The World Wide Web (WWW) is a way to find multimedia information on computers called servers, on the Internet. Files found on the WWW should be acknowledged and cited like any other information. Sometimes information is available in paper (eg. magazine article) and also on the WWW. Always cite the version you used as there is no guarantee that they are exactly the same.

Included here are MLA citation exemplars for the files found on the WWW. As electronic publishing is quickly growing and changing, the recommendations on citation format are also developing. These examples are based on the original MLA format guides and articles published on this topic. The basic forms mirror the analogous print resources (articles, books) but should include the publication medium (WWW address), the date you found it.

One important difference in citing WWW sources is that page numbers are not used in the body of a paper.  Electronic articles are one file and therefore one page.  Links to additional files are also each just one page.  If the article is also in print form and a starting page number  or inclusive page numbersis are used in a periodical index or on a webpage, that page number(s) is part of the citation on your literature cited page but not used in the body of your paper.

Electronically stored information is mutable. It is also ephemeral and may be here today and gone tomorrow, or it may move to another server at a new location. Take care to get the complete information needed for your citation. It may be several different files such as the journal title page and the article itself which may have several files.

Individual Electronic Work without author
Title of ElectronicWork.  Date of access. < www address.>. 
Example:
Latin Phrases and Words Used in English. 10 December 1999.
     <http://depthome.brooklyn.cuny.edu/classics/englatin.htm>

Individual Electronic Work with author
Author. Title of ElectronicWork.  Date of access. < www address.>. 
Example:
Beard, Robert. A Web on On-line Dictionaries. 10 December 1999.
         <http://www.facstaff.bucknell.edu/rbeard/diction.html>

Part of a Work  (eg. online encyclopedia)
Author (if given). "Title of Part." Title of ElectronicWork.   Date of access. <www address>.
Example:
"Mutable". Hypertext WebsterInterface. 16 January 1996.
         <http://c.gp.cs.cmu.edu:5103/prog/webster?mut able.>.

Journal Article from a full-text database service
Author (if given). "Article Title." JournalTitle, Volume. Issue (Year). Name of Database. Name of Service. Library where you read/printed the information, Location. Date of access. < www address>.
Example:
Steele, Kenneth M., Karen E. Bass and Melissa D. Crook. "The Mystery of the
        Mozart Effect: Failure to Replicate."   Psychological Science, 10. 4 (1999).
        Expanded Academic Index ASAP. InfoTrac Web. Busse Library, Cedar Rapids.
        20 Sept. 1999  < http://web7.infotrac.galegroup.com/itw/infomark/>.

Journal Article from the publishers website
Author (if given). "Article Title." JournalTitle, Volume. Issue (Year).  Date of access. < www address>.
Example:
Hart, William B. "The Intercultural Sojourn as the Hero's Journey," The Edge: The E-Journal
        of Intercultural Relations. 2.1(1998). 10 December 1999
        <http://kumo.swcp.com/biz/theedge/hero.htm/>

Magazine Article from a fulltext database service
Author. "Article Title." Magazine Title. Date of publication. Name of Database. Name of Service. Library, Location. Date of access. <www address>.
Example:
Grochow, Jerrold M. "Productivity and the IT personnel shortage." PC Week. 23 August 1999.
        Expanded Academic Universe ASAP. InfoTrac Web. Busse Library, Cedar Rapids. 
        8 September 1999. <http://web6.infotrac.galegroup.com/itw/infomark/>

Magazine Article from a publisher's website
Author. "Article Title." Magazine Title. Date of publication. Date of access. <www address>.
Example:
Reaves, Jessica. "Anti-Frankenfood Forces Try a New Tactic." Time. 15 December 1999.
        15 December 1999. <http://www.pathfinder.com/time/daily/0,2960,36044-101991215,00.html>

Newspaper Article from a fulltext database service
Author, if given. "Article Title." Newspaper Title. Date of publication. Name of Database. Name of Service. Library, Location. Date of access.  <www address>. 
Example:
Kearney, Syd. "Birders to Migrate South to Harlingen for Festival." The Houston Chronicle.
        24 October 1999. General News. Lexis-Nexis Academic Universe. 15 December 1999.
        <http://www.pathfinder.com/time/daily/0,2960,36044-101991215,00.html>

Newspaper Article from a publisher's website
Author, if given. "Article Title." Newspaper Title. Date of publication. Date of access.  <www address>. 
Example:
Boshart, Rod. "GOP Resumes Tax-cut Push." TheGazette. 19 May 1999 . 10 September 1999.
        < http://www.gazetteonline.com/ialegis/1999/tax/99tx039.htm>.

Image (art reproduction, photograph or other graphic)
Artist, if given. "Title of image or desciption." Date of publication, if given. Date of Access. <www address>
Example:
Kaufman, Steve. "Japanese Crane in Snow." ca 1993. 10 November 1999.
       <http://search.corbis.com/default.asp?i=10898330&vID=1&rID=101>

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