NB: This is an abridgement of Walker's page. Click Walker for the full-length document.
The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, while giving citation references for Computer Software (135) and information retrieved from computer and information services (136-8), does not address the wealth of information now being made available to us (and to our students) via the internet. The most complete work on electronic citation, the Xia Li and Nancy Crane book, A Guide to Citing Electronic Information, is based on the American Psychological Association style rather than the MLA style preferred by most English departments.
The basic component of the reference citation I have
compiled is simple:
Author's Last Name, First Name. "Title of Work." Title of
Complete Work. [protocol and address] [path] (date of
message or visit).
The pages that follow give specific examples, following this format. Please bear in mind, however, that, like the internet itself, the information sources are in a constant state of flux and, therefore, this work will also need to change as the sites themselves proliferate and adapt to the new era of electronic print.
To cite files available for downloading via ftp, give the author's name (if known), the full title of the paper in quotation marks, and the address of the ftp site along with the full path to follow to find the paper, and the date of access.
Bruckman, Amy. "Approaches to Managing Deviant Behavior in Virtual Communities." ftp.media.mit.edu pub/asb/papers/ deviance-chi94 (4 Dec.1994).
To cite files available for viewing/downloading via the World Wide Web, give the author's name (if known), the full title of the work in quotation marks, the title the complete work if applicable in italics, the full http address, and the date of visit.
Burka, Lauren P. "A Hypertext History of Multi-User Dimensions." MUD History. http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/lpb/ mud-history.html (5 Dec. 1994).
List the author's name (if known), the title of the work (if shown) in quotation marks, the title of the full work if applicable in italics, and the complete telnet address, along with directions to access the publication, along with the date of visit.
Gomes, Lee. "Xerox's On-Line Neighborhood: A Great Place to Visit." Mercury News 3 May 1992. telnet lambda.parc.xerox.com 8888, @go #50827, press 13 (5 Dec. 1994).
Give the name of the speaker(s) and type of communication (i.e., Personal Interview), the address if applicable and the date in parentheses.
Pine_Guest. Personal Interview. telnet world.sensemedia.net 1234 (12 Dec.1994).
WorldMOO Christmas Party. telnet world.sensemedia.net 1234 (24 Dec. 1994).
For information found using gopher search protocols, list the author's name, the title of the paper in quotation marks, any print publication information, and the gopher search path followed to access the information, including the date that the file was accessed.
Quittner, Joshua. "Far Out: Welcome to Their World Built of MUD." Published in Newsday, 7 Nov. 1993. gopher /University of Koeln/About MUDs, MOOs and MUSEs in Education/Selected Papers/newsday (5 Dec. 1994).
Give the author's name (if known), the subject line from the posting in quotation marks, and the address of the listserv or newslist, along with the date. For personal e-mail listings, the address may be omitted.
Bruckman, Amy S. "MOOSE Crossing Proposal." mediamoo@media. mit.edu (20 Dec. 1994).
Seabrook, Richard H. C. "Community and Progress." cybermind @jefferson.village.virginia.edu (22 Jan. 1994)
Thomson, Barry. "Virtual Reality." Personal e-mail (25 Jan. 1995).
Gibaldi, Joseph, and Walter S. Achtert. MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, 3rd ed. NY: MLA, 1988. Li, Xia, and Nancy Crane. Electronic Style: A Guide to Citing Electronic Information. Westport: Meckler, 1993.
Copyright J. Walker 1995
Abridged by Glenn Everett