Every discipline uses its own style guide for a bibliography.
A bibliography is a list of all the research sources that you use for your written work. Its components include the author's name (if available), the title or name of the web page, the publisher or organization, year of publication, the URL address and the date it was last accessed (if the web page is undated.) Bibliography formats for websites vary according to the professional field or academic discipline you are writing for. However, bibliographies contain the same essential information to give the creator and publisher due credit for the original work cited. The bibliography page also gives the audience the complete information they need, in case they need to verify the data or read further on the subject.
News Media
The "Associated Press (AP) Stylebook" is a reference for journalists, but it is also used by students, editors and writers in other professions. The AP Stylebook's bibliographical citation for a website consists of the title of the work in italics followed by a semi-colon, the name of the organization followed by a comma, and the name of the city and state. The URL address follows on the next line. In the example below, the words "Official Congressional Directory;" should appear in Italics.
Example of AP style:
Official Congressional Directory; U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.
http://www.gpoaccess.gov/cdirectory/search.html
The "New York Times Manual of Style and Usage" is another popular resource in the journalism profession.
Technical Publications
Microsoft has published the "Manual of Style for Technical Publications." This guide is for technical writers, editors and others who may find themselves writing about computer technology. Its bibliographical format for websites is based on the Modern Language Association (MLA) style. The format includes authors or editors of the technical publication, the title enclosed in parentheses, the organization, date of publication and the URL address. Each item ends with a period, except for the URL address.
Example:
Buxton, Stephen, and Michael Rys (eds)."XQuery and XPath Full-Text Requirements." World Wide Web Consortium. 2003. http://www.w3.org/TR/2003/WD-xmlquery-full-text-requirements-20030214/
Academic, Professional and Government Style Manuals
Educational institutions expect students to comply with formatting standards, including bibliographic citation. Students and practitioners of literature, languages and other fields adhere to the MLA style. If the web page is undated, add the date you accessed the site, with the day, month and year format at the end of the citation entry. If no author is cited on the web page, start with the title.
Specialized academic disciplines prescribe their particular styles. The American Psychological Association (APA) style is widely used in psychology and the social sciences. Professionals in natural and applied sciences refer to the Council of Science Editors (CSE) style. The comprehensive "Chicago Manual of Style" and "Oxford Guide to Style" have broad usage in book publishing. These style manuals are periodically updated, so make sure you use the latest edition.
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The U.S government publishes and regularly revises its style standards for government-issued publications. The "U.S. Government Printing Office Style Manual" is available on its website (gpoaccess.gov/stylemanual/browse.html).
Online Bibliography
If you create content for a business website, follow its formatting rules in citing references and resources. If no strict rules apply, create your own generic format, but apply it consistently. The digital world has simplified the citation of information sources with the ubiquitous hyperlink. As long as the creator of the original work is credited, the bibliographical style seems to be relegated to secondary importance. The most sensible rule is to avoid a broken link that lands in an error page. The link must be updated or redirected in case the URL is changed or the web page is moved somewhere else in cyberspace. If the web page is temporarily down or under construction, a placeholder should inform the visitor about where to go or when to expect the site to be up and running again.
In-House Style Guides
Organizations that produce and publish documentation usually create their own house style guides. They may have an editorial board that develops the style manual as a reference for their pool of writers, editors and proofreaders. If you are a contributing writer or part of the documentation team, ask for a style sheet on writing bibliographies. Before you start any work, confirm with the team lead or project manager whether the same formatting standards apply to a new project.
Tags: Manual Style, Association style, Congressional Directory, formatting standards, Government Printing, Government Printing Office, Official Congressional