How to Cite a Cited Web Page

Referencing things correctly is crucial for research papers.

So you have been doing your online research, putting together all your sources and are ready to begin writing. The only problem is one of your favorite sources is a website that cites other sources. You are probably scratching your head. How do you cite a cited web page? The process is not all that more complicated than simply citing a webpage. It requires a bit more work but in the end is not too troublesome.

Instructions

Referencing

1. Try to hunt down the source the webpage has cited for its article. For example, many online articles should have links to their references at the bottom of the page. Scroll to the references sections and click on the cited reference's link to reach the original source. If it is a book or a magazine article and not online write down the reference as is and see if you can find it at a local library or somewhere else online.

2. Check to make sure the book, article or online publications are reputable. You can do those by reviewing the work firsthand. Check the author's credentials and the research the work uses. If you cannot physically find the article, book or website, research its information via web search engines. You can at least find out the author's information and other related things. If the sources are not reputable or if you truly can not know anything about the works, do not cite the cited webpage and find a more reputable source.

3. Cite the sources the website uses once you locate the sources. Cite as you would any other source. Only reference the sources whose information you use. For example, if the website cites three sources, but you only use information from one of the source the website cites, only cite that source. If the primary source is another website, cite the site like this: author's last name, first name. "Article title." Website name. Organization name. Web. Date website was accessed. If the primary source is a book, journal, or periodical, follow the general Modern Language Association standard format.

4. Cite the cited webpage as you would any other website. You should cite all the sources you used from the cited website as well as the actual cited website.

Tips & Warnings

• If you cannot locate the sources of the cited webpage, then simply cite only the cited webpage. If the person reviewing your work visits the webpage, he will see the citations the work has used. So be sure these sources are of good research quality.

References

• Purdue University: MLA Works Cited: Electronic Sources (Web Publications)
• Virtual Salt: MLA Standard Format