Citing Electronic Sources

Footnotes and bibliographic citations credit the author and enable the reader to locate source material. As you compile and cite references, be sure to observe a consistent style -- that is, don't mix APA-style citations with MLA-style references, for example. Complete citations to online or electronic resources are also required in the same manner as for printed sources.

The major style guides are:

APA (American Psychological Association)

American Psychological Association. Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Washington, D.C.: American Psychological Association, 2001. Call number: Reference BF76.7 P83 2001

See also these pages from the APA:

• Guidelines for citing electronic sources from APA
• APA Style tips
• APA Research Style Crib Sheet by Professor Russ Dewey and Dr. Abel Scribe

Chicago Manual of Style

Primarily used by authors, editors and publishers, the 15th edition of the Chicago Manual of Style is available in Seymour Library. Call number: Reference Z253 U69 2003.

Chicago Manual of Style from the University of Chicago Press has some examples online as well as other useful information about this style guide.

MLA (Modern Language Association)

Gibaldi, Joseph. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers. New York: Modern Language Association of America, 2003. Call Number: Reference LB2369 .G53 2003

The Online Writing Lab at Purdue has an explanation of the MLA style with examples and links to other sites.

Turabian

Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses,and Dissertations. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1996. Call number: Reference LB2369 T8 1996.

The Turabian style is outlined by OSU libraries.

Other style guides for electronic documents

Citation Guides for Electronic Documents from IFLA provides many links to different style formats.

Li, Xia and Nancy Crane. Electronic Style: A Guide to Citing Electronic Information. Westport: Meckler, 1993. Call number: Reference PN171.D37 L5 1993

The Elements of Citation by Janice R. Walker details humanities and scientific styles.

Subject specific style guides

For citations in biology, the Council of Biology Editors (CBE) style manual is the preferred referece: Scientific Style and Format: The CBE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers, 6th edition, 1994. Call number: SMC Reference T11 S386 1994.

An abbreviated form of the CBE style manual is available online from the publisher.

For citations in chemistry, the American Chemical Society (ACS) style guide is preferred: ACS Style Guide: A manual for Authors and Editors, 2nd ed., 1997. Call number: SMC Ref QD8.5 A25 1997. Some examples of citation style for printed materials and for internet sources for this reference are online.

Research and Documentation Online by Diana Hacker is a web companion to the book of the same name. See the sections by discipline:

• Humanities: Documenting Sources using MLA
• Social Sciences: Documenting Sources using APA
• History: Documenting Sources using the Chicago style

For additional assistance in citing electronic information or selecting an appropriate format for your citations, please consult your instructor or a member of the Knox College Library Reference & Instruction staff.