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.
What is the difference between an Internet site and a publisher?
Books and journals have a standardized way of listing the publisher and other information we need to write a proper citation. Unfortunately, no such standardization is found on the Internet. Therefore, we often need to make a judgment call about what constitutes the name of the Internet site or the publisher of an Internet page we want to cite.
Tamar Hahn's "Innocence for Sale" is an excellent example. Is Mother Jones the Internet site or the publisher?
I would argue that Mother Jones is the publisher of this Internet page. Therefore, the correct citation would be:
Hahn, Tamar. "Innocence for Sale." 10 Oct. 2000. Mother Jones. 23 May 2009. <http://www.motherjones.com/
news/feature/2000/10/costarica.html>. Web.
However, it could be argued that Mother Jones is the name of the Internet site and that The Foundation for National Progress is the publisher. Under this interpretation, the following citations would be correct.
Hahn, Tamar. "Innocence for Sale." Mother Jones 10 Oct. 2000. The Foundation for National Progress. 23 May 2009. <http://www.motherjones.com/news/
feature/2000/10/costarica.html>. Web
If you get confused about how to interpret the biographical materials on the Internet site you are using as a reference, you should consult your professor.
PLEASE NOTE: Because your reader could easily find Tamar Hahn's article by searching for it by author and title, it might not be necessary to include the URL in your MLA citation. See "URLs in MLA Format" which is part of "Basic Formats: Internet Sites" for an explanation.
