Comments on: Why Is It So Hard to Cite a Passage on the Kindle?

By: Steve

Steve — Thu, 30 May 2013 11:45:49 +0000

I’ve had a Kindle for about a year now. I too am still frustrated as to why an easy to use citation function has not been implemented.
The reason I bought a Kindle was to consume all the texts required for an MA I am studying part time (distance learning) and although I can quote the title, author and ‘Kindle Version’, I cant see why the highlight function can’t have a ‘cite this’ option. Surely this would be the ultimate answer?
It too frustrates me that to check the index of any book I have to perform a search. Considering the price, would it really be that hard to include the original index with page links? or even without page links so you just get every page that contains the indexed item you’re look for.

The Kindle is a great item of convenience, if only it carried as much academic weight in its usage.

By: Rebecca

Rebecca — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 12:55:38 +0000

I am curious as to how to cite the publication information for kindle books. Does one cite the original publication information of the print version, or the publication information for the kindle version?

By: Candee

Candee — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 17:31:19 +0000

This is a great discussion! As mentioned by Jeannebp (6/19/11), at least I’m not alone! I kind of can’t believe this has yet to be resolved, now that e-readers have been around for awhile and there will always be folks, especially in academia and publishing, for whom this is a constantly relevant issue. I’ve only been e-reading for a few months now, so it’s even newer to me. The reference librarian working with me at my university says this is the first she’s heard of it, which I also can’t believe, because professors generally have exacting standards, at least for graduate students! I, too, do not see page numbers on my new Kindle Fire, only location, which is not adequate or sufficient, according to my APA standards. I love Mark’s (1/18/11) suggestion about including the page number in the “hold-over and reveal definition and highlighting information” tool of the Kindle. Why hasn’t that suggestion been taken seriously? Wanna put it out, Mark, to Kindle (Amazon) (and all the other e-reader manufacturers)? Or maybe they’re already listening and trying to figure a way to make it work. Yours is, indeed, though, an excellent solution, I think, if it can be made to work.

By: Tom Petrie

Tom Petrie — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 14:36:01 +0000

My webmaster has had a real challenge getting the format whereby references can be used in my recent book, but guess what? So, Kindle–so it appears–is NOT suitable for scientific texts, that’s the bottom line. So instead, I’m giving the readers the option of getting the 434 references in my book sent to them, if they wish. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

By: L_Matt

L_Matt — Tue, 19 Jul 2011 15:06:57 +0000

As an alternative (depending on the book), you should still be able to comply to MLA with the following for in-text citation (unless your professor is a traditionalist):

In Chapter 14, the central conflict is revealed: “text text text” (Smith).

In the above, Smith wold be the author’s last name. This refers to your Works Cited list, wherein you cite the novel as a digital file (and thus, no page numbers are necessary).

Of course, the best way is to ask your professor what they will accept in terms of citation. As you continue in college, you should probably inquire about what types of primary sources the professor will allow once she/he discusses the assignment.

By: Jeannebp

Jeannebp — Sun, 19 Jun 2011 14:22:36 +0000

I’m currently taking an online course for which I got the Kindle edition of the required text. I located this article because I am confused about how to make in text citations. I love this discussion – I still don’t know how but now I know I’m not alone

I am not seeing page numbers in my Kindle as mentioned in the above post from Benhamish. I also agree with Maddi, several posts up, that counting sections and paragraphs is not realistic.

By: Benhamish

Benhamish — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 19:59:41 +0000

Well, the Kindle has page numbers now, but their implementation is not quite what everyone wants, or even needs I suspect.

I agree, having the entire text indexed kind of makes the citation reference moot, as long as everyone is reading on their Kindle of course, or at least another reader with search capabilities.

I think the new page number scheme is a temporary setback, a ceding to the demands of those who have not fully embraced the new reading paradigm lol.

By: Mark

Mark — Tue, 18 Jan 2011 14:21:26 +0000

A small change to the Kindle firmware would make citing specific text much easier. Right now if you move the cursor to any word in a Kindle text (non pdf) the word is looked up in a dictionary and the definition is presented at the bottom of the screen. If they simply added the location to that display it would be easy to cite a specific location. The goto function would then enable placing the display and cursor at a specific location in the book file.

Of course, you can always just search for the text since it is an electronic file, rendering the need to cite a specific location moot.

By: Maddie

Maddie — Sun, 26 Dec 2010 06:42:58 +0000

While it is useful to look at a Kindle book as a file for a works cited, the issue of MLA in text citation remains for pesky English majors like myself. When you are looking at a text in depth, professors continue to expect a direct pointer to, ironically, a location in the text. Seeing as these locations are not consistent from device to device, the given location is inadequate. Where page numbers are a requirement, this mental retooling is not enough. Also, the paragraph and section would need to be labeled in the text, because counting is impossible in texts that have no sections (such as Mrs. Dalloway– no chapters, just a string of consciousness,) so if this were the resolution (likely arrived at jointly between MLA and Amazon) the actual files would need to be recreated. Still waiting for MLA to answer the academic community’s confusion about this.

By: Guido Barbi

Guido Barbi — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 17:56:51 +0000

The problem isn’ t just about not being used to books without pages (which admittedly, for me, takes time to get used to). The main problem are standards for citation, which have been adopted for centuries. When it comes to classics, you need a particular number. Nothing else. It seems only logical to keep the classic reference numbers.
When e-books will be available and standard enough, people will start citing new stuff, based on e-book standards. But for all books which appeared before you can’t change the standard, in the same way, some books are still cited on the basis of the papyrus/scroll number they were found in. Also, when e-books will become largely used, you will have different editions of the same book, but you will still want to have a standard reference number implemented, which is edition-independent.