# URLs and URNs versus electronic citations

Richard W Wiggins (WIGGINS@msu.edu)
Mon, 17 May 93 23:40:07 EDT

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    Message-Id: <9305180358.AA01369@mocha.bunyip.com>

    Date:         Mon, 17 May 93 23:40:07 EDT

    From: Richard W Wiggins <WIGGINS@msu.edu>

    Subject:      URLs and URNs versus electronic citations

    To: Chris Weider <clw@merit.edu>, uri@bunyip.com

    In-Reply-To:  Your message of Mon, 17 May 93 18:15:32 -0400

It seems there are two entirely different goals/needs being discussed
here: the need for unique naming schemes, and the need for a standard
form for citing online resources.

Throughout this discussion the statement is often made that URLs and
URNs are for machines only, and not to be used as citations. Yet we
already see URLs used frequently in e-mail as pointers to documents on
particular machines, obviously to be parsed by humans as they go grab
the files. And Mosaic presents URLs to the user quite visibly while one
navigates from document to document.

These practices may not prove that URLs *ought* to be used for
citations, but they do show that a need exists. With URLs, it is
especially tempting to use them as citations, because they consist of a
recognizable protocol/host/file_path combination. If URNs are truly to
be as arbitrary as ISBNs -- quick, anyone know who publisher 0-07 is? --
then maybe it is reasonable not to expect them to be parsed and
understood by humans. But if neither URLs nor URNs provide a sufficient
standard citation, then a suggested form should be promoted in tandem
with URLs and URNs.

/Rich Wiggins, Gopher Coordinator, Michigan State U

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