Introducing the Digital Reference Standard DRS Citation Style Guidelines by SubXNews
At SubXNews we’re excited to unveil a new citation style designed for the digital age – the Digital Reference Standard DRS. Unlike traditional styles like APA or Chicago DRS is streamlined for web-friendly referencing making it perfect for journalists bloggers and researchers sharing sources online. Below are the standardized guidelines for using DRS across various source types.
DRS Citation Style Guidelines
The DRS style prioritizes simplicity with the format
Title (Date) Publication Link (for online sources)
Title (Date) Publication (for offline sources)
Key Rules
Title Use the full title as it appears. For untitled sources such as social media posts or informal content provide a brief descriptive title
Date Use the format (Day Month YYYY) for full dates for example 8 October 2021 or (YYYY) for year only or (Undated) if unknown. Use consistent international formatting Day Month Year
Publication Name the publisher platform or outlet for example Chicago Sun-Times Quora YouTube
Link Include a direct URL for online sources. Omit for offline sources
Order List references alphabetically by title ignoring articles like A An The
Formats for Common Source Types
Online Article
Title (Day Month YYYY) Publication Link
Example
Chicago Fire 150th Anniversary (8 October 2021) Chicago Sun-Times https://chicago.suntimes.com/2021/10/8/22673310/chicago-fire-150-anniversary-oleary-mary-todd-lincoln-sheridan-grant-park-steinberg
Book Digital
Title (YYYY) Publisher Link
Example
Checagou From Indian Wigwam to Modern City (1933) Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/checagoufromindi001651mbp
Book Print
Title (YYYY) Publisher
Example
A History of Chicago (1975) University of Chicago Press
Social Media Post
Title or Description (Day Month YYYY) Platform Link
Example
Lake Front from Illinois Central Station Chicago (11 May 2025) Facebook https://facebook.com/groups/120452714691417/permalink/29505583972418235
For additional source types for example videos journal articles interviews government reports see upcoming updates at https://subx.news/drs-citation-style-guidelines
Usage Terms
The DRS format is free to use for non-commercial purposes with attribution to SubXNews
For attribution please include
Citation style Digital Reference Standard DRS by SubXNews – https://subx.news/drs-citation-style-guidelines
Commercial use for example in publishing tools courseware platforms or for-profit publications requires written permission
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