Introduction
With the wealth of information available online, it’s common for students to use websites as sources for research essays and papers. Simply including a website URL is not sufficient for academic work. Proper citation is required to give credit to the original author, enable readers to find the source themselves, and establish credibility. This article provides a comprehensive guide on how to cite a website in an essay using MLA (Modern Language Association) and APA (American Psychological Association) styles.
MLA Style Website Citations
The MLA (Modern Language Association) citation style is most commonly used in the humanities. It uses a brief in-text citation in parentheses when a source is referred to, along with a full reference list at the end. Here is the basic format for citing a website in MLA style:
In-text citation:
For a direct quote or paraphrase, include the author’s last name and a page number or paragraph number (if available) in parentheses following the quoted or paraphrased text. For example: (Smith par. 5).
If the author is not named, use a shortened version of the title instead. For example: (“How to Cite” par. 1).
Full reference list entry:
Author’s Last name, First name. “Title of Page or Article.” Title of Website. Sponsoring institution/publisher, date of publication. URL. Date of access.
For example:
Smith, John. “How to Write an Essay on Any Topic.” EssayWritingHelp.com, 10 Mar. 2019. https://www.essaywritinghelp.com/how-to-write-an-essay. Accessed 12 Jan. 2020.
A few important notes on MLA citations:
If no author is listed, begin the citation with the title.
If no publication date is listed on the page, use (n.d.).
For References list only, omit the access date.
APA Style Website Citations
The APA (American Psychological Association) citation style is commonly used in social sciences. Similar to MLA, APA uses a brief in-text citation with the author’s last name and publication date. The full reference is listed alphabetically at the end.
In-text citation:
For a direct quote or paraphrase, include the author’s last name, publication year, and page or paragraph number if available, separated by commas, in parentheses after the quoted or paraphrased text. For example (Smith, 2019, para. 5).
Full reference list entry:
Author’s name, initials separated by period (Last name, First initial. Middle initial). (Year, Month day published). Title of webpage [Web page]. Name of site. URL.
For example:
Smith, J. P. (2019, January 15). How to properly cite website sources in APA style. Online Library. https://www.onlinelibrary.com/how-to-cite-websites-apa
Some key aspects of APA citations:
Include “Retrieved from” before the URL for online documents.
Use the publication date instead of access date.
Italicize the title of the webpage or website.
Citing Specific Types of Website Content
Within MLA and APA formatting, here are examples of citing some specific types of online content:
Blog post:
Include the author, title of the post, name of blog in italics, publisher, publication date, URL, access date in MLA
Webpage:
Include author, title of page in quotation marks, name of site in italics, publisher, publication date, URL, access date in MLA
Wikipedia article:
Cite the page title in sentence case inside quotation marks as the source title followed by “Wikipedia” and the access date in MLA
YouTube video:
Include creator’s name, “Title of video,” YouTube, Publisher if given, Date published, URL in APA
Twitter post:
Include the author’s name, handle, date and time of tweet in “Date, Time” format, then the contents of the tweet in quotation marks in MLA
PDF/ebook on a website:
Cite like a book but include the URL or name of the digital site instead of publisher in MLA
Be sure to check online citation guides and your instructor’s preferences for the most up-to-date and authoritative formatting rules. But by following the general formats outlined above, you can easily cite any website source properly in your next research paper or essay. Proper citation gives credit to authors and makes your academic work more credible and authoritative.
Conclusion
As online information continues to grow exponentially, understanding how to cite website sources correctly is an essential skill for students. This article provided a comprehensive overview of citing websites in MLA and APA styles, including formats for citing different types of online content like blogs, videos, tweets and ebooks. By learning and applying these citation rules, you can demonstrate academic integrity and properly attribute ideas and information found on the internet for any college essay or research paper. Mastering MLA and APA citation will serve you well throughout your education and career.