Citing electronic sources
Citing electronic sources is a new area. There is no standard method for citing electronic sources although several standards have been developed. The recommendations made here are only for guidance only. Read the BMA information factsheet on reference styles
When citing electronic sources in a paper for submission is it advisable to check the intended journal's instructions for authors.
Resources
International Standards Office. ISO 690 - 2
Information and documentation : Bibliographic references : Electronic documents or parts thereof. ISO, 1998.
Read more on ISO 690
Li X., Crane, NB. Electronic styles: A handbook for citing electronic information Rev. ed. Information Today, 1996
Follows the two common citation conventions, those of the American Psychological Association and the Modern Languages Association, with additions to represent the unique features of electronic information.
University College, London
Read more on citing
Bournemouth University
Useful general guide to citation systems
Read more on the Bournemouth University website
IFLA
Detailed tutorial with many links to electronic citation
Read more on the IFLA website
ISO 690 - 2 . Information and Documentation
Contains most of Information and Documentation - Bibliographic references - Part 2 : Electronic documents or parts thereof:
Read the documentation here
American Psychological Association
Useful summary:
Read more on the American Psychological Association website
Examples
Taken from: A guide to citing Internet sources [online]. Poole: University of Bournemouth, 1996:
Read the University of Bournemouth guide
It is important to maintain a consistent style. These examples use the Harvard system:
- Individual works: author / editor, year. Title [online]. (Edition.) Place of publication : Publisher (if ascertainable). Available from: URL [Accessed date]
- E-journals: Author, year. Title. Journal title [online], volume (issue), location within host. Available from: URL [Accessed date]
- Mailbase / Listserv e-mail lists: author, day month year. Subject of message. Discussion list [online]. Available from : list e-mail address [Accessed date]
- Personal e-mails: sender (senders e-mail address), day month year. Subject of message. E-mail to recipient (recipients e-mail address)