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I want to cite some information from the Human Genome Project FAQ regarding the cost of the project (see the "How much did the Human Genome Project cost U.S. taxpayers?" header), however I'm unsure of how to find the various details required for citation:

  • Who is the author?
    • The Human Genome Project is large and had many cooperate. Even if you just look at the top of the linked page, you see many names: National Human Genome Research Institute; National Institutes of Health; Department of Health and Human Services; Office of Science; and U.S. Department of Energy. Are these the authors?
  • What should the title of the citation be?
    • Is it customary to use the title of the webpage: "Human Genome Project Completion: Frequently Asked Questions"? I would rather use something with more context, like the heading beneath which the information was found (see the next bullet point).
  • How can I indicate where on the page the information was located?
    • As mentioned in the question, the information was under "How much did the Human Genome Project cost U.S. taxpayers?" header. Traditional citations let you use page numbers for direction but that's not an option here. Could that header be included in the title of the citation somehow?
  • What year should it be based?
    • The last updated date at the bottom of the page reads October 2010. The Human Genome Project itself completed in 2003.

I suppose a simple form of answering this question would be to provide an example of how you'd cite this. The more complicated would be to explain the conventions behind each of these questions and their associated decisions.

I'd appreciate any help you can give, thank you.

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  • Find out how your publisher/university/etc. wants you to cite webpages and use that as your basic model. Style guides, depending on which one you need, explain this. Jun 8, 2015 at 16:50
  • The APA Manual explains this in detail and answers all your questions. I'm too lazy to do your work for you, so grab a copy from your library and read it.
    – user5645
    Jun 8, 2015 at 19:18

1 Answer 1

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  • Who is the author?

Find out who wrote the FAQ. You could always contact the Human Genome Project, and I'm sure they'd love to help. If not, it is not considered bad to cite a company instead of a name.

  • What Should the Title of the Citation Be?

Citation formatting requests you use the FAQ as your citation title, though you can put the certain subsection of the article next to your citation.

  • Location of Citation

As said in the last section, I severely recommend you place your citation of the subsection after citing the FAQ

  • What Year?

The year the FAQ was written, as it is your prime source.

Some of this is my opinion, though I made sure to base most of it from fact. Everyone has a different citation method.

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