Many of the articles you will find first appeared in print in magazines, journals, or newspapers. The basic rule to follow is to cite the article as you would if you were looking at the original publication, then give information for getting it online.
The citation of a previously published electronic text should contain
the following items:
1. Name of author (if any)
2. Title of the article in quotes
3. Title of source magazine, journal, or newspaper,
underlined
4. Volume number (if a journal)
5. Date of publication (in parentheses if a journal,
but not if a newspaper or magazine)
6. Pages.
7. Publication medium (Online)
8. Name of the repository of the electronic text
(e.g., ProQuest)
9. Name of the computer network (Internet)
10. Date of access by you
Example 1: A newspaper article from ProQuest:
Joyce, Amy. In-House Training Fills the Gap in Tech Jobs; Intensive
Classes Bring New Hires Up to Speed by Teaching Much-Needed Computer Skills.
Washington Post 30 Aug. 1998, Final ed.: H4. Online. ProQuest. Internet.
30 September 1998.
Example 2: A magazine article from ProQuest:
Serrill, Michael S. " Uncovering Iraqi Intrigue." Time 9 Mar.
1998: 58. Online. ProQuest. Internet. 30 September 1998.
Example 3: A journal article from ProQuest:
Kendziora, Kimberly T. " Appraisals of Child Behavior by Mothers of
Problem and Nonproblem Toddlers. Journal of Abnormal Child Psychology
26 (Aug. 1998): 247-255. Online. ProQuest. Internet. 1 October 1998.
NOTE on URLs: In most cases, MLA suggests the URL can be optional,
because with many databases, it is extremely long and unwieldy and sometimes
not even available. By giving the full citations in the form above, anyone
can find the articles easily in the database, and so a URL is not necessary.
This information was adapted from the MLA Handbook for Writers of
Research Papers (Fourth
Edition), published by the Modern Language Association of America.
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NHD February 1999