Writing Prompts

Make Writing A Habit

MLA Citations: Electronic Media – Internet

With the advent of the Internet over the past decade there has been an increasing requirement for information on the citation of Internet sources.

In recent years I have received ever more frequent requests to add the “citation of Internet sources” to the MLA Format and MLA Style pages on my Writing Help Central Website.

Accordingly, the following is my summary of the key points for including MLA citations in a paper, as per the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers

Please take note that the material below is based on my understanding of the MLA standards that I consulted when I wrote this. If you have a complex citation situation, please check the MLA Handbook For Writers of Research Papers.

MLA Citation of Sources On The Internet

Authors using and citing sources on the World Wide Web (i.e. Internet) should observe the following two guidelines:

  1. Direct readers as closely as possible to the specific information being cited. So, whenever possible, reference the specific document to which you refer, rather than home or menu pages.
  2. Provide addresses (i.e. hyperlinks) that work. Make sure you test them periodically.

Documents available via the Internet include articles from periodicals (e.g. newspapers, newsletters, journals, etc.); They may stand on their own (e.g. research papers, government reports , online books, brochures, etc.); or they may be in Web-based format (e.g. Web pages, newsgroups, blogs, etc.).

Following are some key points to note when citing electronic sources in MLA format:

  • A citation of an electronic work may require two or more publication dates to be identified fully. Since electronic texts can be easily altered, any version of a text accessed online may be different from previous versions. So, typically a citation for an online text contains the date assigned to the document in the source as well as the date on which the researcher accessed the document.
  • At a minimum, an Internet source reference should include; document title or description, date of publication or retrieval, and an Internet address (i.e. a valid URL, or uniform resource locator). When possible, identify author name(s) as well.
  • The URL must be working, or your paper or argument will suffer. The best way to avoid a typo in a URL is to copy it directly (with your word processor) from the address/location field when you are actually at that particular Web page that you want to cite. For example, the URL for this particular page that you are viewing right now is “http://www.writinghelp-central.com/mla-citation-internet.html”. That is the unique identifier for this one particular page of information that differentiates it from all of the other billions of pages online.
  • When you cannot copy the URL directly, be sure that you record it carefully; exactly as it is stated wherever you are copying it from. Always use lower-case letters when citing a URL.
  • Test all URLs that you cite in a browser program such as Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox. Make sure that it takes you to the exact Web page that contains the info you are citing. It is a good idea to test URL’s periodically since third-party information often gets relocated online or taken down.
  • MLA format requires that you include the complete URL, including the access mode prefix (e.g. http://) and all relevant path and file names needed to get to the specific page being referenced.
  • MLA format requires that all URLs be enclosed in angle brackets (e.g. ‹http://writingprompts.com/mla.html›. If a URL must be divided between two lines, break it only after a slash; do not introduce any formatting characters such as hyphens.

Sample MLA Citations – Internet References
Following are example citations for some of the more common types of references to online sources. (All sources cited are fictitious):

Online Project or Database:
Include: title of project or database, name of project or database, publication info as available such as version number, name of sponsoring organization, etc., date of access, and full URL.

Britannica Online. Vers. O7.3 Apr. 2007. Encyclopedia Britannica. 8 May 2007 ‹http://www.eb.com/›.

The Discovery Channel Online. 2007. Discovery Channel. 28 June 2007 ‹http://dsc.discovery.com›.

Article, Poem, Short Story or Similar Work:
Include: author’s name, title of work, followed by the rest of the project or database info as itemized above. If no author is available begin citation with the title in quotes.

Jackson, Maynard. “Living With Fear and Uncertainty”. Maclean’s Magazine Online. Ed. Stanley Workman. May 2007. Maclean’s Magazine. 20 Aug. 2007. ‹http://www.macleans.ca/May2007.art05›.

“Watch Your Step!” Runners World On The Web. July 2007. Runners World Blog. 25 Aug. 2007. ‹http://www.runnersworld.com/blog/Jul07/
P0013.html›.

Online Book:

Fawcett, Shaun. Writing Success Secrets. 2004. 15 Sept. 2006 ‹http://www.writingprompts.com/secrets.html›.

Online Government Publication:

Canada. Industry Canada. Developing Your Business Plan. Business Coach Series, August 2007, Canada Business Web site. 25 Oct. 2007 ‹http://bsa.canadabusiness.ca/gol/bsa/site.nsf/en/su07140.html#a3›.

Scholarly Journal Article:

Dalbert, Raymond. “Business Designs for the New Millennium”. BusinessEd Monthly Review. 47.4 (1999). 15 pp. 17 Apr. 2006
‹http://businessed.edu/web/pubs/review/Articles/47420.html›.

Newspaper or Newswire Article:

“Fossil Find Challenges Man’s Timeline”. NY Times Online 10 July 2007. 10 July 2007 ‹http://www.nytimes.com/nytonline/NYTO-Fossil-Challenges-Timeline.html›.

Bowser, John.”Storm Paralyzes Transit System”. New York Times on the Web 25 June 2007. 28 June 2007 ‹http://www.nytimes.com/
library/local/07/06/weather/storms.html›.


Magazine Article:

Shoumatoff, Alex. “A Russian Tragedy”. Walrus Online 14 May 2006. 16 Sept. 2007 ‹http://www.thewalrus.ca/online/articles/russia-0506.html›.

Online Interview Transcript:

Griffin, Thomas. Interview with Matt Damon. The Gazette. August
2006. 12 Sept. 2007 ‹http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertain/
0807/Damon/interview.html›.

E-Mail Communication:

Bremer, Fred. “Re: Global Climate Change.” E-mail to Rachel Heinz.
27 July 2007.

Online Posting:

Gravely, S. “Business Letter Writing.” Online posting. 12 June
2007. Write Place Web log. 17 Sept. 2007 ‹http://
www.writingprompts.com/blog/›.

The above examples are for what I consider to be the most typical types of citations that would be made in the average paper. If you have an Internet source reference situation that is not covered here you’ll have to check out the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers

Book Report Writing Template

This is a guide only. It is not meant to write the report for you. It gives you a format or template for writing your own report.

The original draft was developed by a teacher friend of mine to use with her own students. I have made a few additional enhancements which I believe make the model more clear and complete.

A note of caution here. Your instructor may have another book report format that he/she prefers. So, make sure they approve of this format before using it.


The following book report format template is appropriate for students at the pre-college level who are required to write a report about a book they have read. For the type of book summaries applicable to college and university level (undergraduate and post-graduate), as well as for business and professional situations, you can check out the following book summary service.

Introductory Paragraph

The first sentence should state for which instructor and class the book-report is being written.

The second sentence should state the title of the book and the author’s name.

The third sentence should tell how many pages the book has and the name of the publisher.

The fourth sentence can state basic bibliographic information about the book. Bibliographic information means not only the author and title but also what company published the book, what year it was published in and any other relevant information such as the edition and if the book has been translated, simplified or abridged. (see copyright page and the back of the title page.)

The next sentence should state the reason(s) you decided to read this book. Why did you choose this particular book? Typical reasons might be:

  • You like the author.
  • You like this type of book (i.e. mystery, western, adventure or romance, etc.).
  • Someone recommended the book to you.
  • It was on a required reading list.
  • You liked the cover.

These reasons do not have to be complex. Most people choose the books they read because they like the author or somebody recommended it to them. If you chose the book because you like the author, then state why you like that author.

An optional sentence can be used if the cover (back cover) of the book gives you any additional information then add a sentence with that information.

  • Was the book a best seller?
  • Are there X million copies in print?
  • Did it win any major awards?

Main Character(s) Paragraph

The first sentence of this paragraph should state who the main character or characters of the book are, and why they are important. Refer to this person or these persons as the Main Character or Main Characters.

You will need at least a complex sentence for this, and probably more than one sentence.

Other Characters Paragraph

You should compose at least one sentence for each of the other prominent or important characters in the book. State the name of each of the other important characters, and the key role that each one plays in the book

Most books have five or six prominent characters besides the main character, so simply listing each one and stating their role in the book will give you a good sized paragraph.

Plot Summary Paragraph

This is perhaps the hardest paragraph to write in five sentences or so. If you have to write a bit more don’t worry. Here are the main points to cover:

  • State the type of book (Mystery, Western, etc.).
  • What place or country was the book set in?
  • What time period was the book set in? (19th century, the present, ancient Rome, the 23rd century).
  • Other physical locations which are important, like: ships, airplanes, houses, or buildings.
  • Other notable attributes of the book. (Was it violent, scary, fast paced, etc.).
  • What is the main character trying to do?
  • What is the outcome of the book?
  • etc.

Make sure you cover all of the major parts of the plot. You might have to go back through the book, chapter by chapter, and make a few notes.

Personal Impressions and Conclusion Paragraph

Simply talk about what you liked or did not like about the book. Use this paragraph as your conclusion. It should summarize your overall impressions of the book and bring the report to a close.

  • Start with a sentence that states that you are now writing a conclusion. (For example: “My final thoughts on ‘A Fine Balance’ are that it is a fascinating book but I am not entirely sure if I completely understood the thematic message of the book.”
  • Restate your reasons why you liked and/or disliked the book using different words.
  • Write two sentences that talk about the books good points and weak points.
  • Write a sentence or two about what you learned from the book.
  • Close with a sentence that states whether you would recommend the book to others.

Don’t be afraid to give your own honest impressions of the book. After all, if you’ve read the book thoroughly, you are entitled to your own interpretation of it.

Typically, your book report should not exceed two double-spaced pages, and it should be somewhere between 600 and 800 words in length.

Copyright © writinghelp-central.com. All Rights Reserved.

How To Write A Bibliography

Almost all academic and professional research papers are required to have an annotated bibliography.

However, there is a lot of general confusion as to exactly what a bibliography comprises, and how it should be formatted.

The term “bibliography” is often used as a generic term referring to some sort of list of “information sources” to be included at the end of a paper or article.

The two main standards that are used for preparing research papers and articles are:

  • MLA Style or Format (Modern Language Association of America);

  • APA Style or Format (American Psychological Association).

Interestingly, neither one of these writing standards actually refers to its “list of sources” as a “Bibliography”.

MLA

The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (5th ed. [New York: MLA, 2001]) states, “Bibliographies are lists of related publications and materials.” (7)

MLA refers to its “list of sources” at the end of a paper as a “list of works cited” or a “works cited list”. The MLA Handbook… goes on to state that in a list of works cited “You must indicate to your readers not only what works you used in writing the paper but also exactly what you derived from each source and exactly where in the work you found the material.” (204)

For more on MLA Style and the MLA “List of Works Cited” click here.

APA

The Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (5th. Ed [Washington, DC: APA, 2001]) states “… a bibliography cites works for background or for further reading and may include descriptive notes… APA journals require reference lists, not bibliographies.” (215)

The APA Manual…states “The reference list at the end of a journal article documents the article and provides the information necessary to identify and retrieve each source. Authors … must include only the sources that were used in the research and preparation of the article.” (215).

For more on APA Style and the APA “Reference List” click here.

Terms
Privacy

test2