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Referencing Online Journals

Sorry if this is in the wrong place. My friend pointed out to me today that in my dissertation I've been referencing journals on the Emerald Insight website as if they have only been published online, when they might actually have been printed properly, if you know what I mean. He said I should look to see if the journals have an ISBN which would prove they've been printed, which makes sense but I just looked and they have ISSN numbers instead, which I think can be given to journals and online journals, so how am I meant to tell if the journal is an actual journal and not an online journal, so that I know how to reference it? :confused:

Reply 1

Nicholas Urfe

I sometimes just search for the title and author on Google. It might be available to buy on something like Amazon, which'll give you information regarding the publisher, date, publishing location etc.

Reply 2

Cj-Tj

Does it matter? You can reference an online journal just as legitimately as a printed version. The markers are more likely to think that you've accessed it online anyway rather than looking for a specific copy of a journal in print. Just reference it properly; ie Title, Author, Journal Title, Edition, Date Accessed and web link, and I cant see there being a problem. There is nothing to suggest that they have ONLY been published online or if they have also been published offline, as long as your referencing is solid then they wont/cant deduct marks.

Reply 3

ChemistBoy

The online journals should have a digital object identifier number (DOI) too. It's perfectly acceptable to reference using the DOI, ISSN or ISBN. Technically you should reference the source you used rather than a printed version of that source it if exists as you have no guarantee that they are the same (although it is unlikely that they wouldn't be). To be honest I've never used DOI, ISSN or ISBN numbers when referencing journals.

Reply 4

myblueheaven339

u should refernce the journal as primary literature, no need to give the web address. you should just make sure you refernce it properly, and all the information should be on the page somewhere.

Authors (date). Title. Journal, Volume, issue, pages.

Reply 5

sophisticated

It depends what referencing system you use. I use MLA and reference online journals by author, title, date, volume, issue, pages and date accessed. Not necessarily in that order. If you use MLA then look up a handbook on the internet of all the rules etc. If you use another system like Harvard etc then there should be information on the net about how to reference in that style too.

Reply 6

teh_samby

I'm using the Harvard referencing system. I know how to reference a journal and an online journal, I just don't know which to reference it as because I don't know if it exists as a journal outside of the internet. I think I've just confused myself by thinking about it too much. xD

Reply 7

sophisticated

I'd just reference it as an online journal if you read it on the net. They can't seriously expect you to reference every single publication of any article or book you might have looked at? That would take far too long.

Reply 8

Tglayb

What of it doesn't state the volume number or issue?

Reply 9

jelly1000

Original post by Tglayb

What of it doesn't state the volume number or issue?

this thread is several years old, try starting a new one

Reply 10

username207685

Original post by Tglayb

What of it doesn't state the volume number or issue?

It doesn't matter. The point of a reference is that someone can use it to find the document that you have cited. As long as the reference is correctly formatted and contains the right information (that is available) it will be fine. In my experience journals that have print versions only ever provide online only citation information when an article is in press and hasn't been published on paper yet, and they don't always have the same information as the print article citations (especially when it's online only as they don't always have volumes or issues at all).