Digging In

It is important to look beyond the first page when developing a web page citation. Citing web pages accurately requires an investigator's mind set. Basic information is often hidden or even missing. Creating a citation for TechDictionary.com illustrates some common difficulties. 

Site Maps and About pages

You often need to search other pages on the web site to find the information needed for a complete citation. How did I find the authors for TechDictionary.com?  I didn't find any names on the home page of the site. In this case, the link called About/Site map was the key. This lead to another page that included a link called: Credits: People who have contributed terms. This is where I found the site author's names. "About" or Site map pages can be very helpful when seeking information on the author and publisher of a web page.

Finding publication dates

Often you will find a copyright or publication date at the bottom of the web page. If you check the bottom of the page you are viewing right now, you will see a "Last Updated" notice. Every time we change this page, the date is automatically revised.

More often than not, you will have to settle for a copyright date. In the case of TechDictionary.com, it is easy to be distracted by the dates of the newsfeed on the home page. These dates are refreshed constantly, reflecting the streaming content of the live newsfeed, rather than the publication or copyright date for the entire site. To find TechDictionary.com's copyright information we have to go to the very bottom of the TechDictionary homepage.

Useful Netscape Feature

If you search using the Netscape browser, you can use a pull down menu called "Page Info" to find the most recent modification date for any page on the web site. 

Don't just accept what you see at first glance, dig around.  You are the archaeologist!

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