May I make a general request to people posting quotes? Please include not just the author’s name but sufficient information to enable a reader to find the relevant quote. This doesn’t necessarily have to be full MLA format; but a title, journal or book name if from a print source, page number or URL, and date would be helpful. Hyperlinked URLs are excellent if available but do not substitute for the rest of this information since these threads will likely outlive the location of some of the sources.
Doing so enables the reader not just to get a brief hit of rationality but to say, “Gee, that’s interesting. I’d like to learn more,” and read further in the source.
In fact, why don’t we add a fifth bullet point to the header:
Provide sufficient information (URL, title, date, page number, etc.) to enable a reader to find the original source of the quote
Hyperlinked URLs are excellent if available but do not substitute for the rest of this information since these threads will likely outlive the location of some of the sources.
That’s what archive.org is for. (Okay, it’s not perfectly reliable, but...)
May I make a general request to people posting quotes? Please include not just the author’s name but sufficient information to enable a reader to find the relevant quote. This doesn’t necessarily have to be full MLA format; but a title, journal or book name if from a print source, page number or URL, and date would be helpful. Hyperlinked URLs are excellent if available but do not substitute for the rest of this information since these threads will likely outlive the location of some of the sources.
Doing so enables the reader not just to get a brief hit of rationality but to say, “Gee, that’s interesting. I’d like to learn more,” and read further in the source.
In fact, why don’t we add a fifth bullet point to the header:
Provide sufficient information (URL, title, date, page number, etc.) to enable a reader to find the original source of the quote
That’s what archive.org is for. (Okay, it’s not perfectly reliable, but...)
If you want to avoid that problem, whenever you post a link you should submit it to archive.org or archive.is.