib.memphis.
edu/gpo/unclesam.htm> [3 December 1996].
Online Book Initiative [Public-domain electronic texts] (No date).
Available [Online]: <gopher://ftp.std.com/11/obi> [3 December 1996].
Parts of Works:
Reference List:
Author or Editor. Date. Title of part. In Title of work, edition.
Available Protocol [Type of medium]: <Protocol/Site/Path/File>
Additional: retrieval information [Access date].
or
Author or Editor. Date. Title of part. In Title of work, edition.
Available [Type of medium]: Supplier/Database identifier or
number/Item name or number [Access date].
Tritten, James John. August 1988. Is naval warfare unique? In Joint
electronic library, ed. J-7, Joint Chiefs of Staff. Available
[CD-ROM]: MicroRetrieval Corporation/Joint Electronic Library/
Military Research Papers and Studies/Is Naval Warfare Unique?
[5 December 1996].
West India Company. 1978. In Everyman's encyclopaedia, 6th ed.
Available [Online]: DIALOG/Everyman's Encyclopaedia (File 182)
[25 March 1995].
Belarus. 1995. In World factbook, 1995 ed. Available [Online]:
<http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/95fact/bo.html>
[25 March 1995].
Harnack, Andrew, and Eugene Kleppinger. 25 November 1996. Citing the
sites: MLA-style guidelines and models for documenting Internet
sources, version 1.3. In Beyond the MLA Handbook: Documenting
electronic sources on the Internet. Available [Online]:
<http://falcon.eku.edu/honors/beyond-mla> [25 November 1996].
Bibliography:
Author or Editor. "Title of Part." In Title of Work, edition. Date.
Available Protocol [Type of medium]: <Protocol/Site/Path/File>
Additional: retrieval information [Access date].
or
Author or Editor. "Title of Part." In Title of Work, edition. Date.
Available [Type of medium]: Supplier/Database identifier or number/
Item name or number [Access date].
Tritten, James John. "Is Naval Warfare Unique?" In Joint Electronic
Library, ed. J-7, Joint Chiefs of Staff. August 1988. Available
[CD-ROM]: MicroRetrieval Corporation/Joint Electronic Library/
Military Research Papers and Studies/Is Naval Warfare Unique?
[5 December 1996].
"West India Company." In Everyman's Encyclopaedia, 6th ed. 1978.
Available [Online]: DIALOG/Everyman's Encyclopaedia (File 182)
[25 March 1995].
"Belarus." In World Factbook, 1995 ed. 1995. Available [Online]:
<http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/95fact/bo.html>
[25 March 1995].
Harnack, Andrew, and Eugene Kleppinger. "Citing the Sites: MLA-Style
Guidelines and Models for Documenting Internet Sources," version
1.3. In Beyond the MLA Handbook: Documenting Electronic Sources
on the Internet. 25 November 1996. Available [Online]:
<http://falcon.eku.edu/honors/beyond-mla> [25 November 1996].
Note:
Author or Editor, "Title of Part," in Title of Work, edition
(Date). Available Protocol [Type of medium]: <Protocol/Site/Path/File>
Additional: retrieval information [Access date].
or
Author or Editor, "Title of Part," in Title of Work, edition
(Date). Available [Type of medium]: Supplier/Database identifier or
number/Item name or number [Access date].
James John Tritten, "Is Naval Warfare Unique?" in Joint Electronic
Library, ed. J-7, Joint Chiefs of Staff (August 1988). Available [CD-ROM]:
MicroRetrieval Corporation/Joint Electronic Library/Military Research
Papers and Studies/Is Naval Warfare Unique? [5 December 1996].
"West India Company," in Everyman's Encyclopaedia, 6th ed.
(1978). Available [Online]: DIALOG/Everyman's Encyclopaedia
(File 182) [25 March 1995].
"Belarus," in World Factbook, 1995 ed. (1995). Available
[Online]: <http://www.odci.gov/cia/publications/95fact/bo.html>
[25 March 1995].
Andrew Harnack and Eugene Kleppinger, "Citing the Sites: MLA-
Style Guidelines and Models for Documenting Internet Sources,"
version 1.3, in Beyond the MLA Handbook: Documenting Electronic
Sources on the Internet (25 November 1996). Available [Online]:
<http://falcon.eku.edu/honors/beyond-mla> [25 November 1996].
Periodicals and Journals:
Reference List:
Author or Editor. Date. Title of article. Title of Periodical
volume, issue: paging. Available Protocol [Type of medium]:
<Protocol/Site/Path/File> Additional: retrieval information
[Access date].
or
Author or Editor. Date. Title of article. Title of Periodical
volume, issue: paging. Available [Type of medium]: Supplier/
Database identifier or number/Item name or number [Access date].
Gore, Al. Fall 1994. A new era begins. Memphis State University
Law Review 25:1. Available [Online]: Mead LEXIS/TENN/MSULR/gore
[5 December 1996].
Technology projections: 2001. May 1992. Direct Marketing:
23-25. Available [CD-ROM]: UMI/Business Periodicals Online/
92-29833 [25 March 1995].
Schaeffer, Scott. May 1996. Disney and the imagineering of
histories. Postmodern Culture 6, no. 3: par. 11. Available
[Online]: <gopher://jefferson.village.virginia.edu/00/pubs/pmc/
issue.596/schaeffer.596> [9 November 1996].
Bibliography:
Author or Editor. "Title of Article." Title of Periodical
volume, issue (Date): paging. Available Protocol [Type of medium]:
<Protocol/Site/Path/File> Additional: retrieval information
[Access date].
or
Author or Editor. "Title of Article." Title of Periodical
volume, issue (Date): paging. Available [Type of medium]: Supplier/
Database identifier or number/Item name or number [Access date].
Gore, Al. "A New Era Begins." Memphis State University Law
Review 25 (Fall 1994): 1. Available [Online]: Mead LEXIS/TENN/
gore [5 December 1996].
"Technology Projections: 2001." Direct Marketing (May 1992): 23-25.
Available [CD-ROM]: UMI/Business Periodicals Online/92-29833
[25 March 1995].
Schaeffer, Scott. "Disney and the Imagineering of Histories."
Postmodern Culture 6, no. 3 (May 1996): par 11. Available
[Online]: <gopher://jefferson.village.virginia.edu/00/pubs/pmc/
issue.596/schaeffer.596> [9 November 1996].
Note:
Author or Editor, "Title of Article," Title of Periodical
volume, issue (Date): paging. Available Protocol [Type of medium]:
<Protocol/Site/Path/File> Additional: retrieval information [Access date].
or
Author or Editor, "Title of Article," Title of Periodical
volume, issue (Date): paging. Available [Type of medium]: Supplier/
Database identifier or number/Item name or number [Access date].
Al Gore, "A New Era Begins," Memphis State University
Law Review 25 (Fall 1994): 1. Available [Online]: Mead LEXIS/TENN/
gore [5 December 1996].
"Technology Projections: 2001," Direct Marketing
(May 1992):23-25. Available [CD-ROM]: UMI/Business Periodicals
Online/92-29833[25 March 1995].
Scott Schaeffer, "Disney and the Imagineering of Histories,"
Postmodern Culture 6, no. 3 (May 1996): par. 11. Available
[Online]: <gopher://jefferson.village.virginia.edu/00/pubs/pmc/
issue.596/schaeffer.596> [9 November 1996].
Newspapers and Magazines:
Turabian (secs. 11.44-5) says that you should seldom place separate news items
from newspapers in a bibliography or a reference list and recommends that you
list them only in notes or parenthetical references. If you use newspapers
extensively in the paper, Turabian recommends that the entries in the
bibliography or the reference list contain only the newspaper names and the
inclusive dates. If you disagree with Turabian, use the following forms:
Reference List:
Author or Editor. Date. Title of article. Title of Newspaper or
Magazine, edition, section: paging. Available Protocol [Type of
medium]: <Protocol/Site/Path/File> Additional: retrieval
information [Access date].
or
Author or Editor. Date. Title of article. Title of Newspaper or
Magazine, edition, section: paging. Available [Type of medium]:
Supplier/Database identifier or number/Item name or number
[Access date].
Johnson, Rheta Grimsley. 19 March 1995. South had better brace
itself. [Memphis] Commercial Appeal, Final ed., Section B
(Metro): B8. Available [Online]: DIALOG/The Commercial Appeal
(File 740) [25 March 1995].
Taylor, Frank S. 10 October 1995. Who's making the waves?
Triangle on the Web Magazine. Available [Online]: <http://
www.trinet.com/contents.html> Select: Who's Making the Waves?
[9 November 1996].
Bibliography:
Author or Editor. "Title of Article." Title of Newspaper or
Magazine, edition, date, section: paging. Available Protocol
[Type of medium]: <Protocol/Site/Path/File> Additional:
retrieval information [Access date].
or
Author or Editor. "Title of Article." Title of Newspaper or
Magazine, edition, date, section: paging. Available [Type of
medium]: Supplier/Database identifier or number/Item name or
number [Access date].
Johnson, Rheta Grimsley. "South Had Better Brace Itself."
[Memphis] Commercial Appeal, Final ed., 19 March 1995,
Section B (Metro): B8. Available [Online]: DIALOG/The
Commercial Appeal (File 740) [25 March 1995].
Taylor, Frank S. "Who's Making the Waves?" Triangle on the Web
Magazine, 10 October 1995. Available [Online]: <http://www.
trinet.com/contents.html> Select: Who's Making the Waves?
[9 November 1996].
Note:
Author or Editor, "Title of Article," Title of Newspaper or
Magazine, edition, date, section: paging. Available Protocol [Type of
medium]: <Protocol/Site/Path/File> Additional: retrieval information
[Access date].
or
Author or Editor, "Title of Article," Title of Newspaper or
Magazine, edition, date, section: paging. Available [Type of medium]:
Supplier/Database identifier or number/Item name or number [Access date].
Rheta Grimsley Johnson, "South Had Better Brace Itself,"
[Memphis] Commercial Appeal, Final ed., 19 March 1995, Section B
(Metro): B8. Available [Online]: DIALOG/The Commercial Appeal
(File 740) [25 March 1995].
Frank S. Taylor, "Who's Making the Waves?" Triangle
on the Web Magazine, 10 October 1995. Available [Online]:
<http://www.trinet.com/contents.html> Select: Who's Making the
Waves? [9 November 1996].
Abstracts and Reviews of Individual Works:
Reference List:
Author. Date. Abstract or Review of Title of work, edition, by
Original Author or Editor. Available Protocol [Type of medium]:
<Protocol/Site/Path/File> Additional: retrieval information
[Access date].
or
Author. Date. Abstract or Review of Title of work, edition, by
Original Author or Editor. Available [Type of medium]: Supplier/
Database identifier or number/Item name or number [Access date].
Cupples, Douglas W. 26 April 1996. Review of The lost colony of
the Confederacy, by Eugene C. Harter. Available [Online]:
<http://h-net2.msu.edu/~books/reviews/0342.html> [15 November
1996].
McSwain, James Burton. 1986. Abstract of The controversy over infant
baptism in England, 1648-1700 [Ph.D. diss., Memphis State
University]. Available [CD-ROM]: UMI/Dissertation Abstracts
Ondisc/Jan. 1982-Dec. 1987/mcswain and baptism [5 December 1996].
Harkins, John Edward. 1976. Abstract of The neglected phase of
Louisiana's colonial history: The New Orleans Cabildo, 1769-1803
[Ph.D. diss., Memphis State University]. Available [Online]:
DIALOG/Dissertation Abstracts Online (File 35)/589099
[25 March 1995].
Bibliography:
Author. Abstract or Review of Title of Work, edition, by Original
Author or Editor. Date. Available Protocol [Type of medium]:
<Protocol/Site/Path/File> Additional: retrieval information
[Access date].
or
Author. Abstract or Review of Title of Work, edition, by Original
Author or Editor. Date. Available [Type of medium]: Supplier/
Database identifier or number/Item name or number [Access date].
Cupples, Douglas W. Review of The Lost Colony of the Confederacy,
by Eugene C. Harter. 26 April 1996. Available [Online]: <http://
h-net2.msu.edu/~books/reviews/0342.html> [15 November 1996].
McSwain, James Burton. Abstract of The Controversy Over Infant
Baptism in England, 1648-1700 [Ph.D. diss., Memphis State
University]. 1986. Available [CD-ROM]: UMI/Dissertation Abstracts
Ondisc/Jan. 1982-Dec. 1987/mcswain and baptism [5 December 1996].
Harkins, John Edward. Abstract of The Neglected Phase of Louisiana's
Colonial History: The New Orleans Cabildo, 1769-1803. [Ph.D.
diss., Memphis State University]. 1976. Available [Online]:
DIALOG/Dissertation Abstracts Online (File 35)/589099
[25 March 1995].
Note:
Author, Abstract or Review of Title of Work, edition, by Original
Author or Editor (Date). Available Protocol [Type of medium]: <Protocol/
Site/Path/File> Additional: retrieval information [Access date].
or
Author, Abstract or Review of Title of Work, edition, by Original
Author or Editor (Date). Available [Type of medium]: Supplier/Database
identifier or number/Item name or number [Access date].
Douglas W. Cupples, Review of The Lost Colony of the Confederacy,
by Eugene C. Harter (26 April 1996). Available [Online]: <http://
h-net2.msu.edu/~books/reviews/0342.html> [15 November 1996].
James Burton McSwain, Abstract of The Controversy Over Infant
Baptism in England, 1648-1700 [Ph.D. diss., Memphis State University]
(1986). Available [CD-ROM]: UMI/Dissertation Abstracts Ondisc/Jan. 1982-
Dec. 1987/mcswain and baptism [5 December 1996].
John Edward Harkins, Abstract of The Neglected Phase of
Louisiana's Colonial History: The New Orleans Cabildo, 1769-1803
[Ph.D. diss., Memphis State University] (1976). Available [Online]:
DIALOG/Dissertation Abstracts Online (File 35)/589099 [25 March 1995].
Abstracts and Reviews of Periodicals and Journals:
Reference List:
Author. Date. Abstract or Review of Title of article, by Original Author
or Editor. Title of Periodical volume, issue: paging. Available
[Type of medium]: <Protocol/Site/Path/File> Additional: retrieval
information [Access date].
or
Author. Date. Abstract or Review of Title of article, by Original Author
or Editor. Title of Periodical volume, issue: paging. Available
[Type of medium]: Supplier/Database identifier or number/Item name or
number [Access date].
Triezenberg, Herman L. October 1996. Abstract of The identification
of ethical issues in physical therapy. Physical Therapy 76,
no. 10:1097-1108. Available [Online]: <http://www.apta.org/
pt_journal/Oct96/Triez.htm> [16 November 1996].
Abstract of Time for a change: Analyzing graduation invocations and
benedictions under religiously neutral principles of the public
forum, by Rick A. Swanson. Summer 1996. Memphis State University
Law Review 26:1405. Available [Online]: Mead LEXIS/TENN/MSULR/
swanson [5 December 1996].
Abstract of American homesteaders and the Canadian provinces, 1899 and
1909, by Michael B. Percy and Tamara Woraby. 1987. Explorations
in Economic History 24, no. 1:77-100. Available [Online]:
DIALOG/America: History and Life (File 38)/950008 [25 March 1995].
Bibliography:
Author. Abstract or Review of "Title of Article," by Original Author or
Editor. Title of Periodical volume, issue (Date): paging. Available
[Type of medium]: <Protocol/Site/Path/File> Additional: retrieval
information [Access date].
or
Author. Abstract or Review of "Title of Article," by Original Author or
Editor Title of Periodical volume, issue (Date): paging. Available
[Type of medium]: Supplier/Database identifier or number/Item name or
number [Access date].
Triezenberg, Herman L. Abstract of "The Identification of Ethical
Issues in Physical Therapy." Physical Therapy 76, no. 10 (October
1996): 1097-1108. Available [Online]: <http://www.apta.org/
pt_journal/Oct96/Triez.htm> [16 November 1996].
Abstract of "Time for a Change: Analyzing Graduation Invocations
and Benedictions Under Religiously Neutral Principles of the Public
Forum," by Rick A. Swanson. Memphis State University Law Review
26 (Summer 1996): 1405. Available [Online]: Mead LEXIS/TENN/MSULR/
swanson [5 December 1996].
Abstract of "American Homesteaders and the Canadian Provinces, 1899
and 1909," by Michael B. Percy and Tamara Woraby. Explorations
in Economic History 24, no. 1 (1987): 77-100. Available [Online]:
DIALOG/America: History and Life (File 38)/950008 [25 March 1995].
Note:
Author, Abstract or Review of "Title of Article," by Original Author
or Editor, Title of Periodical volume, issue (Date): paging. Available
[Type of medium]: <Protocol/Site/Path/File> Additional: retrieval
information [Access date].
or
Author, Abstract or Review of "Title of Article," by Original Author
or Editor, Title of Periodical volume, issue (Date): paging. Available
[Type of medium]: Supplier/Database identifier or number/Item name or
number [Access date].
Herman L. Triezenberg, Abstract of "The Identification of Ethical
Issues in Physical Therapy," Physical Therapy 76, no. 10 (October
1996):1097-1108. Available [Online]: <http://www.apta.org/pt_journal/
Oct96/Triez.htm> [16 November 1996].
Abstract of "Time for a Change: Analyzing Graduation Invocations
and Benedictions Under Religiously Neutral Principles of the Public
Forum," by Rick A. Swanson, Memphis State University Law Review 26
(Summer 1996): 1405. Available [Online]: Mead LEXIS/TENN/MSULR/swanson
[5 December 1996].
Abstract of "American Homesteaders and the Canadian Provinces,
1899 and 1909," by Michael B. Percy and Tamara Woraby, Explorations
in Economic History 24, no. 1 (1987): 77-100. Available [Online]:
DIALOG/America: History and Life (File 38)/950008 [25 March 1995].
Electronic Mail (Personal):
Reference List:
Author <author's email address>. Date. Subject of message [Email to
recipient's name <recipient's email address>].
Martin, Thomas M. <tmm@sfsu.edu>. 29 January 1996. RE: Broken
link to citation guidelines [Email to Maurice Crouse
<crousem@cc.memphis.edu>].
Davis, Doug <gddavis@msuvx1.memphis.edu>. 5 February 1993. Banjo
pickers recall [Email to Maurice Crouse <crousem@cc.memphis.
edu>]. This message is archived for reference: Available [Online]:
<http://www.people.memphis.edu/~mcrouse/msg-5-feb-93.txt>.
Bibliography:
Author <author's email address>. Subject of Message [Email to
recipient's name <recipient's email address>]. Date.
Martin, Thomas M. <tmm@sfsu.edu>. RE: Broken Link to Citation
Guidelines [Email to Maurice Crouse <crousem@cc.memphis.edu>].
29 January 1996.
Davis, Doug <gddavis@msuvx1.memphis.edu>. Banjo Pickers Recall
[Email to Maurice Crouse <crousem@cc.memphis.edu>]. 5 February
1993. This message is archived for reference: Available [Online]:
<http://www.people.memphis.edu/~mcrouse/msg-5-feb-93.txt>.
Note:
Author <author's email address>, Subject of Message [Email to
recipient's name <recipient's email address>] (Date).
Thomas M. Martin <tmm@sfsu.edu>, RE: Broken Link to Citation
Guidelines [Email to Maurice Crouse <crousem@cc.memphis.edu>]
(29 January 1996).
Doug Davis <gddavis@msuvx1.memphis.edu>, Banjo Pickers Recall
[Email to Maurice Crouse <crousem@cc.memphis.edu>] (5 February 1993).
This message is archived for reference: Available [Online]: <http://
www.people.memphis.edu/~mcrouse/msg-5-feb-93.txt>.
Electronic Conferences, Interest Groups, News Groups (Usenet),
and Lists:
Reference List:
Author <author's email address>. Date. Subject of posting <posting
identification number, if applicable> [Discussion]. Electronic
Conference <email address to which postings are made>.
Available Protocol [Type of medium]: <Protocol/Site/Path/File>
Additional: retrieval information [Access date].
Wheeler, Bob <hteach@math3.math.csuohio.edu>. 13 November 1995.
Query: How do you encourage participation in class? [Discussion].
H-Net List for Teaching College History and Related Fields
<h-teach@h-net.msu.edu>. Available [Online]: <http://
www.h-net.msu.edu/~teach/archives/logs/nov95/0087.html>
[10 February 1996].
Beatty, J. D. <jdbeatty@aol.com>. 21 November 1996. RE: Presidential
succession query <19961121130200.IAA07823@ladder01.news.aol.com>
[Discussion]. History <history@psuvm.psu.edu>. Available
Usenet [Online]: <news:bit.listserv.history> [23 November 1996].
Beatty, J. D. <jdbeatty@aol.com>. 21 November 1996. RE: Presidential
succession query [Discussion]. History <history@psuvm.psu.edu>.
Available [Online]: <http://www.dejanews.com/> Search: jdbeatty
bit.listserv.history presidential [30 November 1996].
Bibliography:
Author <author's email address>. "Subject of Posting" <posting
identification number, if applicable> [Discussion]. Electronic Conference
<email address to which postings are made>. Date. Available Protocol
[Type of medium]: <Protocol/Site/Path/File> Additional: retrieval
information [Access date].
Wheeler, Bob <hteach@math3.math.csuohio.edu>. "Query: How Do You
Encourage Participation in Class?" [Discussion]. H-Net List for
Teaching College History and Related Fields <h-teach@h-net.msu.edu>.
13 November 1995. Available [Online]: <http://www.h-net.msu.edu/
~teach/archives/logs/nov95/0087.html> [10 February 1996].
Beatty, J. D. <jdbeatty@aol.com>. "RE: Presidential Succession
Query" <19961121130200.IAA07823@ladder01.news.aol.com>
[Discussion]. History <history@psuvm.psu.edu>. 21 November 1996.
Available Usenet [Online]: <news:bit.listserv.history> [23 November
1996].
Beatty, J. D. <jdbeatty@aol.com>. "RE: Presidential Succession
Query" [Discussion]. History <history@psuvm.psu.edu>.
21 November 1996. Available [Online]: <http://www.dejanews.com/>
Search: jdbeatty bit.listserv.history presidential [30 November 1996].
Note:
Author <author's email address>, "Subject of Posting"
<posting identification number, if applicable> [Discussion], Electronic
Conference <email address to which postings are made>. Date. Available
Protocol [Type of medium]: <Protocol/Site/Path/File> Additional: retrieval
information [Access date].
Bob Wheeler <hteach@math3.math.csuohio.edu>, "Query:
How Do You Encourage Participation in Class?" [Discussion],
H-Net List for Teaching College History and Related Fields
<h-teach@h-net.msu.edu> (13 November 1995). Available [Online]:
<http://www.h-net.msu.edu/~teach/archives/logs/nov95/0087.html>
[10 February 1996].
J. D. Beatty <jdbeatty@aol.com>, "RE: Presidential Succession
Query" <19961121130200.IAA07823@ladder01.news.aol.com> [Discussion],
History <history@psuvm.psu.edu> (21 November 1996). Available
Usenet [Online]: <news:bit.listserv.history> [23 November 1996].
J. D. Beatty <jdbeatty@aol.com>, "RE: Presidential Succession
Query" [Discussion], History <history@psuvm.psu.edu> (21 November
1996). Available [Online]: <http://www.dejanews.com/> Search:
jdbeatty bit.listserv.history presidential [30 November 1996].
Searches in Online Library Catalogs and Databases:
Students often ask how to cite the results of searches that they have made in
online catalogs or databases such as UnCover, using specific search terms.
For example, a researcher might want to mention in a paper the number of
books on Eastern Orthodox icons reported in the online catalog of the library
of a Presbyterian liberal-arts college. Another researcher might want to know
for many dissertations in history at Memphis State University during the
period 1980-92 Dr. Charles W. Crawford was the major advisor. Yet a third
researcher might want to know how many VAX accounts are registered to
persons in the Department of Political Science at The University of Memphis.
The results coming back from these searches hardly constitute in themselves
bibliographic items, but the information requires some kind of citation. It
might be possible to force such citations into one of the models above, but
because they are often one-time occurrences it seems more advisable to use
the form recommended by Turabian in sec. 10.15. There is no entry in the
reference list or bibliography -- all the information is in a parenthetical
reference in the text or in a note. In the examples below, the forms alternate
between the two; observe that in notes, you should omit the parentheses.
(Results of Type search on term "search term" in Source.
Available Protocol [Type of medium]: <Protocol/Site/Path/File>
Additional: retrieval information [Access date])
or
(Results of Type search on term "search term" in Source.
Available [Type of medium]: Supplier/Database identifier or number/Item
name or number [Access date])
Results of Name search on term "hurley jack" in UnCover
database. Available [Online]: <telnet://pac.carl.org> [30
January 1996].
(Results of Subject search on term "icons" in online catalog of
Burrow Library at Rhodes College. Available [Online]:
<telnet://libcat@rhodes.edu> [30 September 1996])
Results of Expert Keyword search on term "au onasch and ti
icons" in online catalog of McWherter Library at The University of
Memphis. Available [Online]: <telnet://library@library.memphis.edu>
[30 January 1996].
(Results of search on term "su(history, united states) and
sc((memphis state university) or (university of memphis)) and
ad(crawford, charles w)" in Dissertation Abstracts Ondisc database.
Available [CD-ROM]: UMI/Dissertation Abstracts Ondisc/Jan. 1980-
Dec. 1992 [11 November 1996])
Results of Title search on term "debow's review" in Tennessee
Union List of Serials database. Available [CD-ROM]: Auto-Graphics,
Inc./Tennessee State Library CD-ROM Catalog/Serials [11 November 1996].
(Results of Department search on term "political science" in VAX
Users Directory at The University of Memphis. Available [Online]:
<:telnet://username:password@msuvx2.memphis.edu> DCL Command:
vax_accts [11 October 1996])
Results of Author search on term "hawes joseph" in WorldCat
database. Available [Online]: OCLC FirstSearch/All Databases/WorldCat
[2 November 1996].
Government Publications and Legal Documents:
The models and examples above should be enough to get you through most of
the citations you will need, unless you work with government publications and
legal documents. For these difficult materials, I have neither space nor
expertise. Diane L. Garner and Diane H. Smith, The Complete Guide to Citing
Government Documents: A Manual for Writers & Librarians (Bethesda, MD:
Congressional Information Service, 1993), and The Bluebook: A Uniform System
of Citation, 16th ed. (Cambridge: Harvard Law Review Association, 1996) are the
most complete guides for citing printed versions of these materials, but they
barely recognize the existence of electronic versions. The Turabian
manual (secs. 12.1-33) and The Chicago Manual of Style (secs.
15.312-411, 16.148-98) have useful models which could be adapted
with some determined effort. Li and Crane's book (chapters 5, 12) is the only
comprehensive guide for citing electronic versions. The Government
Publications Department, McWherter Library, The University of Memphis, has
prepared a Brief Guide to Citing Government Publications, which deals partly
with electronic sources. It is available online (see the bibliography
of this paper). Peggy Whitley has a few examples for citing legal materials in
Citing Online Sources: Internet and Westlaw (available online; see the
bibliography of this paper).
I recommend that you study all these guides and choose one
set of recommendations for the descriptive part of the citation. Then use
one of the following models for the "Available" statement, depending on the
means of access:
Available Protocol [Type of medium]: <Protocol/Site/Path/File>
Additional: retrieval information [Access date].
or
Available [Type of medium]: Supplier/Database identifier or number/
Item name or number [Access date].
Finding and Using the Information for Citations:
The author's name is usually at the head of the electronic document. If not,
you should look for it at the end of the document, or near links labeled
"Send comments to," "Mail to," "Return to,"
"Maintained by," or something similar.
Usenet postings or email messages may have only an email address as author.
Some messages may have a nickname or "handle" as author. If you fail to
find any indication of the author's name, you may sometimes substitute the
publisher's name if it is known, or you may omit the information entirely and
begin the entry with the title.
Implications for Methodology:
There is a serious problem in citing electronic information that seems
inescapable, a problem that Harnack and Kleppinger aptly call "invisible
revisability." A citation gives the content and the location of the
information at the time of access. Unlike most printed information, electronic
information may have been silently modified, moved, or deleted by the time a
reader tries to verify the citation. For example, if you were to send email
today to <listserv@h-net.msu.edu> with the message "get h-net jobguide"
a position cited on 30 January 1996 would not be in the current guide, because
H-Net constantly updates the guide. Citations may, therefore, on occasion
appear to be incorrect through no fault of the researcher. A reader may be
hard pressed to distinguish between these innocent cases and cases in which
the researcher is careless or even fraudulent in citing. For this reason,
you should always give preference in citing to a printed version of the
information. Cite electronic information only when a printed version does
not exist or you cannot locate it or use it conveniently.
Bibliography:
Achtert, Walter S., and Joseph Gibaldi. MLA Handbook for Writers of
Research Papers. 3d ed. New York: Modern Language
Association of America, 1988.
Becklehimer, Jeff. How Do You Cite URL's in a
Bibliography? No date. Available [Online]:
<http://www.nrlssc.navy.mil/meta/bibliography.html> [9
November 1996].
The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation. 16th ed.
Cambridge: Harvard Law Review Association, 1996.
Brown, Haines. ASCII Citation of Electronic Documents. 24
July 1996. Available [Online]:
<http://library.ccsu.ctstateu.edu/~history/docs/cite.html> [9
November 1996].
The Chicago Manual of Style. 14th ed. Chicago: University of
Chicago Press, 1993.
Dewey, Russ. APA Publication Manual Sheet. 13
November 1996. Available [Online]:
<http://www.gasou.edu/psychweb/tipsheet/apacrib.htm> [28
January 1997].
Dodd, Sue A. Bibliographic References for Computer Files in the
Social Sciences: A Discussion Paper. May 1990. Available
[Online]:
<http://www.msstate.edu/Archives/History/netuse/citation.bib>
[9 November 1996].
Garner, Diane L., and Diane H. Smith. The Complete Guide to Citing
Government Documents: A Manual for Writers & Librarians.
Bethesda, MD: Congressional Information Service, 1993.
Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers.
4th ed. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 1995.
Government Publications Department, McWherter Library, The University
of Memphis. Brief Guide to Citing Government
Publications. 14 January 1997. Available [Online]:
<http://www.lib.memphis.edu/gpo/citeweb.htm> [28 January
1997].
Harnack, Andrew, and Eugene Kleppinger. Beyond the MLA
Handbook: Documenting Electronic Sources on the Internet.
25 November 1996. Available [Online]:
<http://falcon.eku.edu/honors/beyond-mla> [25 November
1996].
________. Online! A Reference Guide to Using Internet Sources. New
York: St. Martin's Press, 1997.
Ivey, Keith C. Citing Internet Sources. 18 October 1996.
Available [Online]: <http://www.eeicom.com/eye/utw/96aug.html>
[28 January 1997].
Land, T. Web Extension to American Psychological Association
Style (WEAPAS). 3 November 1996. Available [Online]:
<http://www.beadsland.com/weapas/> [28 January 1997].
Li, Xia, and Nancy B. Crane. Electronic Sources: APA Style of
Citation. 27 July 1996. Available [Online]:
<http://www.uvm.edu/~xli/reference/apa.html> [31 October
1996].
________. Electronic Sources: MLA Style of Citation. 26
July 1996. Available [Online]:
<http://www.uvm.edu/~xli/reference/mla.html> [31 October
1996].
________. Electronic Style: A Guide to Citing Electronic
Information. Westport, CT: Meckler, 1993.
________. Electronic Styles: A Handbook for Citing Electronic
Information. Medford, NJ: Information Today, 1996.
Page, Melvin. A Brief Citation Guide for Internet Sources in
History and the Humanities. 20 February 1996. Available
[Online]: <http://h-net2.msu.edu/~africa/citation.html>
[31 October 1996].
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. 3d
ed. Washington, D. C.: American Psychological Association, 1983.
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.
4th ed. Washington, D. C.: American Psychological Association, 1994.
Purdue University On-Line Writing Lab. Citing Electronic
Sources. 13 June 1996. Available [Online]:
<http://owl.trc.purdue.edu/files/110.html> [9 November 1996].
________. MLA Format: Giving Credit to Sources. 29 May
1996. Available [Online]:
<http://owl.trc.purdue.edu/files/33.html> [9 November 1996].
________. Using APA Format. 1 July 1996. Available
[Online]: <http://owl.trc.purdue.edu/files/34.html> [9
November
1996].
Quinion, Michael B. Citing Online Sources. 21 June 1996.
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_____________________
This document is subject to constant revision. You may
find the current version on the World Wide Web at the URL:
<http://www.people.memphis.edu/~mcrouse/elcite.html>
Send comments to Maurice Crouse at: <mcrouse@memphis.edu>
Last modified: 28 January 1997