Is there a proper way to typeset a URL?

[garyw]

This topic was imported from the Typophile platform

I've been given text to typeset for a bibliography and several of the entries end with a web address.

As an example, this is how the URL text has been supplied:

Bringhurst, Robert. The Elements of Typographic Style. Vancouver: Hartley and Marks, 1992, 1997. http://www.TypographicStyle.com/.

Considering the accuracy of this academic publication, is there any reason not to simplify the URL as:

Bringhurst, Robert. The Elements of Typographic Style. Vancouver: Hartley and Marks, 1992, 1997. www.typographicstyle.com

(All lowercase, remove "http://", remove the ending "/", remove the period.)

I also have several situations with text supplied as:
http://www.Typographic%20Style.com

Is it correct to replace the "%20" with a blank character space that it represents, or leave it as "www.typographic%20style.com" ?

[JamesM]

I would ask the project's author/editor if they are using a particular style guide, and if they are then ask how that style guide says to treat URL citations.

I believe that most style guides call for the entire URL to be listed, with no punctuation after it, and in some cases the date that URL was accessed should also be listed prior to the URL. But in matters like this I always defer to the editor.

[Frode Bo Helland]

Can URL’s contain spaces (or %20)? Be careful about removing and/or adding “www”, as some sites will not work without it and some sites will not work with it (ex: myblog.blogspot.com).

[garyw]

It's the "http://" that I am most interested in omitting, not "www." Also using all lowercase.

The author has no idea and is looking for a recommendation. It looks and reads better without "http://", I just want to be sure it's okay to do so. I think I'll talk with someone at my library reference desk and get their input.

[Frode Bo Helland]

All lowercase is ok.

[Jens Kutilek]

No, it isn’t.

[Frode Bo Helland]

Not?

[Jens Kutilek]

»URLs in general are case-sensitive (with the exception of machine names). There may be URLs, or parts of URLs, where case doesn't matter, but identifying these may not be easy. Users should always consider that URLs are case-sensitive.«

http://www.w3.org/TR/WD-html40-970708/htmlweb.html

*

I think omitting the »http://« isn't a problem unless there are also URLs with other protocols, e.g starting with »https://« or »ftp://«.

[nina]

Regarding typesetting: IIRC at least in the German-speaking part of the world we have a convention that when a URL starts with «www.», it's OK to omit the standard «http://» protocol (because it will be sufficiently clear that [1] yes this is a URL and [2] that's where it starts, it can be entered into a browser like this); but if it starts with anything else, you should include the «http://» to make it clearer.

So:

Bringhurst, Robert. The Elements of Typographic Style. Vancouver: Hartley and Marks, 1992, 1997. www.typographicstyle.com

Bringhurst, Robert. The Elements of Typographic Style. Vancouver: Hartley and Marks, 1992, 1997. http://subdomain.typographicstyle.com

I agree with Jens though that if there are URLs nearby using any other protocols, it's probably best to always cite the «http://» so as to avoid ambiguity.

[dtw]

And best to leave the "%20" in, rather than turning it back into a space.

Case should copy whatever the site actually uses. I'm sure I heard somewhere that URLs for sites hosted on Unix servers are case-sensitive, while those on Windows servers are case-insensitive, so you should preserve the case given, just to be on the safe side.

This has actually bitten our marketing dept. on the a** as they produced an advert with a subpage of our URL on it, and dropped it all to l/c. Several months later I spotted that the URL returned a 404 error when pasted into the browser ... but reinstating a non-obvious cap in the middle of it caused the page to load fine.

[JamesM]

It may boil down to what exactly you mean by "is it okay?" From a functional standpoint, it's probably okay as long as none of the URLs begin with "https" or "ftp". But from a style standpoint, I think you'll find that the style guides say to spell it out in citations, to avoid any ambiguity.

[garyw]

James, I guess the point of my original post is to ask what are these style guides on URLs that you mention ... and where do I find them?

[Chris Dean]

The American Psychological Association publication guidelines say:

Author, A. A. (1997). Title of work. Location, Publisher. Retrieved from http://www.xxxxxx

Depending on what you are referencing (book, journal, presentation &c) the first portion will change, but for the most part, if there is a url, it ends with "Retrieved from..." case sensitive, include http://, and don't end it with a period.

And I agree with James. When in doubt, ask the editor/publiser/boss if they have a convention in place.

[JamesM]

> what are these style guides on URLs that
> you mention ... and where do I find them?

Style guides are written guidelines on the preferred style to use in different writing situations. Most newspapers, magazines, and large organizations pick a style guide to use (or create their own).

Some common ones are the Associated Press Style Book, the Chicago Manual of Style, the New York Times Manual of Style and Usage, and many others. For medical-related writing the AMA Style Guide is often used. You mentioned it's an academic project and perhaps there's a style guide preferred by your university.

Go to Amazon and search for "style guide for writing" and you'll find some, and your library will undoubtedly have some. Perhaps some are posted online, too.

[forrest]

Domain names (including top level domains) are not case sensitive.

Everything else in URLs on Unix/Linux machines is generally case sensitive.

If academic writing you have to follow the appropriate standard (APA, MLA, etc).

This is a good guide to APA
http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

In terms of type, I sometimes use loose tracking for URLs.

[johndberry]

For academic publications, yes, check with the editor. But if you're not having to follow a required style, I suggest deleting the "http://" (except in the situations already noted); I also suggest setting the URL in italics, to set it off clearly from the surrounding text. This is not a style that I've heard anyone else recommend; it's one that I've developed myself as a practical solution to designing and typesetting books. (It does depend on the typeface, of course; it calls for a good readable italic.)

John

[kentlew]

John — I’ve also taken to setting URLs in italic, when feasible, to separate them from surrounding text. As you say, it’s a practical aid.

[eliason]

In many cases I'd suppose the narrower letters of italic help with the breaking issues, too.

[Chris Dean]

@ John and Kent: In academic publications specifically, would not italicizing urls interfere with visual search when scanning the references due to the fact that book titles or journal names use the same typographic cue?

Personally, I would consider italic urls to be a typographic heirarchy that is incongruent with the informational hierarchy resulting in increased time and decreased accuracy when searching for specific information in a references section.

This would actually make an interesting (and easily testable) experiment.

[neverblink]

I've never really figured out how to hyphenate an URL correctly. Would you use an hyphenation-mark as it could be misinterpreted as part of the URL?

[Chris Dean]

@neverblinke: While it may create an uneven rag, the only logical conclusion to avoid the hyphen to be misinterpreted as part of the url would be to set it on it's own line. Even then, it may be to long. In an electronic context, auto-detection should take care of it, in print I guess readers would have to go trial and error. An interesting point for consideration. Alternatives may include condensed typefaces, smaller point size or reduced inter-letter spacing.

[Cristobal Henestrosa]

> Alternatives may include condensed typefaces, smaller point size or reduced inter-letter spacing.

And what about just forgetting the hyphen and continue the URL on the next line?

[Jens Kutilek]

And what about just forgetting the hyphen and continue the URL on the next line?

IIRC, that’s what the German computer magazine c’t does.

[Frode Bo Helland]

I stand corrected, and I’m glad I do. It’s always interesting to learn new stuff. I often use footnotes for URL’s, and if I suspect very long ones I try to leave space for that. If you need to hyphenate, perhaps moving the hyphen down one line works better?

mywebsite.com/my
-sub-section/

instead of
mywebsite.com/my-
sub-section/

This brings up another argument. Many designers think underlines are bad in print, but I happen to think nothing signals a hyperlink better.

[Riccardo Sartori]

Cristobal: And what about just forgetting the hyphen and continue the URL on the next line?
That’s the default behaviour of InDesign.

Frode: Many designers think underlines are bad in print, but I happen to think nothing signals a hyperlink better.
I tried, but my descenders weren’t happy! ;-) (I’m talking black & white)

I often need to place URIs in notes and bibliographies (http://www.typophile.com/node/74680) and I have even considered to put up an URL shortening service just for it!
Two notes: it would be nice if http://www.example.com/ could be shortened to example.com, but too many websites haven’t even configured the www-less domain.
About italics, it’s tempting, but, as Christopher rightly points out, it didn’t work in references. My first instinct would be setting them in a monospaced font, but they would end up even longer! Maybe, with the right superfamily, they could be set in a light sans if the remaining text is set in a serif face.