This material has been developed to accompany:

Citing Web and Internet Resources

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Guidelines for Citing Resources Information on the Web About Citing Electronic Resources

It's necessary to cite your sources when you write a research report. That way, others who read your work can check the resources you've used. They can view or read the original sources to check for accuracy, to see excerpts or ideas in the context of the original piece, or to obtain more information. You'll also want to cite resources to let people know where they can find information on the Internet or the Web, whether you're preparing a formal research paper or writing email to a friend.

There are several guidelines and styles for citing works correctly. No one uniform style has been adopted or is appropriate in every case. The same situation exists for citing works that appear in print; you may be expected to follow APA or MLA style, for instance. You need to adopt a style for your own work and communications, and you should check with whoever is directing the research-your editor, instructor, or publisher-to see what citation style is required.

In the last few years, people have been citing resources that they find on the Web or through the Internet. The styles used for citing electronic works sometimes differ from those of citations for printed works, which have a long tradition of specific formats. Citations for works in print or on the Web have a number of common elements. These include the author's name, the work's title, and the date on which the cited work was published or revised.

There is no uniform agreement on all of the details of a citation for information found on the Web or the Internet. Most suggestions for the form of a citation include the name of the author, the title of the work, the date the information was last revised, the date the information was accessed, and the URL. The date the information was accessed is included because it's relatively easy to modify information on the Web, and the information available through a URL sometime in the future may not be the same as when it was accessed for the research. Methods for determining the date when information on the Web and the title of a Web document are discussed.

Guidelines for Citing Resources Found on the Internet and the Web

Here are the items we recommend including in a citation for information on the Web or Internet:


Information on the Web About Citing Electronic Resources

There are several very good Web pages for information about citing Web and other electronic resources.

These Web pages that have links to several other sources on the subject:

The Web pages in this list contain information about specific styles for citations:

Links to Useful Sites about Citing Web and Internet Resources

Internet and Web Essentials Selecting, Evaluating, and Citing Information from the Internet fyi chapter capsule

Visit Searching and Researching on the Internet and the WWW for more information about using the Internet for doing research and finding what you need.

This material has been developed to accompany: by Ernest Ackermann and Karen Hartman, and published by Franklin, Beedle and Associates, Incorporated, Wilsonville OR.

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Ernest Ackermann Department of Computer Science, Mary Washington College, University of Mary Washington