PMean: Citing one of my web pages

Steve Simon

2019-01-15

I got an inquiry by email asking if it was okay to cite one of my web pages. Here’s what I said, more or less.

Generally, it is better to cite a book or research publication rather than a web page. But if you want to cite my web page, that’s fine. There are standard MLA formats and APA formats for citing a web page.

Web pages are always a bit tricky, but you do know the author. I normally go by Steve Simon, but for bibliographies, I always think it’s a good idea to include a middle initial (there are a gazillion Steve Simons out there). So using Stephen D. Simon or S.D. Simon is preferable. Web page citations should also include a publication date when possible and you can find this easily at my site. It’s at the top of every web page and at the bottom of every blog post.

So a web citation of this particular blog post would be

Simon, Stephen D. “PMean: Citing one of my web pages.” PMean: A blog about statistics, evidence-based medicine, and research ethics.15 Jan. 2019, blog.pmean.com/citing-my-web-ages/.

in MLA format (A Listserv, Discussion Group, or Blog Posting), and

Simon, S. D. (2019, January 15). PMean: Citing one of my web pages [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://blog.pmean.com/citing-my-web-ages/

in APA format (Blog (Weblog) Post).

Files from my website rather than my blog would look slightly different, according to these two styles. They would be

Simon, Stephen D. “P.Mean: Distrust of a Bayesian meta-analysis.” P.Mean Website. 01 Jul. 2008, http://www.pmean.com/08/DistrustBayesian.html.

in MLA format (A Page on a Web Site), and

Simon, S. D. (2008, July 1). P.Mean: Distrust of a Bayesian meta-analysis. Retrieved from http://www.pmean.com/08/DistrustBayesian.html

in APA format (Nonperiodical Web Document or Report).

Note that posts prior to July 1, 2008 typically start with “Stats” rather than “P.Mean” for historical reasons.
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