Citing Electronic Sources
General Rules:
- The purpose of the citation is to give credit to the author and to enable the reader to retrieve the work cited again. Keep this in mind. Is the information you are providing accurate and complete? Will the reader be able to return to the source you are citing?
- Punctuation and capitalization in electronic addresses are vital in allowing the reader to return to the site. Check this carefully.
- There are many types of electronic information. They include:
| Journal & Magazine articles commercially supplied | Newspaper articles commercially supplied |
| World Wide Web Sites | |
| Usenet Groups (aka "Newsgroups") | Internet Chat/Messaging |
| Online images and streaming video | Online Sound |
Citing the World Wide Web Using MLA Format (Web Sites or Web Pages):
Structure:
- Title of Scholarly Project.
- Name of the editor, compiler, or translator (if available).
- Date of most recent electronic publication (if known).
- Sponsoring organization or institution.
- Date of access
- Electronic address or URL
Citing articles from Commercial Suppliers (Subscription Databases or the Open Web) Using MLA Format.
Structure:
- Author.
- "Article Title"
- Original Source of Article
- Date of Original Source: page numbers.
- Name of the Database Used.
- Name of the Service. (commercial supplier)
- Library where database was accessed,
- Location of library.
- Date of Access
- URL of service's homepage.
Examples:
The MLA guidelines on documenting online sources are explained in detail in the fifth edition of the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (1999) and in the second edition of the MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing (1998).
The American Psychological Association (APA) also provides a format for citation of sources. See the media specialists for additional information on using the APA format or for citing other types of electronic information.