Citing Internet Sources in Papers

The volume of material that is available on the Web and the variety of ways it is presented can pose challenges for students who need to create accurate references and citations. Internet sources include articles from other print sources, such as a newspapers, or documents that have only been published online, such as an online book, Web page or newsgroup. When citing Internet sources, there are several guidelines to follow.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Internet site addresses
• Print source citation guidelines

1. Provide a document title, date of publication or retrieval and a Web address (URL). If possible, identify the authors as well. Make sure that the reader can type in the URL and be able to find the exact document.

2. Include all the parts of the URL address. The protocol (http, https, ftp), the host name www. (name of organization's home page), directory path and specific file name. It may look like this: http://www.mla.org/forms_req3

3. Use the basic book or print source format for Internet articles that appear in a book and online, for example: Freedman, Simon. How to Build your own Business. London, 2001. (Electronic Version)http://www.buildyourownbusiness.org

4. Citing a section of an Internet document should be written like this:Garener Foundation: (1999, July 8) Barriers to generational gaps.In Senior Health: Making connections (chap. 3). Retrieved May 14, 2005. From http://www.seniorhealth.org/Library/Connections

Tips & Warnings

• Make sure that you provide addresses that work. Test each address to make sure you haven't made a typo.
• Guide readers to the exact information being cited, not just the homepage of the website.
• Citation guidelines change and get updated often. Check with your instructor about it.

Resources

• MLA guide

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