Which type of resource requires a date of access in its citation?

Which type of resource requires a date of access in its citation?

• A. Electronic resources
• B. Print books
• C. Journal articles
• D. Government reports

Answer: (A)

Online materials can change after you view them, so a date of access shows exactly what version you used. This need to anchor the citation to a specific moment of retrieval is why electronic resources require a date of access. Print books and journal articles have fixed publication details, so they don’t rely on when you accessed them in the citation. Government reports can be found in print or online; if you’re citing an online version, you’d treat it as an electronic resource and often include the access date, whereas a print version wouldn’t require it. So, the resource type that requires a date of access is electronic resources.

Online materials can change after you view them, so a date of access shows exactly what version you used. This need to anchor the citation to a specific moment of retrieval is why electronic resources require a date of access. Print books and journal articles have fixed publication details, so they don’t rely on when you accessed them in the citation. Government reports can be found in print or online; if you’re citing an online version, you’d treat it as an electronic resource and often include the access date, whereas a print version wouldn’t require it. So, the resource type that requires a date of access is electronic resources.