Print Loses Priority

Two changes in the newest edition of the venerable MLA Handbook have drawn some criticism from scholars. The first is that print is no longer the default medium in citations. The new edition states that the medium of publication (print, Web) should be included in each Works Cited entry. The second change is that writers no longer need to include URLs in citations. The MLA argues that web addresses often change and many URLs are too long to fit comfortably on the Works Cited page.

“Inclusion of URLs has proved to have limited value… for they often change, can be specific to a subscriber or a session of use, and can be so long and complex that typing them into a browser is cumbersome and prone to transcription errors. Readers are now more likely to find resources on the Web by searching for titles and authors' names than by typing URLs.”

On one hand, I'm excited to see that the bible of the paper-writing process is finally acknowledging the increasingly Web-centric nature of modern research. However, there are problems with simply googling an author and paper. For one thing, not including URLs contradicts the main reason for the citation, which is providing evidence for the writer's position. The idea that professors/reviewers should just perform a web search for a potentially bogus citation seems to damage credibility all around. I realize that some URLs are created dynamically so accessing the cited URL is impossible anyway, but I think that if a stable URL can be added, it's best for the sake of transparency.