Whether you’re writing a paper, creating an infographic, or working on a research project, it’s important to include references. Citing sources not only helps you build a strong argument but also ensures that your work isn’t plagiarized. It’s also a good way to make sure your writing is accurate, so you can be confident in your work.
How to Cite Online Article into Your Writing: A Quick Guide
Whenever you use a piece of information, whether in text or in a reference list, it’s helpful to cite it so that your readers can find it easily. This is particularly important when it comes to facts, statistics, dates and other unoriginal information that may be useful to your argument.
When you cite an online source, it is imperative that you include the author(s), title of the website, and date of publication. You should also provide a URL (web address) or permalink to help your readers locate the content on the website.
If the article is from a scholarly journal, provide the name of the author(s), the title of the article in quotation marks, all volume and issue numbers, and the year of publication. If a DOI (digital object identifier) is available, you can provide the number rather than the URL.
You should also include a DOI if the article is from an academic research database, like LexisNexis, ProQuest, JSTOR or ScienceDirect. You can also provide the title of the database if the DOI isn’t available.
How to Cite Online Articles That Don’t Have an Author
The simplest way to cite online articles is to retype the information and then create a Works Cited entry for each citation you make. This makes it easier to keep track of where you’ve used information and makes the process faster.
In addition, retyping the quotations allows you to edit the quotes and ensure that they are grammatically correct. It is also a more effective strategy than cutting and pasting, as it saves time and effort for both you and your readers.
How to Cite Web Pages with No Author
To cite an online web page that doesn’t have an author, you must first determine whether the information is public or private. Publicly accessible websites are generally safe to quote, but some information on private websites may be protected by copyright laws, so you should check with the original author before using any text from these sources.
If the website is public, it should have an accessible URL, but if it’s private, you should provide a shortened URL to ensure that your readers can locate the information. The shortened URL can be found in the footer or at the top of the page.
You should include the URL of a website in the citation, but it is not necessary to include the name of the author. If you don’t know the author, a simple asterisk, n.a., or a question mark, should do the trick.
