Citing Online Sources

Citing online sources is similar to citing printed books, journals, or magazines, but requires more documenting information.  This guide is divided into five sections: (journal/magazine article, newspaper article, encyclopedia article, book or part of book, and free website or part of website) and gives examples from various databases and websites available to EPCC students.  While not every database is included, the following are and you can click on the name to see the example from the database:  Academic Search Premier, CQ Researcher, Contemporary Literary Criticism, Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia, Handbook of Texas Online, Informe, Infotrac Custom Newspapers, netLibrary, Newsbank Newsfile, Newspaper Source,  Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center,  ProQuest Nursing Journals, Safari Tech Books Online, Student Research Center, and Twayne's United States Authors.   For guidelines on citing non-electronic sources, consult our guide: Citing Print Sources MLA Style. 

First some general guidelines:

• Alphabetize your entries based on author's last name or title of the work (if author is unknown).
  
  

• Indent 5 spaces at the beginning of every line but the first.  The spacing in this guide may vary from that because it is a web page.  

• Capitalize the major words in any title (article, book, encyclopedia, journal, magazine, etc.) 

• Include as many elements are as applicable to your entry. You may not be able to determine all elements for your electronic source, but the goal in citing is to clearly identify your source so that others may locate it.  You may need to find similar examples and modify them for your particular source.  
  
  
  

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Journal/Magazine Article:

Include as many of these elements as applicable:

• Author followed by a period.

• Article title in quotations followed by a period.

• Journal or Magazine name (underlined) and volume/number, date and pages followed by period.

• Name of the database (underlined) followed by a period.

• Name of the service (i.e. Gale Group, Ebsco Host, etc.) followed by a period.

• Library that provided access followed by a period.

• Date you accessed the information and the electronic address/URL in brackets<> followed by a period. If the URL for your article is readily available and not too detailed, you can include it and omit the Library's name.  For example, databases from Ebsco have a citation page that gives the "persistent URL" which you can use.  But if it is not available, you should use the Library's name and the URL for the main page of the database which you will find it on the Online Databases page in smaller type at the end of its description.  
  

Malamud, Margaret.  "Pyramids in Las Vegas and in Outer Space: Ancient Egypt in
         Twentieth-Century American Architecture and Film."  Journal of Popular Culture  34.1
         (Summer 2000): 31-47.  Academic Search Premier.  Ebsco Host. 11 Jul. 2001  
         <http://search.epnet.com/direct.asp?an=4250944&db=aph>.

Minerva."  British Medical Journal (Intl. Ed.) 325.7360 (17 Aug. 2002) : 398+.   ProQuest Nursing
          Journals.  ProQuest.  4 Mar. 2003 <http://www.umi.com/pqdauto>.

Tapper, Jake. "The Wishy-Washy Strategy."  Salon  26 Feb. 2003.  27 Feb. 2003
         <http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2003/02/26/democrats/index_np.html>.

Uríbarri, Fátima.  "Harry Potter Engancha a 35 Millones de Lectores: 
          Hechizados por la Lectura."  Epoca  10 Dec. 2000: 70.  Informe. Gale Group.   
          E.P.C.C. Libraries, El Paso, TX.  11 Apr. 2001 
        <http://infotrac.galegroup.com/itweb?db=IFME>.

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Newspaper Article:

Include as many of these elements as applicable:

• Author followed by a period.

• Article title in quotations followed by a period.

• Newspaper name (underlined) and section, date and pages followed by period.

• Name of the database (underlined) followed by a period.

• Name of the service (i.e. Gale Group, Ebsco Host, etc.) followed by a period.

• Library that provided access followed by a period.

• Date you accessed the information and the electronic address/URL in brackets<> followed by a period. If the URL for your article is readily available and not too detailed, you can include it and omit the Library's name.  For example, databases from Ebsco have a citation page that gives the "persistent URL" which you can use.  But if it is not available, you should use the Library's name and the URL for the main page of the database which you will find it on the Online Databases page in smaller type at the end of its description.  
  

Examples: 

Gilot, Louie.  "FBI to Help Mexico Try to Solve the Killings of Juarez Women."  El Paso Times.  
         22 Feb. 2003: Borderland section, 4B.  Newsbank Newsfile.  Newsbank.  E.P.C.C.
         Libraries, El Paso, TX.  26 Feb. 2003 <http://infoweb.newsbank.com>.  

Sedeno, David and Laurence Illiff.  "Immigration Talks Will Resume, Fox Says."  
         Dallas Morning News 5 Mar. 2002.  Newspaper Source.  Ebsco Host.  28 Feb. 2003
         <http://search.epnet.com/direct.asp?an=2W71131254219&db=nfh>.

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Encyclopedia Article:

Include as many of these elements as applicable:

• Author followed by a period.

• Article title in quotations followed by a period.

• Encyclopedia name (underlined) and date followed by period.

• Name of the service (i.e. Newsbank, Ebsco Host, etc.) followed by a period.

• Library that provided access followed by a period.

• Date you accessed the information and the electronic address/URL in brackets<> followed by a period. Date you accessed the information and the electronic address/URL in brackets<> followed by a period. If the URL for your article is readily available and not too detailed, you can include it and omit the Library's name.  For example, databases from Ebsco have a citation page that gives the "persistent URL" which you can use.  But if it is not available, you should use the Library's name and the URL for the main page of the database which you will find it on the Online Databases page in smaller type at the end of its description.  
  

"Emiliano Zapata."  Funk & Wagnalls New Encyclopedia 1996. Ebsco Host.  
          2 Jul. 2001 <http://search.epnet.com/direct.asp?an=ZA001800&db=funk&tg=AN>.

"Kohlberg, Olga Bernstein."  The Handbook of Texas Online 4 Dec. 2002.  Texas State Historical
         Association.  2 Mar. 2003  <http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/
         view/KK/fko9.html>.  


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Book or part of book:

Include as many of these elements as applicable:

• Author followed by a period.

• Essay/chapter title in quotations followed by a period. If only section name is used (i.e. appendix, introduction) use that name, without quotations marks, followed by a period.

• Book title (underlined) followed by a period.

• Place of publication: Publisher, and date followed by a period.

• Any additional print information (excerpted from, reprinted, etc.)

• Name of the database (underlined) followed by a period.

• Name of the service (i.e. ProQuest if using Safari Tech books) followed by a period.

• Library that provided access followed by a period.

• Date you accessed the information and the electronic address/URL in brackets<> followed by a period. If the URL for your book or section is readily available and not too detailed, you can include it and omit the Library's name.  For example, the Safari database gives a URL for each book which you can use.  But if it is not available, you should use the the Library's name and the URL for the main page of the database which you will find it on the Online Databases page in smaller type at the end of its description.  
  

Hahner, Judith Edith.  Women Through Women's Eyes: Latin American Women in
        Nineteenth-century Travel Accounts.  Wilmington, DE: Scholarly Resources, Inc., 1998. 
        netLibrary.   E.P.C.C.  Libraries, El Paso, TX.  5 Mar. 2003 <http://www.netlibrary.com/>.

Examples of part of book: 

Cox, Rachel S.  "Home Schooling Debate."  CQ Researcher 13.2 (2003).  CQ Researcher.  
        CQ Press.  E.P.C.C. Libraries, El Paso, TX.   3 Feb. 2003
        <http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher>.

Fowler, Virginia.  "Ebony Phoenixes: The Women of Brewster Place."  Gloria Naylor.  New York:
        G.K. Hall & Co. 1996.  Twayne's United States Authors.  Gale Group.  E.P.C.C. Libraries, El
        Paso, TX.  2003.  3 Mar. 2003 <http://infotrac.galegroup.com/servlet/Twayne>.

Huerta, Jorge. Introduction. Zoot Suit and Other Plays.  By Luis Valdez.  Arte Publico
        Press, 1992.  Contemporary Literary Criticism Select.  Gale Group.   E.P.C.C. Libraries,
        El Paso, TX.  11 Apr. 2001.  3 Mar. 2003 <http://infotrac.galegroup.com/servlet/GLD>.

Pillard, Richard.  "The Causes of Homosexuality are Probably Genetic." Homosexuality.  Ed. Mary
        Williams.  Opposing Viewpoints Series.  Greenhaven Press, 1999.  Abridged from Richard
         Pillard.  "The Genetic Theory of Sexual Orientation."  The Harvard Gay and Lesbian Review
         Winter 1997.  Opposing Viewpoints Resource Center.  Gale Group.  2003.  E.P.C.C.
         Libraries, El Paso, TX.  2003.  3 Mar. 2003 <http://galenet.galegroup.com/servlet/OVRC>.

"Pregnancy Discrimination Act, October 31, 1978."  Discovering U.S. History.  Gale Research,
        1997.  Student Research Center.  Gale Group.  E.P.C.C. Libraries, El Paso, TX.  October
        2001.  3 Mar. 2003 <http://infotrac.galegroup.com/servlet/SRC>.

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Entire or part of website:

Include as many of these elements as applicable:

• Author followed by a period.

• Article title in quotations followed by a period.

• Website name (underlined) followed by a period.  If you cannot determine a title, use the term Home page (see examples).

• Electronic publication date followed by a period.

• Date you accessed the information and the electronic address/URL in brackets<> followed by a period. 
  

Borderlands Information Center.  January 22, 2003.  Borderlands Information Center, Texas Water
         Development Boards' Texas Natural Resources Information Systems Division.   5 Mar. 2003
        <http://www.bic.state.tx.us/index.html>. 

McNaron, Toni and Miller, Carol (eds).  Voices from the Gaps: Women Writers of Color.  
          July 2001.  University of Minnesota.  11 Jul. 2001  <http://voices.cla.umn.edu/index.html>.

Examples of part of website: 

Cadaval, Olivia.  "Borders and Identities."  Migrations in History.  Smithsonian Center for Education
        and Museum Studies. 5 Mar. 2003 <http://educate.si.edu/migrations/start.html>.

"Ten Hispanic Educators Win $25,000 Milken National Educator Awards."  Hispanic Online.com. 
         2001. 11 Jul. 2001 <http://www.hispaniconline.com/edu&/pages/milken_award.html>.

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Any other questions?

If you have further questions, please ask a librarian at any campus Reference Desk:

Valle Verde Campus (915) 831-2442 
Transmountain Campus (915) 831-5098
Rio Grande Campus (915) 831-4019
Mission del Paso Campus (915) 831-7040
Northwest Campus (915) 831-8840

or consult the MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers available at LB2369.G53 at any branch.  Section 4.9 (p. 180 in the 5th edition) covers electronic publications.  You can also find more examples at James D. Lester's Citing Cyberspace: MLA Citations.  

Return to Online Databases Page. 

To Library Home Page. 

To Library Home Page - Text Version. 

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