Stuckey and Nobel (2010) noted, "it has been shown that music can calm neural activity in the brain, which may lead to reductions in anxiety, and that it may help to restore effective functioning in the immune system." |
|
Note: This example is a direct quote. It is an exact quotation directly from the text of the article. All direct quotes should appear in quotation marks: "...."
Try keeping direct quotes to a minimum in your writing. You need to show your understanding of the source material by being able to paraphrase or summarize it.
List the author’s last name only (no initials) and the year the information was published, like this:
(Dodge, 2008 ). ( Author , Date).
IF you use a direct quote, add the page number to your citation, like this:
( Dodge , 2008 , p. 125 ).
( Author , Date , page number )
Credit these sources when you mention their information in any way: direct quotation, paraphrase, or summarize.
What should you credit?
Any information that you learned from another source, including:
● statistics
EXCEPTION: Information that is common knowledge: e.g., The Bronx is a borough of New York City.
Quick help with apa 7 citations.
Download the In-text Citations presentation (above) for an in-depth look at how to correctly cite your sources in the text of your paper.
Paraphrasing activity from the excelsior owl, in-text citation quiz.
Start your research.
A citation identifies for the reader the original source for an idea, information, or image that is referred to in a work.
From: Lemieux Library, University of Seattle
Quoting Are you quoting two or more consecutive words from a source? Then the original source should be cited and the words or phrase placed in quotes.
Paraphrasing If an idea or information comes from another source, even if you put it in your own words , you still need to credit the source. General vs. Unfamiliar Knowledge You do not need to cite material which is accepted common knowledge. If in doubt whether your information is common knowledge or not, cite it. Formats We usually think of books and articles. However, if you use material from web sites, films, music, graphs, tables, etc. you'll also need to cite these as well.
Plagiarism is presenting the words or ideas of someone else as your own without proper acknowledgment of the source. When you work on a research paper and use supporting material from works by others, it's okay to quote people and use their ideas, but you do need to correctly credit them. Even when you summarize or paraphrase information found in books, articles, or Web pages, you must acknowledge the original author.
Helpful links:
For additional writing resources specific to styles listed here visit the Purdue OWL Writing Lab
Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 License except where otherwise noted.
The land on which we gather is the unceded territory of the Awaswas-speaking Uypi Tribe. The Amah Mutsun Tribal Band, comprised of the descendants of indigenous people taken to missions Santa Cruz and San Juan Bautista during Spanish colonization of the Central Coast, is today working hard to restore traditional stewardship practices on these lands and heal from historical trauma.
The land acknowledgement used at UC Santa Cruz was developed in partnership with the Amah Mutsun Tribal Band Chairman and the Amah Mutsun Relearning Program at the UCSC Arboretum .
Ask a Librarian via email , text us at +1-646-265-1342, or schedule an appointment .
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Plagiarism (pronounced: play -juh-riz-um) is the act of taking someone else’s words, ideas, or information and passing them off as your own. If you don’t give credit to the author of these ideas in footnotes or endnotes and a bibliography, you are committing plagiarism, which is a serious academic offense.
Everything you find that is written, whether in print in books and journals, or on the web, should be considered copyrighted . That means that you should think of it as belonging to someone else. Information that you find on the web is not free to take or use – it is someone else’s intellectual property . Any material lifted from an original source, including web resources, without proper acknowledgement or credit is considered plagiarized. Inadvertent or accidental plagiarism is still plagiarism. Plagiarism can inadvertently happen if you are not careful about taking notes while you research; it is sometimes difficult to remember exactly where your ideas came from when you are doing research, so remember to cite your sources while you work.
It is your responsibility to know what constitutes plagiarism. Not knowing citation standards is not an excuse. When in doubt, err on the side of over-documentation and cite the source. You can also ask your professor, teaching assistant, or a librarian for help in determining what is and is not plagiarism.
Sometimes your professor or your discipline will have specific requirements about when and how to cite your sources. However, these are some guidelines that generally apply.
Always cite your sources when:
Remember, if you have a question about whether or not you need to cite your source, you can ask your professor, teaching assistant, or a librarian for help. Sometimes citing your sources takes a little bit of time and effort, but it is worth it to avoid plagiarism.
Partially adapted from "When and Why to Cite Sources." SUNY Albany. 2008. Retrieved 29 Aug 2020. https://library.albany.edu/infolit/resource/cite-sources
All scholarly or academic work requires that you cite your sources, whether you are writing a long paper or a quick report. Why is citing your research so important?
Researching and writing a paper ideally involves a process of exploring and learning. By citing your sources, you are showing your reader how you came to your conclusions and acknowledging the other people's work that brought you to your conclusions.
Citing your sources...
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If you are having trouble locating a specific resource please visit the search page or the Site Map . The Citation Chart provides a detailed overview of MLA Style, APA Style, and Chicago Manual of Style source documentation by category.
These OWL resources will help you conduct research using primary source methods, such as interviews and observations, and secondary source methods, such as books, journals, and the Internet. This area also includes materials on evaluating research sources.
These OWL resources will help you use the research you have conducted in your documents. This area includes material on quoting and paraphrasing your research sources, as well as material on how to avoid plagiarism.
These OWL resources will help you learn how to use the American Psychological Association (APA) citation and format style. This section contains resources on in-text citation and the References page, as well as APA sample papers, slide presentations, and the APA classroom poster.
These OWL resources will help you learn how to use the Modern Language Association (MLA) citation and format style. This section contains resources on in-text citation and the Works Cited page, as well as MLA sample papers, slide presentations, and the MLA classroom poster
This section contains information on the Chicago Manual of Style method of document formatting and citation. These resources follow the 17th edition of the Chicago Manual of Style, which was issued in 2017.
These resources describe how to structure papers, cite sources, format references, and handle the complexities of tables and figures according to the latest Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) guidelines.
These resources provide guidance on how to cite sources using American Medical Association (AMA) Style, 10th Ed., including examples for print and electronic sources.
We live in an age overflowing with sources of information. With so many information sources at our fingertips, knowing where to start, sorting through it all and finding what we want can be overwhelming! This handout provides answers to the following research-related questions: Where do I begin? Where should I look for information? What types of sources are available?
Primary research involves collecting data about a given subject directly from the real world. This section includes information on what primary research is, how to get started, ethics involved with primary research and different types of research you can do. It includes details about interviews, surveys, observations, and analysis.
Evaluating sources of information is an important step in any research activity. This section provides information on evaluating bibliographic citations, aspects of evaluation, reading evaluation, print vs. online sources, and evaluating Internet sources.
This section covers finding information online. It includes information about search engines, Boolean operators, Web directories, and the invisible Web. It also includes an extensive, annotated links section.
This page contains links and short descriptions of writing resources including dictionaries, style manuals, grammar handbooks, and editing resources. It also contains a list of online reference sites, indexes for writers, online libraries, books and e-texts, as well as links to newspapers, news services, journals, and online magazines.
This resource discusses conducting research in a variety of archives. It also discusses a number of considerations and best practices for conducting archival research.
This resources was developed in consultation with Purdue University Virginia Kelly Karnes Archives and Special Collections staff.
What is a citation.
Citations are a way of giving credit when certain material in your work came from another source. It also gives your readers the information necessary to find that source again-- it provides an important roadmap to your research process. Whenever you use sources such as books, journals or websites in your research, you must give credit to the original author by citing the source.
Scholarship is a conversation and scholars use citations not only to give credit to original creators and thinkers, but also to add strength and authority to their own work. By citing their sources, scholars are placing their work in a specific context to show where they “fit” within the larger conversation. Citations are also a great way to leave a trail intended to help others who may want to explore the conversation or use the sources in their own work.
In short, citations
(1) give credit
(2) add strength and authority to your work
(3) place your work in a specific context
(4) leave a trail for other scholars
"Good citations should reveal your sources, not conceal them. They should honeslty reflect the research you conducted." (Lipson 4)
Lipson, Charles. "Why Cite?" Cite Right: A Quick Guide to Citation Styles--MLA, APA, Chicago, the Sciences, Professions, and More . Chicago: U of Chicago, 2006. Print.
Different subject disciplines call for citation information to be written in very specific order, capitalization, and punctuation. There are therefore many different style formats. Three popular citation formats are MLA Style (for humanities articles) and APA or Chicago (for social sciences articles).
MLA style (print journal article):
Whisenant, Warren A. "How Women Have Fared as Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Since the Passage of Title IX." Sex Roles Vol. 49.3 (2003): 179-182.
APA style (print journal article):
Whisenant, W. A. (2003) How Women Have Fared as Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Since the Passage of Title IX. Sex Roles , 49 (3), 179-182.
Chicago style (print journal article):
Whisenant, Warren A. "How Women Have Fared as Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Since the Passage of Title IX." Sex Roles 49, no. 3 (2003): 179-182.
No matter which style you use, all citations require the same basic information:
You are most likely to have easy access to all of your citation information when you find it in the first place. Take note of this information up front, and it will be much easier to cite it effectively later.
Start a new citation or manage your existing bibliographies.
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Mla format: everything you need to know and more.
Filled with a wide variety of examples and visuals, our Citation Machine® MLA guide will help you master the citation process. Learn how to cite websites, books, journal articles, magazines, newspapers, films, social media, and more!
MLA Citation Generator | Website | Books | Journal Articles | YouTube | Images | Movies | Interview | PDFs
Our Citation Machine® APA guide is a one-stop shop for learning how to cite in APA format. Read up on what APA is, or use our citing tools and APA examples to create citations for websites, books, journals, and more!
APA Citation Generator | Website | Books | Journal Articles | YouTube | Images | Movies | Interview | PDFs
Creating citations in Chicago style has never been easier thanks to our extensive Citation Machine® Chicago style guide and tools. Learn about footnotes, endnotes, and everything in between, or easily create citations for websites, books, journal articles, and more!
Chicago Citation Generator | Website | Books | Journal Articles | YouTube | Images | Movies | Interview | PDFs
Whether you’re a student, writer, foreign language learner, or simply looking to brush up on your grammar skills, our comprehensive grammar guides provide an extensive overview on over 50 grammar-related topics. Confused about reflexive verbs, demonstrative adjectives, or conjunctive adverbs? Look no further! Learn about these grammar topics and many, many more in our thorough and easy to understand reference guides!
Citing Sources Guide | Grammar Guide | Plagiarism Guide | Writing Tips
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Mla format guide.
This is the total package when it comes to MLA format. Our easy to read guides come complete with examples and step-by-step instructions to format your full and in-text citations, paper, and works cited in MLA style. There’s even information on annotated bibliographies.
Works Cited | In-Text Citations | Bibliography | Annotated Bibliography | Website | Book | Journal | YouTube | View all MLA Citation Examples
Get the facts on citing and writing in APA format with our comprehensive guides. Formatting instructions, in-text citation and reference examples, and sample papers provide you with the tools you need to style your paper in APA.
Reference Page | In-Text Citations | Annotated Bibliography | Website | Books | Journal | YouTube | View all APA citation Examples
Looking to format your paper in Chicago style and not sure where to start? Our guide provides everything you need! Learn the basics and fundamentals to creating references and footnotes in Chicago format. With numerous examples and visuals, you’ll be citing in Chicago style in no time.
Footnotes | Website | Book | Journal
Learn the requirements to properly reference your paper in Harvard style. The guides we have provide the basics and fundamentals to give credit to the sources used in your work.
In-Text Citations | Books | Article | YouTube | View all Harvard Referencing Examples
Avoid common grammar mistakes and unintentional plagiarism with our essay checker. Receive personalized feedback to help identify citations that may be missing, and help improve your sentence structure, punctuation, and more to turn in an error-free paper.
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Our blog features current and innovative topics to keep you up to speed on citing and writing. Whether you’re an educator, student, or someone who lives and breathes citations (it’s not as uncommon as you might think!), our blog features new and exciting articles to discover and learn from.
Our Writing Center is jam-packed with tons of exciting resources. Videos, infographics, research guides, and many other citation-related resources are found here. Check it out to find what you need to succeed!
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Published on March 5, 2021 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on January 17, 2024.
To cite a page from a website, you need a short in-text citation and a corresponding reference stating the author’s name, the date of publication, the title of the page, the website name, and the URL.
This information is presented differently in different citation styles. APA , MLA , and Chicago are the most commonly used styles.
Use the interactive example generator below to explore APA and MLA website citations.
Note that the format is slightly different for citing YouTube and other online video platforms, or for citing an image .
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Citing a website in mla style, citing a website in apa style, citing a website in chicago style, frequently asked questions about citations.
An MLA Works Cited entry for a webpage lists the author’s name , the title of the page (in quotation marks), the name of the site (in italics), the date of publication, and the URL.
The in-text citation usually just lists the author’s name. For a long page, you may specify a (shortened) section heading to locate the specific passage. Don’t use paragraph numbers unless they’re specifically numbered on the page.
MLA format | Author last name, First name. “Page Title.” , Day Month Year, URL. |
---|---|
Brice, Makini. “U.S. Senate Expected to Begin Debating Coronavirus Package on Thursday.” , 4 March 2021, www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-congress/u-s-senate-expected-to-begin-debating-coronavirus-package-on-thursday-idUSKBN2AW18U. | |
(Brice) |
The same format is used for blog posts and online articles from newspapers and magazines.
You can also use our free MLA Citation Generator to generate your website citations.
Citing a whole website.
When you cite an entire website rather than a specific page, include the author if one can be identified for the whole site (e.g. for a single-authored blog). Otherwise, just start with the site name.
List the copyright date displayed on the site; if there isn’t one, provide an access date after the URL.
MLA format | Author last name, First name. . Year or Year range, URL. Accessed Day Month Year. |
---|---|
. www.scribbr.com. Accessed 4 March 2021. | |
( ) |
When no author is listed, cite the organization as author only if it differs from the website name.
If the organization name is also the website name, start the Works Cited entry with the title instead, and use a shortened version of the title in the in-text citation.
When no publication date is listed, leave it out and include an access date at the end instead.
MLA format | Organization Name. “Page Title.” , URL. Accessed Day Month Year. |
---|---|
“Citing Sources in Academic Writing.” . www.scribbr.com/category/citing-sources/. Accessed 4 March 2021. | |
(“Citing Sources”) |
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An APA reference for a webpage lists the author’s last name and initials, the full date of publication, the title of the page (in italics), the website name (in plain text), and the URL.
The in-text citation lists the author’s last name and the year. If it’s a long page, you may include a locator to identify the quote or paraphrase (e.g. a paragraph number and/or section title).
APA format | Author last name, Initials. (Year, Month Day). . Website Name. URL |
---|---|
Brice, M. (2021, March 4). . Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-congress/u-s-senate-expected-to-begin-debating-coronavirus-package-on-thursday-idUSKBN2AW18U | |
(Brice, 2021, para. 6) |
Note that a general reference to an entire website doesn’t require a citation in APA Style; just include the URL in parentheses after you mention the site.
You can also use our free APA Citation Generator to create your webpage citations. Search for a URL to retrieve the details.
Blog posts and online articles.
Blog posts follow a slightly different format: the title of the post is not italicized, and the name of the blog is.
The same format is used for online newspaper and magazine articles—but not for articles from news sites like Reuters and BBC News (see the previous example).
APA format | Author last name, Initials. (Year, Month Day). Article title. . URL |
---|---|
McKenna, J. (2021, March 3). Assisted reproduction science could be a lifeline for koalas. . https://jmckenna.scienceblog.com/2021/03/03/assisted-reproduction-science-could-be-a-lifeline-for-koalas/ | |
(McKenna, 2021) |
When a page has no author specified, list the name of the organization that created it instead (and omit it later if it’s the same as the website name).
When it doesn’t list a date of publication, use “n.d.” in place of the date. You can also include an access date if the page seems likely to change over time.
APA format | Organization Name. (n.d.). . Website Name. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from URL |
---|---|
Scribbr. (n.d.). . Retrieved March 4, 2021, from https://www.scribbr.com/category/citing-sources/ | |
(Scribbr, n.d.) |
In Chicago notes and bibliography style, footnotes are used to cite sources. They refer to a bibliography at the end that lists all your sources in full.
A Chicago bibliography entry for a website lists the author’s name, the page title (in quotation marks), the website name, the publication date, and the URL.
Chicago format | Author last name, First name. “Page Title.” Website Name. Month Day, Year. URL. |
---|---|
Brice, Makini. “U.S. Senate Expected to Begin Debating Coronavirus Package on Thursday.” Reuters. March 4, 2021. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-congress/u-s-senate-expected-to-begin-debating-coronavirus-package-on-thursday-idUSKBN2AW18U. | |
1. Makini Brice, “U.S. Senate Expected to Begin Debating Coronavirus Package on Thursday,” Reuters, March 4, 2021, https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-usa-congress/u-s-senate-expected-to-begin-debating-coronavirus-package-on-thursday-idUSKBN2AW18U. 2. Brice, “Coronavirus Package.” |
Chicago also has an alternative author-date citation style . Examples of website citations in this style can be found here .
For blog posts and online articles from newspapers, the name of the publication is italicized. For a blog post, you should also add the word “blog” in parentheses, unless it’s already part of the blog’s name.
Chicago format | Author last name, First name. “Page Title.” (blog). Month Day, Year. URL. |
---|---|
McKenna, Jarrod. “Assisted Reproduction Science Could Be a Lifeline for Koalas.” . March 3, 2021. https://jmckenna.scienceblog.com/2021/03/03/assisted-reproduction-science-could-be-a-lifeline-for-koalas/. | |
1. Jarrod McKenna, “Assisted Reproduction Science Could Be a Lifeline for Koalas,” , March 3, 2021, https://jmckenna.scienceblog.com/2021/03/03/assisted-reproduction-science-could-be-a-lifeline-for-koalas/. 2. McKenna, “Assisted Reproduction.” |
When a web source doesn’t list an author , you can usually begin your bibliography entry and short note with the name of the organization responsible. Don’t repeat it later if it’s also the name of the website. A full note should begin with the title instead.
When no publication or revision date is shown, include an access date instead in your bibliography entry.
Chicago format | Organization Name. “Page Title.” Website Name. Accessed Month Day, Year. URL. |
---|---|
Scribbr. “Citing Sources in Academic Writing.” Accessed March 4, 2021. https://www.scribbr.com/category/citing-sources/. | |
1. “Citing Sources in Academic Writing,” Scribbr, accessed March 4, 2021, https://www.scribbr.com/category/citing-sources/. 2. Scribbr, “Citing Sources.” |
The main elements included in website citations across APA , MLA , and Chicago style are the author, the date of publication, the page title, the website name, and the URL. The information is presented differently in each style.
In APA , MLA , and Chicago style citations for sources that don’t list a specific author (e.g. many websites ), you can usually list the organization responsible for the source as the author.
If the organization is the same as the website or publisher, you shouldn’t repeat it twice in your reference:
If there’s no appropriate organization to list as author, you will usually have to begin the citation and reference entry with the title of the source instead.
When you want to cite a specific passage in a source without page numbers (e.g. an e-book or website ), all the main citation styles recommend using an alternate locator in your in-text citation . You might use a heading or chapter number, e.g. (Smith, 2016, ch. 1)
In APA Style , you can count the paragraph numbers in a text to identify a location by paragraph number. MLA and Chicago recommend that you only use paragraph numbers if they’re explicitly marked in the text.
For audiovisual sources (e.g. videos ), all styles recommend using a timestamp to show a specific point in the video when relevant.
Check if your university or course guidelines specify which citation style to use. If the choice is left up to you, consider which style is most commonly used in your field.
Other more specialized styles exist for certain fields, such as Bluebook and OSCOLA for law.
The most important thing is to choose one style and use it consistently throughout your text.
If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.
Caulfield, J. (2024, January 17). How to Cite a Website | MLA, APA & Chicago Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved September 3, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/citing-sources/cite-a-website/
Other students also liked, how to cite an image | photographs, figures, diagrams, how to cite a lecture | apa, mla & chicago examples, how to cite a youtube video | mla, apa & chicago, scribbr apa citation checker.
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How to Cite Sources | Citation Generator & Quick Guide
The Basics of In-Text Citation | APA & MLA Examples
How to Cite in APA Format (7th edition) | Guide & Generator
How to Cite Sources | Citation Examples for APA, MLA & ...
Citing Sources. In academic writing, any time you use direct quotes, ideas, or information that is either not common knowledge or is from outside your own experience, you must cite where you found these things (the source). Although there are many different styles used to document sources (e.g. APA, CME, Chicago, or Turabian), the basic ...
APA Formatting and Style Guide (7th Edition) - Purdue OWL
How to Cite an Essay in MLA
How to Write an Academic Essay with References and ...
Citing Sources - Harvard Guide to Using Sources
In-text citations point the reader to the sources' information on the references page. The in-text citation typically includes the author's last name and the year of publication. If you use a direct quote, the page number is also provided. More information can be found on p. 253 of the 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the American ...
Overview - Citing sources - LibGuides at MIT Libraries
Free Citation Generator | APA, MLA, Chicago
In-text citations are quick references to your sources. In Harvard referencing, you use the author's surname and the date of publication in brackets. Up to three authors are included in a Harvard in-text citation. If the source has more than three authors, include the first author followed by ' et al. '.
In-Text Citations - Essay Writing - Monroe College LibGuides ...
Cite Your Sources - Start Your Research
Always cite your sources when: You quote verbatim from someone else's work. You summarize or paraphrase someone else's work. You are conveying information which may be unfamiliar to your reader (e.g. statistics or factual data). You are not sure whether or not you need to cite. As mentioned above, when in doubt, err on the side of caution.
Citation Styles Guide | Examples for All Major Styles
Research and Citation Resources - Purdue OWL
Citing Sources: What are citations and why should I use them?
Citation Machine®: Format & Generate - APA, MLA, & Chicago
Citation Examples | Books, Articles, Websites & More
EasyBib®: Free Bibliography Generator - MLA, APA, Chicago ...
How to Cite a Website | MLA, APA & Chicago Examples