Citing Internet Sources
A proper and ethically conscious academic paper gives proper consideration and respect for intellectual property; this includes appropriate documentation to all sources and references. Unfortunately, some writers who do internet researches fail to follow this simple courtesy all because the rules for citing electronic sources from CD’s, internet periodicals, web sites and other online sources are not known to them. So, how should online sources be acknowledged?
The Modern Language Association (MLA), a recognized documentation style for academic research papers, gives the following format:
Author or editor. “Title.” Book title. Printed version
information. Site title. Volume or issue number. Date
posted. Name of subscription service, library name and
location. Listserv name. 00 pp. Sponsoring organization.
Date accessed
If certain details are not applicable, they need not be included. Here are several sample citations:
Professional Web Site
Gratrorader.com. 10 Nov. 1999. Quinito Online Ventures.
24 Nov. 1999 .
Article Within a Web Site
Dawson, Torry. “Punch Through.” The Files. 9 Dec. 1999.
University of Wingdings, Board of Regents. 4 Jan. 2003
.
On-Line Government Document
United States. U.S. Census Bureau. Poverty in the United
States: 1998. Sept. 1999. 12 Nov. 1999
www.census.gov/prod/99pubs/p60-207.pdf>.
E-Mail Message
Winchester, Colt. 22 Feb. 2009. E-mail to the author.
25 Feb. 2009.
This entry begins with the name of the e-mail writer and the date the message was sent, and ends with the description “E-mail to the author” and the date of access.