Citing Electronic Resources

Citing Electronic Resources

Submitted by kirwin on Fri, 08/04/2017 - 09:28

On this page: Online Citation Guides | Citation Guides in Thomas Library | Elements to Include in Citation

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Electronic sources present new challenges to those attempting to cite them. There is the common dilemma: which style do I use? MLA? APA? Add to this the fact that the traditional styles may not address all possible situations. And on top of that, new sources continue to develop CD-ROM, gopher, the World Wide Web, e-journals, real-time communication and on and on. Because electronic sources do not lend themselves to the guidelines developed for print sources, new ways to cite new sources continue to be developed and revised.

Online Style Guides

The World Wide Web can be a good place to find guidance as you write your research paper and compile a list of sources you have consulted. These sites may be of help:

Citing Resources, from Wittenberg's Writing Center has links to information for citing both print and electronic formats
http://www5.wittenberg.edu/academics/writing/citations.html
The Internet Public Library has links to several other electronic citation styles
http://www.ipl.org/div/farq/netciteFARQ.html

Check to see which style your professor wants you to use. If you decide to create your own citation style, keep a couple of things in mind. Remember the purpose of a citation is to give credit where it is due and to enable the reader to find the source. Give as much information possible and base your format on print source guidelines if they are available, and be consistent.

Style manuals available at Thomas Library

APA. Publication manual of the American Psychological Association, Fifth Ed.

Reference Desk BF 76.7 .P83 2010

Reference BF 76,7 .P83 2010 c.2

Main Stacks BF 76.7 .P83 2010 c.3

Gibaldi, MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing, Second Ed.

Reference Desk PN 147 .G444 2008 c.2

Reference PN 147 .G444 2008

Turabian, A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations: Chicago Style for Students and Researchers, Eighth Ed.

Reference Desk LB 2369 .T8 2013 c.4

Reference LB 2369 .T8 2013 c.2

Reference LB 2369 .T8 2013 c.3

Main Stacks LB 2369 .T8 2013

Walker and Taylor, The Columbia Guide to Online Style.

Reference Desk PN 171 .F56 W35 2006 c.2

Main Stacks PN 171 .F56 W35 2006

Citation elements to consider including

  • author's name
  • date of publication
  • type of medium
  • title of document
  • URL, telnet address, e-mail address
  • edition, volume, issue & title of work
  • date of access

See examples of Electronic Resource Citations

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