On Mon, 27 Jan 1997, Lester Ross wrote:
> Concern is expressed for the ephemeral nature of these references.  Carl
> Steen noted that perhaps electronic sources should be cited as personal
> communications.
 
        I would argue that this is the ideal approach.  Not only does this
indicate that the author citing electronic sources had information which
may not (at a later date) be available to the general public, but it also
introduces the idea of accountability.  While may web, FTP, etc. sites
contain reliable information, it is important to remember that many web
sites do not receive the same careful attention to detail that would go
into, say, an article in a refereed journal.  By citing electronic sources
as a personal communication you provide a person or organization that can
be contacted by later readers who may wish to check the veracity of the
electronic source information.  As increasing numbers of students use the
web as their primary (and sometimes sole) resource, it is important to
emphasize to them the importance of critically evaluating the reliability
of information from any given source.
 
_________________________________________________________________
Kyle Ackerman                     Department of Anthropology
2000 E. Roger Rd.  Apt #F3        University of Arizona
Tucson AZ  85719                  Emil W. Haury Building
(520)-321-0541                    Tucson, AZ  85721-0030