Cochrane Style Manual
Internet references

When citing a website, consider whether the reference is a 'dynamic' web page that may be updated intermittently or a dated publication posted on a web page. The former type needs an 'accessed' date so that the citation reflects the state of the website at the time it was referred to. The Reference ID in such cases will usually be the year of the access date. For dated publications (e.g. reports) hosted on websites, there is no access date needed, and the Reference ID will include the year of the publication date. See also: Scientific or technical reports.

General guidance

  • When writing the URL, always include the preceding 'http://' or 'https://'.
  • If the date of access is unknown, use '(accessed prior to DD Month YYYY)' using the date on which the review is being edited.
  • Try to keep URLs as short as possible; it is often possible to trim characters from the end. Aim for the simplest version of the URL that delivers the page being cited. Check that the URL works before submitting.

Example: World Health Organization. Occupational health. https://www.who.int/health-topics/occupational-health (accessed 29 May 2024).

Reference IDWHO 2024
Reference typeOther
AuthorsWorld Health Organization
English titleOccupational health
Journal/book/sourcehttps://www.who.int/health-topics/occupational-health
Date of publication(accessed 29 May 2024)

 

Example: Wikipedia. Archie Cochrane. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archie_Cochrane (accessed 29 May 2024).

Reference IDWikipedia 2019
Reference typeOther
AuthorsWikipedia
English titleArchie Cochrane
Journal/book/sourcehttps://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Archie_Cochrane
Date of publication(accessed 29 May 2024)

 

Example: World Health Organization. Case study: managing the public health impact of chemical incidents in the Republic of Korea; November 2023. Available at https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WPR-2023-ACE-002

Reference IDWHO 2023
Reference typeOther
AuthorsWorld Health Organization
English titleCase study: managing the public health impact of chemical incidents in the Republic of Korea; November 2023
Journal/book/sourceAvailable at https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WPR-2023-ACE-002
Date of publication 
Section info
Contact
Elizabeth Royle (production@cochrane.org)
Describe change
Cochrane style changed for URLs: 'http://' and 'https://' should now be included, not removed.
Change date
30 May 2024