Formatting Your Website References in a Research Paper
When writing a research paper, it’s important to properly cite all of your sources using a consistent citation style. This includes any websites you reference in your paper. While websites may contain useful information, they must be evaluated for credibility and relevance just like print sources. This guide will outline how to properly format website references in your research paper using APA, MLA or Chicago style guidelines.
APA Website Reference Format
The American Psychological Association (APA) style is commonly used in social sciences like psychology, education, and business. To reference a standard website article or page in APA style, you need the following information:
Author’s name (if available). Usually an individual author but can also be a company or organization name.
Publication date. Include the full date for a specific page. If no date is available, use (n.d.).
Title of the page or article. Italicize the title of standalone pages or articles.
Title of the website (not italics). This should be the name of the overall website, not the article or page title.
URL. Be sure to include the complete active link without http:// or https://.
Here is an example:
Smith, J. (2019, December 15). How to write an APA style research paper. Psychology Today. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/ap-style-smart/201912/how-write-apa-style-research-paper
For websites with no identifiable author, begin the citation with the title:
“How to Cite a Website in APA Style.” Purdue Online Writing Lab, 2020, https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/reference_list_basic_rules.html.
MLA Website Reference Format
The Modern Language Association (MLA) style is commonly used in humanities subjects like English, foreign languages, literature, and cultural studies. The basic MLA format for a website reference is:
Author’s name (if available).
Title of page or article in “quotation marks.”
Title of website (underlined or italicized), publisher, publication date if available.
Medium of publication.
Date of access.
Here is an example MLA website citation:
Jones, Sarah. “How to Cite a Website in MLA Format.” EasyBib, 3 Jan. 2020. Web. 15 Dec. 2020.
For websites with no identifiable author, begin with the title:
“APA Citation Guide.” OWL Purdue, 2020. https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/reference_list_basic_rules.html. Accessed 15 Dec. 2020.
Chicago Website Reference Format
The Chicago Manual of Style offers two basic formats for citing websites – Notes & Bibliography style or Author-Date style.
In Notes & Bibliography, use footnote/endnote citations with a full bibliography. The footnote contains the author’s name if available, a shortened title, and date accessed. The bibliography entry includes all elements.
For example:
Sarah Jones, “How to Cite a Website in Chicago Style,” EasyBib, January 3, 2020, https://www.easybib.com/guides/citation-guides/chicago-automated/, accessed December 15, 2020.
Jones, Sarah. “How to Cite a Website in Chicago Style.” EasyBib, January 3, 2020. https://www.easybib.com/guides/citation-guides/chicago-automated/.
In Chicago Author-Date style, include the author’s last name, publication date, and URL in parentheses.
For example:
(Jones 2020)
Evaluating Website Credibility
When choosing websites as sources for a research paper, it’s important to carefully evaluate each site’s credibility and authority. Some things to consider include:
Author’s credentials – Is the author/organization qualified to publish on this topic?
Publication date – Currency of information matters, especially for topics that change quickly.
Accuracy – Can the information be corroborated from other credible sources?
Purpose – Is the site intended for education/facts or advocacy/opinions?
Domain – .edu = academic, .gov = government, .org = nonprofit. Commercial sites like .com need extra scrutiny.
Advertisements – Excessive ads can signify a lack of academic focus.
Design/writing quality – Well written with few errors suggests careful attention to detail.
Properly citing web sources using APA, MLA or Chicago style shows academic integrity and allows readers to find original sources. Take care to evaluate credibility and select only the most authoritative websites relevant to your research topic.