[Air-l] "Validity” of citing internet sources?

[joseph at gelfer.net]

Hello list members 

Can anyone point me in the direction of any peer-reviewed papers which argue 
for the “validity” of citing internet sources as complements to regular 
print sources? 

Here’s the context: I work in the area of Religious Studies. I like to cite 
church and religious organisation websites as an indicator of their 
positions on various contemporary issues. I also like to cite blogs of 
religious leaders who have significant public and publishing profiles, as 
these often contain some pretty impassioned content that may not make it 
through to “official” outlets. 

Now I know some folks find using such online sources as unscholarly, even if 
alongside all the traditional print sources. So what I’m after are papers 
from reputable journals which make a good case for the use of such online 
sources. Having had a look around the only papers I can find in the general 
subject area are concerned with dead links/the percentage of URL references 
which can no longer be verified. 

Any thoughts would be appreciated. 

Thanks,
Joseph Gelfer. 

www.gelfer.net