Citing Websites and Web Pages

The pieces of information you need to cite information from the web include:

Sometimes a web page or website will not actually provide all of this information.  For example, sometimes an author is not named, or copyright or update information might not be provided.  In those cases, just create a citation with as much information as you have.  Here are a few examples:

MLA web page

Davis, Jeanie Lerche. “Children and Sweetened Drinks: What's a Parent to Do?” WebMD.  2007. Web.  6 July 2009.

"About Malaria." Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute. Johns Hopkins University, 2005. Web. 8 July 2009.

APA web page

Davis, J.L. (2007). Children and sweetened drinks: What's a parent to do? Retrieved July 6, 2009, from        

        http
://children.webmd.com/features/children-and-sweetened-drinks-whats-a-parent-to-do

About malaria. (2009). Retrieved July 8, 2009, from Johns Hopkins University, Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute Web site:

        http://malaria.jhsph.edu/about_malaria

(Notice in the first example for an APA web page that the name of the website, WebMD, is not given.  In APA style the name of the sponsoring website is typically only given if the site is large and complex, such as a university web site or a government website, as in the second example.)

 

Exercise:

MLA Citation Scramble [requires Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher]

APA Citation Scramble [requires Internet Explorer 5.5 or higher]

 

Where to Learn More

For more details about how to create citations for information from the web, consult either of the following:

1.      A style manual

-          For MLA:  MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers (call number LB2369 .G53 2009); in the INDEX, look up “Web Publications,” then look for the “in works cited” section.
-          For APA:  Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (call number BF76.7 .P83 2001); in the TABLE OF CONTENTS, check the “Reference List” chapter for Electronic Media.

2.      Online citation sites: http://www.nvcc.edu/library/bow_citingref.htm