IMPORTANT NOTICE: The Modern Language Association updated their guidelines on April 1, 2016. We have not yet updated this section of Resources for Researchers to reflect these changes. We have ordered a copy of the new guidelines and will update as soon as possible.
Why have an access date for a periodical found in a database?
Because Internet cites can easily be changed, it makes sense to have the date they were accessed as part of the proper citation. However, because published articles do not change, the reason to include the access date for a periodical retrieved from an electronic database might not be so clear.
When I addressed the question concerning the need to have a separate format for electronic databases, I cited an error in the database version of the abstract for Leslie W. Hepple's "South American Heartland."
If the error had appeared in the print version of Geographical Journal, it would stay that way forever. But, the electronic database can be changed. For example, an error found on March 5 could be corrected on March 6. Because the information can change, we need to cite the date we accessed the material.
