Most of you are familiar with how to cite print books and articles when you’re writing a research paper. But how do you cite information you find on the internet? Well, you’ll need to include the same basic information as for print resources — author’s name, title, publisher, publication date, etc. — but you’ll also need to give the title of the website where you found the document and other electronic publishing information which might include:
* date of electronic publication
* name of discussion list
* institutional sponsor of the website
* subscription database (such as JSTOR)
* date of access
* url
That’s a whole lot of information. Where does it go? In what order?
I’m often asked how to cite internet sources but depending on what style you use, your citation will be different.
I’ll go over citing internet sources using MLA style today, but check back soon and I’ll post on citing using Chicago Manual of Style and APA Style.
MLA style is often used in the humanities. Complete information about each source is given in a works Cited list at the end of the paper. Also, in-text citations usually consist of a parenthetical reference that refers to a page in a work on the Works Cited list. For example:
In text:
Entry in Works Cited:
