M. Citing Material Found on the Internet

• Author: Ted Tjaden
• Profession: National Director of Knowledge Management McMillan LLP
• Pages: 131-132

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Chapter 1, Section D discusses citation of legal materials in depth, including the citation of online materials. Citing material on the Web can be more of a challenge than citing to an unreported decision on a commercial database since websites are not always stable and often do not provide numbered paragraphs for pinpoint citations. There is no single, uniform method for citing material on the Internet. The 6th edition of the MCGILL Guide provides several examples in different contexts of how to cite material found on the Internet: Rule 2.9 (legislation), Rule 4.8 (government documents), Rule 5.3 (international materials), and Rule 6.19 (electronic services, e-journals, and Internet sites). The recommended citation practice - generally speaking - is to cite the material as if it were from a traditional print source followed then by the designation "online," the name of the organization or website, and the URL in angle brackets. Set out below are some additional examples - including citing to a blog - that attempt to follow the spirit of MCGILL Guide style. Other style books are available, and since there is not yet a universal standard for citing Internet material, researchers should apply a consistent standard that provides the most helpful information to the user:²¹· The Law Society of Upper Canada, "Home page," online: The Law Society of Upper Canada, www.lsuc.on.ca.

· Don Ford, "Canon Law Research Guide" (July 2007), online: GLOBALEX NYU, nyulawglobal.org/globalex/Canon_Law.htm.

· Simon Fodden, "U.K. Report on Costs of Civil Litigation," SLAW Blog, comment on 18 January 2010, slaw.ca/2010/01/18/u-k-report-on-costs-of-civil-litigation/

As discussed in Chapter 1, Section D, the Canadian Citation Committee has developed neutral citation formats, which are being adopted by Canadian courts. These formats are expected to be more widely seen over the next few years and will greatly simplify the citation of online cases.²²In addition, the Supreme Court of Canada has special

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rules governing the citation of electronic versions of decisions of...