Citing Electronic Publications

Most Scholarly and Professional Style Manuals now include advice on how to cite electronic sources.

Although a citation to a publication in electronic format follows basically the same principles as a citation to a paper document, citing electronic publications presents its own peculiar challenges. For instance:

• A document may only have a file name instead of a title, or a login name instead of an author.
  
• The content of a Web site may change frequently without notice, so that the date a site is accessed becomes more important than a publication date or edition.
  
• The concept of pagination as it pertains to paper publications has little or no meaning with reference to an electronic document.
  

The following sources provide guidance on how to cite electronic sources so that the relevant information can be identified consistently and accurately, and the source can be retrieved by the reader when necessary.

When citing an electronic source, it is better to risk providing too much information rather than too little. Be sure that your reader has enough information to go back to your source if necessary.

Electronic Styles: A Handbook for Citing Electronic Information, 2nd ed., by Xia Li and Nancy Crane. Medford, N.J.: Information Today, Inc., 1996

Based on APA and MLA styles, embellished to accommodate the unique features of electronic information. There is a chapter focusing on legal, government, and international documents. The main drawback to this source is that it has not been updated since 1996.

• Available at General Reference Desk, Sci/Tech Reference Desk, Sci/Tech Reserves Desk, and Government Documents Service Desk under Call Number PN171 .F56 L5 1996.
• A circulating copy is available in Willis Library. Check the Library Catalog for availability.
• Guide for Citing Electronic Information, from the David and Lorraine Cheng Library at William Paterson University of New Jersey, provides examples of citations in the format recommended in this book.

Online!: A Reference Guide to Using Internet sources, by Andrew Harnack and Eugene Kleppinger

Provides models for citing Internet sources in the MLA, APA, CBE, and Chicago styles. Also has advice on using the Internet and on evaluating online information.

• The paper version, available at the General Reference Desk and in the Sci/Tech Library, on the First Floor of Willis Library under Call Number TK5105.875.I57 H364x 1997, also includes information on using and evaluating Internet sources and on publishing information on the Web.
• The Web site includes the chapters describing the four citation styles, an FAQ, and links to all the Internet Sources mentioned in the book.

The Columbia Guide to Online Style, by Janice R. Walker and Todd Taylor

Comprehensive guide to citing Internet sources. Also provides complete guidelines for formatting documents for online publication and for electronically preparing texts for print publication.

• Available at Willis Library General Reference Desk under Call Number PN171.F56 W35 2006.

Chicago Guide to Preparing Electronic Manuscripts: For Authors and Publishers, prepared by University of Chicago Press

Many publishers now accept manuscripts in electronic format. This guide provides advice on preparing authors’ disks and tapes for typesetting. It is based on the 13th edition of the Chicago Manual of Style.

• Using Chicago Style to Cite and Document Sources, a chapter from the book Online!: A Reference Guide to Using Internet Sources, provides guidelines for citing Internet sources according to the 14th edition of the Chicago Manual of Style.

APA Style: Electronic References (American Psychological Association)

These excerpts from the APA manual show examples of citations in APA format. Site is kept updated to keep up with the most recent changes.

Citation Style Guides for Internet and Electronic Sources (University of Alberta)

A guide for students, showing how to cite electronic information (with no print equivalent) in various styles.

Documenting Electronic Sources: APSA Style (St.Mary's University)

Basic guidelines and samples of citations for various online documents in APSA style.

Citing Library Database Articles in APA Style (Westfield State College – Ely Library)

Examples of citations to the content of full-text electronic databases.

Citing References from LexisNexis^® Academic (LexisNexis)

Sample MLA, APA, and Bluebook citations are provided for selected document types found in LexisNexis^® Academic.

Citing Web Pages in APA Style (Westfield State College –  Ely Library)

Examples of citations to the content of Internet sites.

Electronic Reference Formats (APA)

Excerpts from the APA style manual, updated to show the latest guidelines for citing electronic source.

How to cite electronic, print and microfiche congressional publications (LexisNexis^® Congressional)

Basic guidelines and sample citations for sources in the LexisNexis Congressional database. It is not clear what style is being used for the examples, and for any source or format other than LexisNexis Congressional (including other online and electronic formats), the user is merely referred to The Complete Guide to Citing Government Information Resources.