How do I cite or reference Matlab live script? I want to cite/reference a Matlab live script that is published on my university's homepage. How to do that correctly? The script has a detailed explanation of the algorithm’s steps and I want to skip this explanation and just refer to that.
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3What citation style are you using? MLA? APA? ACM? IEEE? AMS?– JRNCommented Jul 9, 2021 at 13:51
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I don't know what to use. @JoelReyesNoche– lraCommented Jul 9, 2021 at 14:09
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In general I would give the URL, the date accessed, and as much information as is available (date written, author, institution, etc.). Can you give a link to the URL in question so we can see it (if it's publicly available)?– Ben BolkerCommented Jul 10, 2021 at 1:58
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1If your focus is the algorithm instead of the particular implementation, it is probably better to look up a paper / textbook explaining it and cite that.– cheersmateCommented Jul 10, 2021 at 8:02
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1 Answer
Your problem is unusual, but it helps to work from first principles, namely that the main purpose of all citation systems is to allow a reader to locate the source to which the author is referring. That is true for a thesis, journal paper, conference paper, or blog.
You don't say what it is that you are writing but if you are writing a thesis for a university, then my experience would suggest that there will either be university-wide rules that govern the citation format in different disciplines at your own university, or there will be at least discipline specific conventions or customary styles, suggesting that an advisor or professor could guide you on the appropriate format.
If, on the other hand, you are writing for a professional journal and the journal style guide does not give enough guidance for your specific source, then I would suggest the following. First, determine whether the journal style uses a superscript in-text citation system (such as Vancouver), or whether it uses an author-date system, like this (Jones, 1988). Once having done that, your problem is simplified in two ways. First, you can insert a superscript at the appropriate place in your text or a simple reference of the form (MyUniversity, 2021). Next, in the reference section, you include as much detail as needed to explain the source. For example, following a pseudo-APA style:
My University. (2021). Matlab source code from the web page entitled "This is where I got my source code". Downloaded July 7th, 2021 from URL http://example.com.
If you are submitting a journal paper, the advantages of this approach are (i) it is not seriously going to affect the chances of the paper being accepted, (ii) the reviewers will be able to locate the source, (iii) the reviewers might suggest how the reference ought be formatted, and (iv) if your paper is accepted, an in-house copy-editor will likely have the last word on the formatting of the reference.
answered Jul 11, 2021 at 11:31
