"I saw it on the web!": How to Cite WWW Resources

    Some student papers have included information from the Web with the following reference or citation: "WWW," or "the Internet." Think about that for a moment.

  • Would you think it an adequate reference, in a college paper, to cite "a book" or "Davis library"? That's about what citing "the Internet" amounts to. Zilch.

  • When you cite a book, what do you give? You expect to list the book's title accurately. That's like the URL of a web resource (except that, while a book's title remains constant and the book stays in the library, URLs come and go with disconcerting frequency). But you give more than just the book's title. You give the name of the person responsible for what's in it--the author or editor. You should look for, and think a bit about, the author of a web page. A serious site should give the name of the person responsible for the information it offers, or at least of its webmaster. Who is it? Where? Why should you believe, or rely on, what this person says?

  • When you cite a book, you also give the date it was published--not the date you happened to read it. Look for the date the web page was posted or last revised; a responsible one will give that information.

  • If you cannot find author and date, begin to worry seriously about the reliability of the information posted on the site.

  • Detailed guides for citing WWW and other resources.

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