Citation of Web Sites
- Thread starter euryalus
- Start date
Flook
A True Gentleman. Rest in Peace.
In writing up my family history I've actually chosen not to cite website addresses any more.
Experience has taught me that urls now change far more frequently than in the past and quite a few websites I've cited as sources no longer exist. This seems to be happening more and more frequently.
Having been an information specialist in the past I'm a bit of a stickler for always citing references and so I've come up with a solution that works for me. Two examples are:
Source: Zoe Lyons, ‘The Rosemary Branch, Peckham’ – page from the Exploring Southwark and discovering its history website. Accessed September 2018.
Source: Horton Cemetery page on the Epsom and Ewell History Explorer website. Accessed May 2019.
If I want I'll also add the url if I use the reference fairly frequently, but this method does get over 2 problems:
(1) if a url no longer works then the source used is still intelligible and
(2) if the information has been moved to another website, then a
keyword search in a search-engine can be used to try and find the
information (possibly in a new form) in its new home.
I always add the date the information was accessed as this helps authenticate the source and, when the source has definitely disappeared, it gives some personal comfort to know that that it really did once exist!
Experience has taught me that urls now change far more frequently than in the past and quite a few websites I've cited as sources no longer exist. This seems to be happening more and more frequently.
Having been an information specialist in the past I'm a bit of a stickler for always citing references and so I've come up with a solution that works for me. Two examples are:
Source: Zoe Lyons, ‘The Rosemary Branch, Peckham’ – page from the Exploring Southwark and discovering its history website. Accessed September 2018.
Source: Horton Cemetery page on the Epsom and Ewell History Explorer website. Accessed May 2019.
If I want I'll also add the url if I use the reference fairly frequently, but this method does get over 2 problems:
(1) if a url no longer works then the source used is still intelligible and
(2) if the information has been moved to another website, then a
keyword search in a search-engine can be used to try and find the
information (possibly in a new form) in its new home.
I always add the date the information was accessed as this helps authenticate the source and, when the source has definitely disappeared, it gives some personal comfort to know that that it really did once exist!