How should I cite material from online sources in my paper?

Many readers have asked this question. Here is my answer.

If you are writing some sort of assignment for a course other than History 157, follow carefully any instructions given by the instructor of that course about citing web-based material. For History 157 and other history courses I teach, you can use these guidelines for Chicago Style.

If you would prefer to reason your way through the process instead of relying on an external authority, then start by considering the main purpose(s) of citing sources. One purpose is to acknowledge intellectual debts. Another is to enable the reader of your work to go to the sources you cite, either to verify their contexts or to pursue some topic in greater depth. Therefore, the citation should enable a reader to locate the relevant source easily, without having to seek additional information. With this point in mind, I would suggest including the following information when citing this online textbook:1) Author's name (Gregory Smits) 2) Chapter title (e.g., "Culture Wars") 3) URL of the page in question.

Furthermore, if there is some additional piece of information that clarifies the nature of the source, you should probably feel free to include it in your citation. In such cases, strive to convey the information in as few words as possible.