How To Cite A Website In An Essay?

Students conduct research to complete their essays and research projects. For this purpose, they consult articles on different websites. When you use any online source, it is compulsory to cite the website. Incorporate a complete citation for the online sources used in the paper.

 The last page of your essay is Reference/Work Cited/Bibliography/End Notes. Also, in-text citations are necessary when you paraphrase from online sources. If you do not insert in-text citation for rephrased material, it will come under plagiarism.  You include the Author of the website’s article, year of publication, or page number as in-text citation for paraphrased content.

Citations style vary depending upon the format of the paper such as APA, MLA, Chicago/Turabian, Harvard, and so on.

Website Citation in MLA format

A “Work Cited” page contains references in MLA (Modern Language Association) style. Citation begins with the author(s)’ name. If the website contains an identified author, their last name comes first, then a comma followed by their first name. Include a period after the first name(s) of the author(s). For example,

Smith, Danielle. “Drug treatment measures in the juvenile justice system: a scoping literature review.“ American Journal of Justice 43.1 (2019): 3-14.

For more than one author, following is the referenceexample of a citation in a “Works Cited” page

Smith, Danielle, Elias Mpofu, and James Anthony. “Drug treatment policy in the criminal justice system: a scoping literature review.” American Journal of Criminal Justice 41.1 (2016): 3-13.

 If the author’s name is not available on the website, then the title of the website comes first followed by a URL. For example, “20 Tips of Living a Healthy Life.” Then, you include the URL. Make sure the title of the article is in quotation marks. For in-text citation, you include the title of the website.

Similarly, if the author(s)’ information is available, you add the author’s last name followed by the page number such as (Smith 72). In the case of two authors, include the authors’ last names such as (Smith and Elias 13);13 refers to the page number. If you are to cite three or more authors, you write et al. For example, (Smith et al., 24).

Website Citation in APA format

In APA (American Psychological Association) format, you include author, publication date alongside the page title. You add a separate page titled “References” at the end of the paper. Author(s)’ last name comes first, then a comma followed by the first letter of the first name such as Smith, A. After a period, you add the website’s title followed by the magazine or journal’s name as a publication source. For example,

Smith, B. R., Michael, L. S., Harris, J., &Mak, V. (2017). BTS instructions for oxygen use in adults in healthcare and urgent treatment. Thorax, 72(Suppl 1), ii1-ii90.

The above example has multiple authors. When you add an in-text citation for these sources, it will be like this (Smith et al., 2017). APA uses publication year in the in-text citation. Do not include any initial or abbreviation in the in-text citation.

When the author (s)’ information is unavailable, add the article’s title in quotation marks followed by the URL address. For example,

“15 Effective Way of Losing Weight.”: Details of People Who have benefited from the strategy. Retrieved from www.abcaddadad.org.

You will use the title in the in-text citation for this source. To be on the safe side, mention the retrieval date because the information you used may change over the period of time.

Website Citation in Chicago Style

Citation begins with the name of the author(s). If the article has one author, include the last name, then a comma followed by their first name. Several online articles contain organizational or group writers. Include this name exactly the way it appears on the website. A period comes after the name of the author or organizational author. For example, Anderson, Julie, or United Actions Group for Resolving Committee. After the author(s) or organizational name, Chicago style includes the title of the article inside quotation marks. Anderson, Julie. “Anti-aging Tips.” Four Star Journal. In this example, Four Star Journal is the name of the publisher and that is why it is italicized. The style uses footnotes.

You insert a number in the superscript and then website details appear at the bottom of the page. In MS Word, you can go to Reference on the top of your page, then insert a footnote. In footnotes, you include the same information that you used in Endnotes. In fact, you copy the full endnote reference and then paste it at the bottom of the page where you inserted superscript such as 1, 2, 3. In the case of an unidentified author, you would incorporate the article’s title in quotation marks followed by the name of the journal or website URL.

Website Citation in Harvard Style

Author(s)’ last name appears first, then a comma followed by author(s)’ initials, and then a period. You also include the publisher. If there is a corporate writer, publisher and author can be the same. The Harvard format then includes the date accessed and a URL address in an angled bracket.

Smith, C.L., Michael, S.B., Edwards, J. and L’Oréal, V., 2016. ETSRecommendations for oxygen use in the outpatient department in healthcare settings. Jobax, 72(Suppl 1), pp.iv1-ii90.

When the author’s information is not available on the website, Harvard format includes article’s title in italics. When you provide an in-text citation in your paper, write the first few words of the tile, followed by the year of publication.

Common Formats of the Essay

APA, MLA, Chicago/Turabian, and Harvard are the styles commonly used for writing research papers, essays, and thesis/dissertations. However, other writing styles are also in practice; when you use those styles follow their rules for references and in-text citations.

Final Word

You need to provide proper citation when you write using online sources and websites. Without citation, your work will come under plagiarism. Follow the rules and guidelines of the writing style you are using in your paper such as APA, MLA, Chicago Harvard, and others. Providing citation refers to giving credit to the author of the article.

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How to Cite a Website in an Essay.

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How to Cite a Website in an essay. The article guides students and writers about providing references and in-text citations for various writing styles.