Using ".com" or other domain extensions in citations

By stepmom43 on Thu, 02/28/2019 - 01:17

Forums

I have seen/used online database names listed in citations both with and without their domain extensions:

(Note: items in bold for this question only, not actually bold in published citations.)

A) 1860 U.S. census, Allen County, Indiana, population schedule, Marion Township, p. 138 (penned), dwelling 965, family 966, James Schaffer [Shaffer]; image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 15 October 2018), citing National Archives microfilm publication M563, roll 243.

B) James Shaffer, "Indiana, Marriages, 1810-2001," digital images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 27 June 2018) path: Allen > 1847-1856 > Image 447. Marriage to Margaret Albaugh 31 December 1854.

Is there a rule/guideline or preference for using the extensions vs. not?

Thanks much!

Submitted byEEon Thu, 02/28/2019 - 09:07

stepmom43, that field of a citation identifies the website. Ancestry began as Ancestry.com. It has, fairly recently, dropped the .com from its website name.

Regarding your second citation ...

       James Shaffer, "Indiana, Marriages, 1810-2001," digital images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 27 June 2018) path: Allen > 1847-1856 > Image 447. Marriage to Margaret Albaugh 31 December 1854.

"James Shaffer" appears in the "author/creator" field for the database; but, of course, he's not the author or creator of the databse. Given that the database has no author/creator aside from Ancestry, which is already being cited as the name of the website and the location of the website (the URL), we don't need to repeat Ancestry in that author field. The identification of the person or record who appears in image 447 should follow the citation to the image—without creating a sentence break between the image number and the identity of what is in the image. I.e.,

      "Indiana, Marriages, 1810-2001," digital images, Ancestry (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 27 June 2018), path: Allen > 1847-1856 > Image 447, James Shaffer to Margaret Albaugh, 31 December 1854.

Submitted bystepmom43on Fri, 03/01/2019 - 00:25

Ancestry it is, then. Thanks.

It appears as if Newspapers.com may be making/may have made a similar shift (to just Newspapers).

I also appreciate the assist on the marriage citation. Makes sense.