Citing library subscription site

By WillcoxFam on Wed, 07/30/2025 - 16:28

Forums

Does the 4th edition address citing something accessed through a library subscription site?  I am specifically trying to cite an obituary obtained through NewsBank's HeritageHub.  The URL is incredibly long and, presumably, only accessible to those with the same access.  The only post I saw on this topic was from 2018 and it didn't give a clear answer. Thanks!

Submitted byEEon Thu, 07/31/2025 - 10:30

Hello, WillcoxFam,

The issue is not explicitly addressed in the leaner EE4, but was addressed in prior editions. To quote from EE3 6.19:

CITING SUBSCRIPTION WEBSITES
Online subscription material is usually accessed directly through the provider’s own website, as with the Ancestry example above. However, some providers do not offer subscriptions directly to the public—only through libraries, as with ProQuest’s handling of Heritage-Quest Online, cited below.

When you access a commercial database through a library, your computer screen may not identify any URL for you to cite. Using the library’s personal URL to identify your source would produce a nonworking citation if the library discontinues its subscription. Evidence Explained recommends merely saying that the material is available at participating libraries. Each user of your citation can then check his or her own area libraries, just as researchers already do when they encounter citations to books and periodicals.