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A. Homepages
B. Parts of Web Sites
The general format for a reference to a homepage, including punctuation:
Examples of Citations to Homepages
A homepage is the first or introductory page of a Web site (NISO Z39.29). It usually provides a table of contents or index to the contents of the site. Homepages are placed on the Internet by both organizations and individuals for purposes ranging from an effort to provide information about a government agency, a company, an association, or a specific subject, to a means of providing a forum for a personal point of view. Homepages vary greatly in size and complexity, reflecting the Web site which they introduce. A citation to a Web site is made primarily from the information found on a homepage.
The rules for citing homepages are similar to those for Internet books. Locate the author or organization with responsibility for the homepage, a title, a place of publication, a publisher, and a date of publication. Simply adding a Uniform Resource Locator (URL) or other electronic address to a title is not sufficient. Internet sites disappear with great frequency, and users of a citation must be given some other identifying information if they are to locate sites in the future.
Some elements, however, are more difficult to locate when citing homepages. For example, some poorly constructed sites do not contain dates, and authorship or publishing responsibility may be unclear or absent. The title may also be difficult to discern from a collage of graphics. The person doing the citing can only work with the information provided.
Some elements require expansion for an Internet citation to provide needed information. For example, the date of publication is required in a citation, but most homepages are updated or otherwise modified numerous times after the date of publication, i.e., the date the homepage was first placed on the Internet. The latest date of update/revision should therefore be included along with the date cited, i.e., the date the person doing the citing saw the homepage on the Internet. This is necessary in the volatile Internet environment, where changes can be easily made and a site seen one day may not be the same when viewed the next day. Producing a print or other copy of crucial pages for future reference is strongly recommended.
Note also that it is possible to have Web sites within Web sites. For example, the National Institute on Aging (NIA) is organizationally a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Each of these bodies has its own Web site with a homepage; the NIA site is not considered a part of the NIH site. Similarly, the PubMed database on the NLM site stands alone and is cited as a database, not a part of the NLM site. A URL only reflects server location and should not necessarily be used to indicate hierarchy or subordinate relationships for citation purposes. The basic rule is to cite the most specific identifiable site used.
To cite an entire Web site from the homepage, use the instructions below. To cite only one component of a Web site, such as a specific page or pages, first determine whether or not the component can stand alone and be cited separately. A book or other monograph, a journal, or a database on a Web site should be cited according to the instructions for the particular type of format. Cite a book on a Web site according to Chapter 22, a journal according to Chapter 23, and a database according to Chapter 24.
To use the NLM Web site as an example of components that can be cited separately:
A book and similar items on the NLM Web site:
Metagenomics: sequences from the environment [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US), National Center for Biomedical Information; 2006 [cited 2007 Apr 20]. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/bv.fcgi?rid=metagenomics.TOC
Fact sheet: AIDS information resources [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US); 2003 May 2 [updated 2007 Feb 20; cited 2007 Mar 26]. [about 3 screens]. Available from: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/factsheets/aidsinfs.html
An NLM database:
ChemIDplus Lite [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US), Specialized Information Services Division. [2003] - [cited 2007 Mar 26]. Available from: http://chem.sis.nlm.nih.gov/chemidplus/chemidlite.jsp
A publication produced by another organization that resides on the NLM site:
A.D.A.M. medical encyclopedia [Internet]. Atlanta: A.D.A.M., Inc.; c2005 [cited 2007 Mar 26]. Available from: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/encyclopedia.html
Cite components of Web sites that cannot stand alone according to Chapter 25B Parts of Web Sites. Examples of these include a disease page from the MedlinePlus site and a press release from the AMA site. Never cite as parts those components with authorship distinct from the authors of the site as a whole. If in doubt about the status of a component, cite it separately using the instructions in the appropriate chapter.
Continue to Citation Rules with Examples for Homepages.
Continue to Examples of Citations to Homepages.
Components/elements are listed in the order they should appear in a reference. An R after the component name means that it is required in the citation; an O after the name means it is optional.
Author (R) | Author Affiliation (O) | Title (R) | Content Type (O) | Type of Medium (R) | Edition (R) | Editor and other Secondary Authors (O) | Place of Publication (R) | Publisher (R) | Date of Publication (R) | Date of Update/Revision (R) | Date of Citation (R) | Availability (R) | Language (R) | Notes (O)
List names in the order they appear on the site
Enter surname (family or last name) first for each author
Capitalize surnames and enter spaces within surnames as they appear on the assumption that the author approved the form used. For example: Van Der Horn or van der Horn; De Wolf or de Wolf or DeWolf.
Convert given (first) names and middle names to initials for a maximum of two initials following each surname
Give all authors, regardless of the number
Separate author names from each other by a comma and a space
End author information with a period
See Editor and other Secondary Authors below if there are no authors but editors are named
Enter the affiliation of all authors or only the first author
Begin with the department and name of the institution, followed by city and state/Canadian province/country
Use commas to separate parts of the address
Place the address in parentheses, such as (Department of Psychology, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA)
Separate the affiliation from its author by a space
Follow the affiliation with a comma placed outside the parentheses, unless the affiliation is for the last author, then use a period
Reproduce the title of a homepage as closely as possible to the wording on the screen, duplicating capitalization, spacing, punctuation, and special characters when possible
Use a colon followed by a space to separate a title from a subtitle, unless another form of punctuation (such as a question mark, period, or an exclamation point) is already present
Follow non-English titles with a translation when possible; place the translation in square brackets
End a title with a space
Use a content type to tell the user the format of the Internet item being cited
Begin type information with a left square bracket
Enter the words "homepage on the"
End content type with space
Place the word Internet in square brackets following the title (and Content Type, if present)
End with a period placed outside the closing bracket
Add location information (URL, etc) according to the instructions under Availability below
Indicate the edition/version being cited after the Type of Medium (and Content Type, if present) when a homepage is published in more than one edition or version
Capitalize only the first word of the edition statement, proper nouns, and proper adjectives
Express numbers representing editions in arabic ordinals. For example: second becomes 2nd and III becomes 3rd.
End the edition statement with a period
A secondary author modifies the work of the author. Examples include editors, translators, producers, and illustrators.
Place the names of secondary authors after the Type of Medium and any Edition statement
Use the same rules for the format of names presented in Author above
Follow the last named editor with a comma and the word editor or editors; the last named illustrator with a comma and the word illustrator or illustrators, etc.
End secondary author information with a period
Place is defined as the city where the homepage is published
Follow US and Canadian cities with the two-letter abbreviation for the state or province to avoid confusion when citing lesser known cities or when cities in different locations have the same name, such as Palm Springs (CA) and Palm Springs (FL)
Follow cities in other countries with the name of the country, either written out or as the two-letter ISO country code (see Appendix D), when citing lesser known cities or when cities in different locations have the same name, such as Cambridge (MA) and Cambridge (England)
Use the anglicized form for a non-US city, such as Vienna for Wein
End place information with a colon
A publisher is defined as the individual or organization issuing the homepage
Record the name of the publisher as it appears on the homepage or opening screens, using whatever capitalization and punctuation is found there
Abbreviate well-known publisher names with caution to avoid confusion. For example, "John Wiley & Sons, Ltd." may become simply "Wiley"
When a division or other subsidiary part of a publisher appears in the publication, enter the publisher name first. For example: McGraw-Hill, Health Professions Division.
End publisher information with a semicolon
Use the date the homepage was first placed on the Internet
Always give the year
Convert roman numerals to arabic numbers. For example: MM to 2000.
Include the month, if desired, after the year, such as 2004 May
Use English names for months and abbreviate them using the first three letters, such as Jan
End date information with a space
Homepages are frequently updated or revised after publication dates or copyright dates
Begin update/revision information with a left square bracket
Use whatever word for update or revision is provided, such as updated, modified
Always give the year of update/revision
Convert roman numerals to arabic numbers. For example: MM to 2000.
Include the month and day of update/revision, if provided, after the year, such as 2006 May 5
Use English names for months and abbreviate them using the first three letters, such as Jan
End update/revision information with a semicolon and a space
Always include the date the homepage was seen on the Internet
Include the year month and day in that order, such as 2006 May 5
Use English names for months and abbreviate them using the first three letters, such as Jan
If a date of update/revision is given, place the date of citation after it and follow both dates with a right square bracket
If no date of update/revision is given, place citation date information in square brackets
End date information with a period placed outside the closing bracket
Begin with the phrase "Available from" followed by a colon and a space
Insert the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) in its entirety; do not omit http://, www, or other beginning components
End with a period only if the URL ends with a slash, otherwise end with no punctuation
Give the language of publication if not English
Capitalize the language name
Follow the language name with a period
Notes is a collective term for any useful information given after the citation itself
Complete sentences are not required
Be brief
Complementary/Integrative Medicine [Internet]. Houston: University of Texas, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center; c2007 [cited 2007 Feb 21]. Available from: http://www.mdanderson.org/departments/CIMER/.
AMA: helping doctors help patients [Internet]. Chicago: American Medical Association; c1995-2007 [cited 2007 Feb 22]. Available from: http://www.ama-assn.org/.
with optional content type
AMA: helping doctors help patients [homepage on the Internet]. Chicago: American Medical Association; c1995-2007 [cited 2007 Feb 22]. Available from: http://www.ama-assn.org/.
Hooper JF. Psychiatry & the Law: Forensic Psychiatric Resource Page [Internet]. Tuscaloosa (AL): University of Alabama, Department of Psychiatry and Neurology; 1999 Jan 1 [updated 2006 Jul 8; cited 2007 Feb 23]. Available from: http://bama.ua.edu/~jhooper/.
D'Alessandro DM, D'Alessandro MP. Virtual Pediatric Hospital™: a digital library of pediatric information [Internet]. [Iowa City (IA)]: Donna M. D'Alessandro; c1992-2007 [revised 2006 Jul 20; cited 2007 Feb 20]. Available from: http://www.virtualpediatrichospital.org/.
Huckstep RL, Sherry E. World Ortho [Internet]. [place unknown: publisher unknown]; [updated 2007 Mar 23; cited 2007 Mar 23]. Available from: http://www.worldortho.com/.
Fugh-Berman A. PharmedOUT [Internet]. Washington: Georgetown University, Department of Physiology and Biophysics; c2006 [cited 2007 Mar 23]. Available from: http://www.pharmedout.org/.
D'Alessandro, Donna M.; D'Alessandro, Michael P. Virtual Pediatric Hospital™: a digital library of pediatric information [Internet]. [Iowa City (IA)]: Donna M. D'Alessandro; c1992-2007 [revised 2006 Jul 20; cited 2007 Feb 20]. Available from: http://www.virtualpediatrichospital.org/.
Clutterbuck J, compiler. The Aspergillus nidulans Linkage Map [Internet]. Glasgow (Scotland): University of Glasgow, Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences, Division of Molecular Genetics; [updated 2006 Nov; cited 2007 Feb 21]. Available from: http://www.pharmedout.org/.
Gene Ontology Consortium. the Gene Ontology [Internet]. [place unknown]: the Gene Ontology; c1999-2007 [cited 2007 Feb 22]. Available from: http://www.geneontology.org/.
International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. Recommendations on Biochemical & Organic Nomenclature, Symbols & Terminology etc. [Internet]. London: University of London, Queen Mary, Department of Chemistry; [updated 2006 Jul 24; cited 2007 Feb 22]. Available from: http://www.chem.qmul.ac.uk/iubmb/.
Mesothelioma.com: the web's most trusted source on mesothelioma [Internet]. New York: Early, Ludwick, Sweeney & Strauss; c2005 [cited 2007 Feb 21]. Available from: http://www.mesothelioma.com/.
StatePublicHealth.org [Internet]. Washington: ASTHO; [cited 2007 Feb 23]. Available from: http://statepublichealth.org/.
Uijtdehaage S (David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA. bas@mednet.ucla.edu), Dennis S (Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT. sdennis@lib.med.utah.edu). HEAL: Health Education Assets Library [Internet]. Oakland (CA): Regents of the University of California; c2000-2005 [cited 2007 Feb 20]. Available from: http://www.healcentral.org/.
NursingWorld: Official Web site of the American Nurses Association [Internet]. Silver Spring (MD): American Nurses Association, Inc.; c2007 [updated 2007 Feb 20; cited 2007 Feb 20]. Available from: http://www.ana.org/.
Care2Learn.com: continuing education for healthcare [Internet]. Bradenton (FL): HealthNow, Inc.; [updated 2007 Feb 22; cited 2007 Feb 23]. Available from: http://care2learn.com/. System Requirements: Netscape Navigator 3.x or higher or Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.02 or higher.
growthhouse.org: improving care for the dying [Internet]. San Francisco: Growth House, Inc.; [cited 2007 Feb 20]. Available from: http://www.growthhouse.org/.
the American Academy of Pain Medicine: The Physician's Voice in Pain Medicine [Internet]. Glenview (IL): The Academy; c2007 [cited 2007 Feb 22]. Available from: http://www.painmed.org/.
familydoctor.org [Internet]. Leawood (KS): American Academy of Family Physicians; c2007 [cited 2007 Feb 20]. Available from: http://familydoctor.org/.
BIRDNET [Internet]. Washington: Ornithological Council; c1999-2006 [updated 2006 Dec 8; cited 2007 Feb 20]. Available from: http://www.nmnh.si.edu/BIRDNET/.
National Library for Health [Internet]. [London]: NHS; c2005 [cited 2007 Jun 11]. Available from: http://www.library.nhs.uk/.
E@UP: European Copyright Focal Point [Internet]. The Hague (Netherlands): EBLIDA Secretariat; c2000 [cited 2007 Feb 20]. Available from: http://www.eblida.org/ecup/.
OncoLink™: the Web's first cancer resource [Internet]. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, Abramson Cancer Center; c1994-2007 [cited 2007 Feb 20]. Available from: http://www.oncolink.com/.
MedConnect: an online resource for medical professionals [Internet]. Monmouth Junction (NJ): Medical Network Inc.; c1995-2006 [cited 2007 Mar 23]. Available from: http://www.medconnect.com/.
Chlamy Center: an Online Informatics Resource for Chlamydomonas [Internet]. Durham (NC): Duke University, Department of Biology; [modified 2007 Mar 8; cited 2007 Mar 22]. Available from: http://jupiter.biology.duke.edu/.
Shape Up America! [Internet]. Clyde Park (MT): Shape Up America!; c2005-2006 [cited 2007 Feb 23]. Available from: http://www.shapeup.org/.
Societe Francaise de Mycologie Medicale [Internet]. Paris: The Society; [cited 2007 Feb 22]. Available from: http://mycolmed.chez-alice.fr/. French.
Senovida [Internet]. [place unknown]: Sociedad Ecuatoriana de Oncologia; [cited 2007 Feb 22]. Available from: http://www.senovida.org/. Spanish.
Max-Planck-Institut fur Experimentelle Medizin [Internet]. Gottingen (Germany): Max-Planck-Gesellschaft; c2006 [cited 2007 Mar 23]. Available from: http://www.em.mpg.de/site/. German.
MedlinePlus®: Informacion de Salud para Usted [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US); [updated 2007 Feb 20; cited 2007 Feb 21]. Available from: http://medlineplus.gov/spanish/. Spanish.
with translation included
Senovida [Breast life] [Internet]. [place unknown]: Sociedad Ecuatoriana de Oncologia; [cited 2007 Feb 22]. Available from: http://www.senovida.org/. Spanish.
Societe Francaise de Mycologie Medicale [French Society of Medical Mycology] [Internet]. Paris: The Society; [cited 2007 Feb 22]. Available from: http://mycolmed.chez-alice.fr/. French.
Health Canada = Sante Canada [Internet]. Ottawa (ON): Health Canada; [updated 2007 Feb 8; cited 2007 Feb 20]. Available from: http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/. English, French.
Mange Bien, Mange Saintaire = Eat Well, Eat Safe [Internet]. [Guelph (ON)]: Doug Powell; c2003-2007 [cited 2007 Feb 22]. Available from: http://www.eatwelleatsafe.ca/frfiles/frindex.htm French, English.
The Virtual Body = El Cuerpo Virtual [Internet]. [place unknown]: HCA; c2001 [cited 2007 Feb 22]. Available from: http://www.medtropolis.com/vbody.asp English, Spanish.
National Jewish Medical and Research Center [homepage on the Internet]. Denver: The Center; c2007 [cited 2007 Feb 22]. Available from: http://www.njc.org/.
Doctor's Guide [Internet]. Global ed. [place unknown]: Doctor's Guide Publishing Limited; c1995-2007 [updated 2007 Feb 21; cited 2007 Feb 21]. Available from: http://www.cancerguide.org/.
Alternative Nature Online Herbal [Internet]. Bergeron K, editor. Erin (TN): Alternative Nature; 1997 [cited 2007 Mar 23]. Available from: http://altnature.com/.
PedsCCM.org: The Pediatric Critical Care Website [Internet]. Markovitz B, Weigle C, Pon S, editors. [place unknown]: PedsCCM; 1995 [updated 2007 Mar 9; cited 2007 Mar 22]. Available from: http://pedsccm.org/.
OncoLink™: the Web's first cancer resource [Internet]. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, Abramson Cancer Center; c1994-2007 [cited 2007 Feb 20]. Available from: http://www.oncolink.com/.
Psychology in the News [Internet]. Washington: American Psychological Association; c2007 [cited 2007 Feb 20]. Available from: http://psycport.apa.org/.
HDCN: Hypertension, Dialysis & Clinical Nephrology [Internet]. Hinsdale (IL): Medtext, Inc.; c1995-2006 [cited 2007 Feb 20]. Available from: http://www.medtext.com/hdcn.htm
Max-Planck-Institut fur Experimentelle Medizin [Internet]. Gottingen (Germany): Max-Planck-Gesellschaft; c2006 [cited 2007 Mar 23]. Available from: http://www.em.mpg.de/site/. German.
National Library for Health [Internet]. [London]: NHS; c2005 [cited 2007 Jun 11]. Available from: http://www.library.nhs.uk/.
D'Alessandro DM, D'Alessandro MP. Virtual Pediatric Hospital™: a digital library of pediatric information [Internet]. [Iowa City (IA)]: Donna M. D'Alessandro; c1992-2007 [revised 2006 Jul 20; cited 2007 Feb 20]. Available from: http://www.virtualpediatrichospital.org/.
Dunn S. The CancerGuide Page [Internet]. [place unknown]: Steve Dunn; c1995-2004 [updated 2004 Aug 9; cited 2007 Feb 20]. Available from: http://www.cancerguide.org/.
Doctor's Guide [Internet]. Global ed. [place unknown]: Doctor's Guide Publishing Limited; c1995-2007 [updated 2007 Feb 21; cited 2007 Feb 21]. Available from: http://www.cancerguide.org/.
Huckstep RL, Sherry E. World Ortho [Internet]. [place unknown: publisher unknown]; [updated 2007 Mar 23; cited 2007 Mar 23]. Available from: http://www.worldortho.com/.
OncoLink™: the Web's first cancer resource [Internet]. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, Abramson Cancer Center; c1994-2007 [cited 2007 Feb 20]. Available from: http://www.oncolink.com/.
National Center for Infectious Diseases [Internet]. Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US); [reviewed 2007 Feb 15; cited 2007 Feb 20]. Available from: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/index.htm
Healthy People [Internet]. Rockville (MD): Department of Health and Human Services (US), Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion; [cited 2007 Feb 23]. Available from: http://www.healthypeople.gov/.
PhysOrg.com [Internet]. [place unknown]: PhysOrg.com; c2003 [cited 2007 Feb 22]. Available from: http://www.physorg.com
cancerbackup: informing, understanding, supporting [Internet]. London: Cancerbackup; c2003 [cited 2007 Feb 22]. Available from: http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk/.
United States National Library of Medicine [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): The Library; 1993 Oct 10 [updated 2007 Feb 20; cited 2007 Feb 21]. Available from: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/.
Johns Hopkins University [Internet]. Baltimore (MD): The University; [cited 2007 Feb 20]. Available from: http://www.jhu.edu/.
International HIV/AIDS Alliance [Internet]. Brighton (UK): The Alliance; [cited 2007 Feb 20]. Available from: http://www.aidsalliance.org/.
The Kennedy Institute of Ethics [Internet]. Washington: The Institute; [updated 2007 Mar 16; cited 2007 Mar 22]. Available from: http://kennedyinstitute.georgetown.edu/.
Double D. Critical Psychiatry Website [Internet]. Norwich (UK): Duncan Double; [cited 2007 Feb 23]. Available from: http://www.critpsynet.freeuk.com/antipsychiatry.htm
Uijtdehaage S, Dennis S. HEAL: Health Education Assets Library [Internet]. Oakland (CA): Regents of the University of California; c2000-2005 [cited 2007 Feb 20]. Available from: http://www.healcentral.org/. Joint publication with the University of Utah and the University of Oklahoma.
Hooper JF. Psychiatry & the Law: Forensic Psychiatric Resource Page [Internet]. Tuscaloosa (AL): University of Alabama, Department of Psychiatry and Neurology; 1999 Jan 1 [updated 2006 Jul 8; cited 2007 Feb 23]. Available from: http://bama.ua.edu/~jhooper/. Jointly published by the University of Alabama School of Law and the Alabama Department of Mental Health & Mental Retardation.
Huckstep RL, Sherry E. World Ortho [Internet]. [place unknown: publisher unknown]; [updated 2007 Mar 23; cited 2007 Mar 23]. Available from: http://www.worldortho.com/.
Hooper JF. Psychiatry & the Law: Forensic Psychiatric Resource Page [Internet]. Tuscaloosa (AL): University of Alabama, Department of Psychiatry and Neurology; 1999 Jan 1 [updated 2006 Jul 8; cited 2007 Feb 23]. Available from: http://bama.ua.edu/~jhooper/.
E@UP: European Copyright Focal Point [Internet]. The Hague (Netherlands): EBLIDA Secretariat; c2000 [cited 2007 Feb 20]. Available from: http://www.eblida.org/ecup/.
enc: egg nutrition center [Internet]. Washington: The Center; c2004 [cited 2007 Feb 23]. Available from: http://www.enc-online.org/.
APSnet: Plant Pathology Online [Internet]. St Paul (MN): American Phytopathological Association; c1994-2006 [cited 2006 Dec 4]. Available from: http://www.apsnet.org/.
Lab Tests Online® [Internet]. Washington: American Association for Clinical Chemistry; c2001-2007 [cited 2007 Feb 23]. Available from: http://www.labtestsonline.org/index.html
United States National Library of Medicine [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): The Library; 1993 Oct 10 [updated 2007 Mar 22; cited 2007 Mar 23]. Available from: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/.
NursingWorld: Official Web site of the American Nurses Association [Internet]. Silver Spring (MD): American Nurses Association, Inc.; c2007 [updated 2007 Feb 20; cited 2007 Feb 20]. Available from: http://www.ana.org/.
D'Alessandro DM, D'Alessandro MP. Virtual Pediatric Hospital™: a digital library of pediatric information [Internet]. [Iowa City (IA)]: Donna M. D'Alessandro; c1992-2007 [revised 2006 Jul 20; cited 2007 Feb 20]. Available from: http://www.virtualpediatrichospital.org/.
Food and Nutrition Information Center [Internet]. Beltsville (MD): National Agricultural Library (US); [modified 2007 Jan 30; cited 2007 Feb 20]. Available from: http://grande.nal.usda.gov/nal_display/index.php?tax_level=1&info_center=4
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): The Institute; [updated 2007 Mar 23; modified 2007 Mar 26; cited 2007 Mar 27]. Available from: http://www3.niaid.nih.gov/.
EPERC: End of Life / Palliative Education Resource Center [Internet]. Milwaukee (WI): Medical College of Wisconsin; [updated 2007 Feb; cited 2007 Feb 21]. Available from: http://www.eperc.mcw.edu/.
growthhouse.org: improving care for the dying [Internet]. San Francisco: Growth House, Inc.; [cited 2007 Feb 20]. Available from: http://www.growthhouse.org/.
Neonatology on the Web [Internet]. [place unknown]: Neonatology on the Web; 1995 Aug 1 [updated 2006 Dec 22; cited 2007 Mar 23]. Available from: http://www.neonatology.org/ ; www.neonatology.net ; www.neonatology.com
Care2Learn.com: continuing education for healthcare [Internet]. Bradenton (FL): HealthNow, Inc.; [updated 2007 Feb 22; cited 2007 Feb 23]. Available from: http://care2learn.com/. System Requirements: Netscape Navigator 3.x or higher or Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.02 or higher.
PHA: Pulmonary Hypertension Association [Internet]. Silver Spring (MD): The Association; c2007 [cited 2007 Feb 22]. Available from: http://www.phassociation.org/. System Requirements: PC Windows running Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher or Macintosh Internet Explorer 5.2 or higher; Macromedia Flash Player; Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.0 or higher.
Neonatology on the Web [Internet]. [place unknown]: Neonatology on the Web; 1995 Aug 1 [updated 2006 Dec 22; cited 2007 Mar 23]. Available from: http://www.neonatology.org/. Ray Duncan, Web master.
Uijtdehaage S, Dennis S. HEAL: Health Education Assets Library [Internet]. Oakland (CA): Regents of the University of California; c2000-2005 [cited 2007 Feb 20]. Available from: http://www.healcentral.org/. This project made possible by grants from the National Science Foundation, DUE-0085660 and DUE-0226314, and from the National Library of Medicine, 1 G08 LM007877-01 and 1 G08 LM008054-01.
Complementary/Integrative Medicine [Internet]. Houston: University of Texas, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center; c2007 [cited 2007 Feb 21]. Available from: http://www.mdanderson.org/departments/CIMER/. Some content available in Spanish and Chinese.
StatePublicHealth.org [Internet]. Washington: ASTHO; [cited 2007 Feb 23]. Available from: http://statepublichealth.org/. Sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, National Governors Association, and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
The general format for a reference to part of a Web site, including punctuation:
Examples of Citations to Parts of Web Sites
To cite an entire Web site from the homepage, use the instructions in Chapter 25A. To cite only one component of a Web site, such as a specific page or pages, first determine whether or not the component can stand alone and be cited separately. A book or other monograph, a journal, or a database on a Web site should be cited according to the instructions for the particular type of format. Cite a book on a Web site according to Chapter 22, a journal according to Chapter 23, and a database according to Chapter 24.
To use the NLM Web site as an example of components that can be cited separately:
A book and similar items on the NLM Web site:
Metagenomics: sequences from the environment [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US), National Center for Biomedical Information; 2006 [cited 2007 Apr 20]. Available from: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/bv.fcgi?rid=metagenomics.TOC
Fact sheet: AIDS information resources [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US); 2003 May 2 [updated 2007 Feb 20; cited 2007 Mar 26]. [about 3 screens]. Available from: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/factsheets/aidsinfs.html
An NLM database:
ChemIDplus Lite [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US), Specialized Information Services Division. [2003] - [cited 2007 Mar 26]. Available from: http://chem.sis.nlm.nih.gov/chemidplus/chemidlite.jsp
A publication produced by another organization that resides on the NLM site:
A.D.A.M. medical encyclopedia [Internet]. Atlanta: A.D.A.M., Inc.; c2005 [cited 2007 Mar 26]. Available from: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/encyclopedia.html
Components of Web sites that cannot stand alone should be cited according to the instructions presented here. Examples include a disease page from the MedlinePlus site and a press release from the AMA site. Never cite as parts components with authorship distinct from the authors of the site as a whole. Also, be sure that the part is to the Web site as a whole and not to a book or other separately citable component on a site. If in doubt about the status of a component, cite it separately using the instructions in the appropriate chapter.
Note also that it is possible to have Web sites within Web sites. For example, the National Institute on Aging (NIA) is organizationally a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Each of these bodies has its own Web site with a homepage; the NIA site is not considered a part of the NIH site. Similarly, the PubMed database on the NLM site stands alone and is cited as a database, not a part of the NLM site. A URL in reality only reflects server location and should not necessarily be used to indicate hierarchy or subordinate relationships for citation purposes. The basic rule is to cite the most specific identifiable site used.
Because a reference should start with the individual or organization with responsibility for the intellectual content of the publication, begin a reference to a part of a Web site with information about the entire site; follow it with the information about the part.
When citing a part of a print book, the location (pagination) of the part is shown as the numbers of the pages on which the part resides, such as p. 34-6. When citing a part of a Web site, unless the part is in PDF (Portable Document Format), standard page numbers are not available. For non-PDF parts:
Give location as the total extent of the part.
Calculate extent by the best means possible, in terms of the number of print pages, screens, paragraphs, or bytes, and place the total in square brackets. Screen size, font used, and printers vary greatly, but the purpose is to give an indication of the length of the part.
Use the word "about" before the length indicator when the number is calculated.
Web sites frequently contain charts, figures, and other illustrative material reproduced with permission from other sources. Do not cite these as parts using these instructions. Consult the original publication and cite the particular item from there.
Continue to Citation Rules with Examples for Parts of Web Sites.
Continue to Examples of Citations to Parts of Web Sites.
Components/elements are listed in the order they should appear in a reference. An R after the component name means that it is required in the citation; an O after the name means it is optional.
Homepage (R) | Title (R) | Date of Publication (R) | Date of Update/Revision (R) | Date of Citation (R) | Location (Pagination) (R) | Availability (R) | Language (R) | Notes (O)
Cite the homepage according to Chapter 25A Homepages but omit the Date of Citation (unless there is no Date of Publication or Date of Update/Revision) and the Availability (URL)
Enter the title of the part as it appears on the Web site
Capitalize only the first word of a title, proper nouns, proper adjectives, acronyms, and initialisms
Use a colon followed by a space to separate a title from a subtitle unless some other form of punctuation (such as a question mark, period, or an exclamation point) is already present
Follow non-English titles with a translation whenever possible; place the translation in square brackets
End title information with a semicolon and a space
Include if the date differs from the date of the Web site as it appears on the homepage
Always give the year
Convert roman numerals to arabic numbers. For example: MM to 2000.
Include the month, if desired, after the year, such as 2004 May
Use English names for months and abbreviate them using the first three letters, such as Jan
End date information with a space
Parts of Web sites may be updated or revised after initial publication
Begin update/revision information with a left square bracket
Use whatever word for update or revision is provided, such as updated and modified
Always give the year of update/revision
Convert roman numerals to arabic numbers. For example: MM to 2000.
Include the month and day of update/revision, if provided, after the year, such as 2006 May 5
Use English names for months and abbreviate them using the first three letters, such as Jan
End update/revision information with a semicolon and a space
Always include the date the part of a Web site was seen on the Internet
Include the year month and day in that order, such as 2006 May 5
Use English names for months and abbreviate them using the first three letters, such as Jan
If a date of update/revision is given, place the date of citation after it and follow both dates with a right square bracket
If no date of update/revision is given, place citation date information in square brackets
End date information with a semicolon placed outside the closing bracket
For parts with standard page numbers such as those in PDF:
Begin location with "p." followed by a space
Enter the page number or numbers on which the part appears. Examples: p. 438 and p. 663-4.
Do not repeat page numbers unless they are followed by a letter. For example: 126-127 becomes p. 126-7, but p. 126A-127A is correct.
Include a letter (often S for Supplement or A for Appendix) when it precedes the page number. For example: p. S10-8.
End location with a period
For parts without page numbers:
Give location as the total number of screens, paragraphs, lines, or bytes of the part, whichever is most practical; precede the total with the word about and place it in square brackets, as [about 15 screens]
If the part is printed out, precede the page total with the word about and place it in square brackets, as [about 10 p.]
End location information with a period placed outside the closing bracket
10. Part of a Web site with traditional page numbers for location (pagination)
11. Part of a Web site with location (pagination) estimated as page numbers
12. Part of a Web site with location (pagination) estimated as number of screens
13. Part of a Web site with location (pagination) shown as number of paragraphs
14. Part of a Web site with location (pagination) shown as number of bytes
15. Part of a Web site with hyperlinks so location (pagination) cannot be provided
Begin with the phrase "Available from" followed by a colon and a space
Insert the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) for the part in its entirety; do not omit http://, www, or other beginning components
Use the URL for the homepage if the part does not have its own URL; check HTML file properties to be sure
End with a period only if the URL ends with a slash, otherwise end with no punctuation
Give the language of publication if not English
Capitalize the language name
Follow the language name with a period
Notes is a collective term for any useful information given after the citation itself
Complete sentences are not required
Be brief
AMA: helping doctors help patients [Internet]. Chicago: American Medical Association; c1995-2007. AMA launches exclusive partnership with the ReachMD Channel for medical professionals; 2007 Mar 26 [cited 2007 Mar 28]; [about 2 screens]. Available from: http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/17469.html
Chlamy Center: an Online Informatics Resource for Chlamydomonas [Internet]. Durham (NC): Duke University, Department of Biology; [modified 2007 Mar 8]. Core collections; [modified 2006 Jan 25; cited 2007 Mar 27]; [about 3 screens]. Available from: http://jupiter.biology.duke.edu/strains.html
U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. Index to drug-specific information [Internet]. Silver Spring (MD): U.S. Food and Drug Administration; [updated 2009 Jun 4]. : Sleep disorder (sedative-hypnotic) drug information; [updated 2009 May 21; cited 2009 Jun 10]; [about 2 screens]. Available from: http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/DrugSafety/PostmarketDrugSafetyInformationforPatientsandProviders/ucm101557.htm
Health Canada = Sante Canada [Internet]. Ottawa (ON): Health Canada; [updated 2007 Mar 28]. Information update 2007-31, Health Canada's revised assessment of mercury in fish enhances protection while reflecting advice in Canada's Food Guide = Mise a jour 2007-31, Les normes revisees de Sante Canada sur le mercure dans le poisson assurent une meilleure protection et refletent les conseils du Guide alimentaire canadien; 2007 Mar 28 [cited 2007 Mar 29]; [about 3 screens]. Available from: http://hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/media/advisories-avis/2007/2007_31_e.html ; http://hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/media/advisories-avis/2007/2007_31_f.html English, French.
Max-Planck-Institut fur Experimentelle Medizin [Internet]. Gottingen (Germany): Max-Planck-Gesellschaft; c2006. Presseinformation 2006 (159), Wenn Nervenzellen kontaktscheu sind; 2006 Sep 21 [cited 2007 Mar 28]; [174 KB]. Available from: http://www.mpg.de/bilderBerichteDokumente/dokumentation/
pressemitteilungen/2006/pressemitteilung20060920/. German.
fruits & veggies - more matters™ [Internet]. [place unknown]: Produce for Better Health Foundation; c2007. [Chart], Ways to get more; [cited 2007 Mar 27]; [about 3 screens]. Available from: http://www.fruitsandveggiesmorematters.org/?page_id=113&iCat=22
NIAAA: National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism of the National Institutes of Health [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): The Institute; 2004 Jun 10 [modified 2007 Feb 28]. [Table], Percent who drink beverage alcohol, by gender, 1939-2003; [updated 2004 Mar; cited 2007 Mar 28]; [about 2 screens]. Available from: http://www.niaaa.nih.gov/Resources/DatabaseResources/QuickFacts/
AlcoholConsumption/PercentAlcoholGender.htm
NIH SeniorHealth [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Institute on Aging (US); 2002 Mar 19 [reviewed 2007 Feb 16]. [Video], Diagnosing Alzheimer's disease; 2002 Mar 19 [reviewed 2007 Mar 12; cited 2007 Mar 28]; [2 min., 31 sec.]. Available from: http://nihseniorhealth.gov/alzheimersdisease/symptoms/08.html
NCAM: National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): The Center; [modified 2007 Mar 22]. What is CAM?; [modified 2007 Feb 12; cited 2007 Mar 29]; [about 5 p.]. Available from: http://nccam.nih.gov/health/whatiscam/.
Senovida [Internet]. [place unknown]: Sociedad Ecuatoriana de Oncologia; [cited 2007 Feb 22]. Que tipos de cancer de mama hay?; [cited 2007 Mar 28]; [about 1 screen]. Available from: http://www.senovida.org/site/info_general/info_02.htm Spanish.
Senovida [Internet]. [place unknown]: Sociedad Ecuatoriana de Oncologia; [cited 2007 Feb 22]. Que tipos de cancer de mama hay?; [cited 2007 Mar 28]; [about 1 screen]. Available from: http://www.senovida.org/site/info_general/info_02.htm Spanish.
Max-Planck-Institut fur Experimentelle Medizin [Internet]. Gottingen (Germany): Max-Planck-Gesellschaft; c2006. Presseinformation 2006 (159), Wenn Nervenzellen kontaktscheu sind; 2006 Sep 21 [cited 2007 Mar 28]; [174 KB]. Available from: http://www.mpg.de/bilderBerichteDokumente/dokumentation/
pressemitteilungen/2006/pressemitteilung20060920/. German.
with translation
Senovida [Breast life] [Internet]. [place unknown]: Sociedad Ecuatoriana de Oncologia; [cited 2007 Feb 22]. Que tipos de cancer de mama hay? [What types of breast cancer are there?]; [cited 2007 Mar 28]; [about 1 screen]. Available from: http://www.senovida.org/site/info_general/info_02.htm Spanish.
Max-Planck-Institut fur Experimentelle Medizin [Internet]. Gottingen (Germany): Max-Planck-Gesellschaft; c2006. Presseinformation 2006 (159), Wenn Nervenzellen kontaktscheu sind [Press release 2006 (159), When nerve cells can't make contact]; 2006 Sep 21 [cited 2007 Mar 28]; [174 KB]. Available from: http://www.mpg.de/bilderBerichteDokumente/dokumentation/
pressemitteilungen/2006/pressemitteilung20060920/. German.
Health Canada = Sante Canada [Internet]. Ottawa (ON): Health Canada; [updated 2007 Mar 28]. Information update 2007-31, Health Canada's revised assessment of mercury in fish enhances protection while reflecting advice in Canada's Food Guide = Mise a jour 2007-31, Les normes revisees de Sante Canada sur le mercure dans le poisson assurent une meilleure protection et refletent les conseils du Guide alimentaire canadien; 2007 Mar 28 [cited 2007 Mar 29]; [about 3 screens]. Available from: http://hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/media/advisories-avis/2007/2007_31_e.html ; http://hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/media/advisories-avis/2007/2007_31_f.html English, French.
Neonatology on the Web [Internet]. [place unknown]: Neonatology on the Web; 1995 Aug 1 [updated 2007 Mar 25]. Clinical resources for neonatology and perinatology: information about sick newborns for professionals and families; 1995 Oct 31 [modified 2006 Jul 1; cited 2007 Mar 27]. Available from: http://www.neonatology.org/neo.clinical.html
AMA: helping doctors help patients [Internet]. Chicago: American Medical Association; c1995-2007. AMA launches exclusive partnership with the ReachMD Channel for medical professionals; 2007 Mar 26 [cited 2007 Mar 28]; [about 2 screens]. Available from: http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/17469.html
StatePublicHealth.org [Internet]. Washington: ASTHO; [cited 2007 Mar 27]. Hurricanes and your health; 2005 Fall [cited 2007 Mar 27]; [about 2 screens]. Available from: http://statepublichealth.org/?template=view_story.php&fs_id=20
Chlamy Center: an Online Informatics Resource for Chlamydomonas [Internet]. Durham (NC): Duke University, Department of Biology; [modified 2007 Mar 8]. Core collections; [modified 2006 Jan 25; cited 2007 Mar 27]; [about 3 screens]. Available from: http://jupiter.biology.duke.edu/strains.html
AMA: helping doctors help patients [Internet]. Chicago: American Medical Association; c1995-2007. Medical liability crisis map; [updated 2006 Dec 20; cited 2007 Mar 28]. [about 2 screens]. Available from: http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/noindex/category/11871.html
Lab Tests Online® [Internet]. Washington: American Association for Clinical Chemistry; c2001-2007. ACT; [reviewed 2004 Dec 7; cited 2007 Mar 27]; [about 8 screens]. Available from: http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/act/glance.html
cancerbackup: informing, understanding, supporting [Internet]. London: Cancerbackup; c2003. Treating ovarian cancer with chemotherapy; [reviewed 2006 Jul 1; modified 2006 Aug 31; cited 2007 Feb 21]; [about 4 screens]. Available from: http://www.cancerbackup.org.uk/Cancertype/Ovary/Treatment/Chemotherapy
Complementary/Integrative Medicine [Internet]. Houston: University of Texas, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center; c2007. Bladder cancer; [cited 2007 Mar 27]. Available from: http://www.mdanderson.org/diseases/bladder/.
the American Academy of Pain Medicine: The Physician's Voice in Pain Medicine [Internet]. Glenview (IL): The Academy; c2007. Consent for chronic opioid therapy; 1999 [cited 2007 Feb 21]; [2 p.]. Available from: http://www.painmed.org/productpub/statements/pdfs/opioid_consent_form.pdf
NCAM: National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): The Center; [modified 2007 Mar 22]. What is CAM?; [modified 2007 Feb 12; cited 2007 Mar 29]; [about 5 p.]. Available from: http://nccam.nih.gov/health/whatiscam/.
NursingWorld: Official Web site of the American Nurses Association [Internet]. Silver Spring (MD): American Nurses Association, Inc.; c2007. American Nurse Today; [cited 2007 Mar 27]; [about 3 screens]. Available from: http://www.ana.org/anajournal/.
Lab Tests Online® [Internet]. Washington: American Association for Clinical Chemistry; c2001-2007. ACT; [reviewed 2004 Dec 7; cited 2007 Mar 27]; [about 8 screens]. Available from: http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/act/glance.html
AAMC: Association of American Medical Colleges [Internet]. Washington: The Association; c1995-2007. Press release, U.S. medical school enrollment projected to increase by 17 percent; 2007 Feb 12 [cited 2007 Mar 28]; [about 2 screens]. Available from: http://www.aamc.org/newsroom/pressrel/2007/070212.htm
Complementary/Integrative Medicine [Internet]. Houston: University of Texas, M. D. Anderson Cancer Center; c2007. Energy therapies; [cited 2007 Feb 21]; [3 paragraphs]. Available from: http://www.mdanderson.org/departments/cimer/dIndex.cfm?pn=7B632E4A-56B2-11D5-812100508B603A14
Max-Planck-Institut fur Experimentelle Medizin [Internet]. Gottingen (Germany): Max-Planck-Gesellschaft; c2006. Presseinformation 2006 (159), Wenn Nervenzellen kontaktscheu sind; 2006 Sep 21 [cited 2007 Mar 28]; [174 KB]. Available from: http://www.mpg.de/bilderBerichteDokumente/dokumentation/
pressemitteilungen/2006/pressemitteilung20060920/. German.
MedlinePlus: Trusted Health Information for You [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Library of Medicine (US); [updated 2007 Mar 26]. E. coli infections; [reviewed 2007 Feb 12; updated 2007 Mar 26; cited 2007 Mar 28]. Available from: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ecoliinfections.html
NHS in England [Internet]. London: NHS Connecting for Health; [updated 2007 Mar 27]. History of the NHS; [cited 2007 Mar 28]. Available from: http://www.nhs.uk/england/aboutTheNHS/history/default.cmsx
OncoLink™: the Web's first cancer resource [Internet]. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, Abramson Cancer Center; c1994-2007. Caregivers; [cited 2007 Feb 20]. Available from: http://www.oncolink.com/coping/coping.cfm?c=1
BIRDNET [Internet]. Washington: Ornithological Council; c1997-2006 [updated 2007 Mar 19]. Avian influenza; [updated 2005 Dec 30; cited 2007 Mar 28]. Available from: http://www.nmnh.si.edu/BIRDNET/OC/avianinfluenza.html
NIH SeniorHealth [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Institute on Aging (US); 2002 Mar 19 [reviewed 2007 Feb 16]. [Video], Diagnosing Alzheimer's disease; 2002 Mar 19 [reviewed 2007 Mar 12; cited 2007 Mar 28]; [2 min., 31 sec.]. Available from: http://nihseniorhealth.gov/alzheimersdisease/symptoms/08.html
The Virtual Body = El Cuerpo Virtual [Internet]. [place unknown]: HCA; c2001. [Video], Animated heart; [cited 2007 Feb 21]; [about 5 sec.]. Available from: http://www.medtropolis.com/vbody.asp by selecting heart from the menu. English, Spanish.
The Virtual Body = El Cuerpo Virtual [Internet]. [place unknown]: HCA; c2001. [Video], Animated heart; [cited 2007 Feb 21]; [about 5 sec.]. Available from: http://www.medtropolis.com/vbody.asp by selecting heart from the menu. English, Spanish.
Health Canada = Sante Canada [Internet]. Ottawa (ON): Health Canada; [updated 2007 Mar 28]. Information update 2007-31, Health Canada's revised assessment of mercury in fish enhances protection while reflecting advice in Canada's Food Guide = Mise a jour 2007-31, Les normes revisees de Sante Canada sur le mercure dans le poisson assurent une meilleure protection et refletent les conseils du Guide alimentaire canadien; 2007 Mar 28 [cited 2007 Mar 29]; [about 3 screens]. Available from: http://hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/media/advisories-avis/2007/2007_31_e.html ; http://hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/media/advisories-avis/2007/2007_31_f.html English, French.
NIH SeniorHealth [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Institute on Aging (US); 2002 Mar 19 [reviewed 2007 Feb 16]. [Video], Diagnosing Alzheimer's disease; 2002 Mar 19 [reviewed 2007 Mar 12; cited 2007 Mar 28]; [2 min., 31 sec.]. Available from: http://nihseniorhealth.gov/alzheimersdisease/symptoms/08.html System Requirements: Windows Media Player for PC or QuickTime Player for MAC.
The American Academy of Pain Medicine: the Physician's Voice in Pain Medicine [Internet]. Glenview (IL): The Academy; c2007. Consent for chronic opioid therapy; 1999 [cited 2007 Feb 21]; [2 p.]. Available from: http://www.painmed.org/productpub/statements/pdfs/opioid_consent_form.pdf Approved by the AAPM Executive Committee on January 14, 1999.
StatePublicHealth.org [Internet]. Washington: ASTHO; [cited 2007 Mar 27]. Hurricanes and your health; 2005 Fall [cited 2007 Mar 27]; [about 2 screens]. Available from: http://statepublichealth.org/?template=view_story.php&fs_id=20 Sponsored by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, National Governors Association, and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials.
