Using the Web for Documentation?

[Lori Jones]

>Darmuit wrote:
>..."current" citation guides for APA...It has citation for electronic 
>material as (..condensation from a four page section):

>Author. Date. "Article Title" (if appropriate). Title of Work or Periodical.
>[On-Line]. ("pages", if appropriate). Available: (Specify Path)

Kat here. 

I work in the library at the Oklahoma School of Science and 
Mathematics (a residential high school for jrs and srs who have 
highly exceptional science and math skills).  We have a college level 
curriculum that includes large amounts of writing.  Until last 
year, our professors weren't allowing students to cite from the 
internet in any form.  However, this year they are beginning to 
allow these sources in limited areas.  Our faculty feels that, while 
some online info can be helpful and accurate, the majority is not  
easily verified for accuracy.  (In other words, a good article on the 
net should also state in which reputable publication it appears - or 
at the very least, from which publications the author derived his/her 
conclusions).  In short, the internet can be a good general starting 
point, but is no substitute for authoratative sources which can  
be traced to determine their credibility.  I guess my suggestion 
would have to be to limit the number of internet sources to only 
a few and back them up with other authoritative texts, journals, etc.

I'd like to agree with Darmuit's post that this appears to be the 
most current and acceptable method of documenting internet sources.
In fact, I was even going to suggest the same book that he mentioned.

>This is further fleshed out in Xia Li and Nancy Crane, _Electronic Style,
>a guide to citing electronic information_, Meckler, 1993.

Our head librarian recently spoke with the publisher of this book  
and found that it will be updated in the very near future to contain 
more current methods.  Given the current trend towards internet use 
in research, I'd have to guess that there will be many more materials
published on the subject.
 
In agreement with Sir Lionel's post on this subject I'd just like to add 
that the most current writing textbooks are now beginning to include 
methods of documenting internet sources.  Almost any of the *recent*
editions will offer something.
 
> I. Marc Carlson, Reference Librarian    |LIB_IMC at CENTUM.UTULSA.EDU
> Tulsa Community College, West Campus LRC|Sometimes known as:
> Reference Tech. McFarlin Library        | Diarmuit Ui Dhuinn 

- Kat

Lori Jones
Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics - Library
LJONES at ossm.edu

Disclaimer:  I don't claim to be a librarian of any kind.  Actually, 
I'm an animal biotechnology type person.  Those of you who are 
experienced at this kind of thing, please feel free to correct me.  I 
want to do this kind of citation correctly, too. :-)