How do you cite to Webster's Online Dictionary under the BlueBook? I am trying to define "person".

Person: one (as a human being, a partnership, or a corporation) that is recognized by law as the subject of rights and duties.How do you cite to Webster's Online Dictionary under the BlueBook? I am trying to define "person".
The short answer is, when a source is widely available in printed form, the Bluebook does not permit you to cite to an electronic version of the source alone. Rule 18.2.3(a) states "An Internet source may be cited directly when it does not exist in a traditional printed format..."



That said, if you are going to try to slip one by, just follow the general rules for citing an internet source, which means using the URL so that the reader can refer to the source directly (Rule 18.2.1).

M-W online (http://www.m-w.com/help/citing.htm) also has the following suggestion for citing the online dictionary:



A citation of any online dictionary or thesaurus should include the following information:



* headword of the entry cited (in quotes)

* title of the source (in italics)

* date the dictionary or thesaurus was published, posted, or revised (Use the copyright date noted at the bottom of this and every page of the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.)

* full URL of the site (up to and including the file name)

* date you accessed the dictionary (in parentheses)



Here's how you would cite the entry for hacker in the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary, if you accessed it on January 2, 2004.



"hacker." Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. 2004. http://www.merriam-webster.com (2 Jan. 2004).

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That solution is as good as any since the correct answer under Bluebook rules is to cite to a print version of the dictionary.



Good luck.