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Reading Writing Lab

MLA Citations: Online Sources

The Standard Order

The Internet is a great source for finding all different types of information. Indeed, almost every type of source listed within this resource, each of which has its own section, can also be found online. Keeping this in mind, citing an online source usually involves citing it the way it would be had you found it offline and then adding the information for the website that you found it on at the end.

  1. Author's Name.
  2. Title of the Article/Webpage/Post.
  3. Title of Website.
  4. Version or Edition Used.
  5. Sponsoring Organization of Website. (If not available, write N.p..)
  6. Date of Publication.
  7. Publication Medium.*
  8. Date of Access.

*Previously, within the Works Cited page, the medium of publication was not required as part of the citation. However, because of the broader scope of sources available to students now, it is important to include the medium. Most of the time you will use "Print" or "Web", but there are many others to be aware of. (Television, Radio, CD, Audiocassette, LP, Film, Videocassette, Slide Program, DVD, Sound Filmstrip, Laser Disc, Performance, Vocal Scores, Private Collection, Reading, Address, E-Mail, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, PDF File, MP3 File, etc.)

***Notice that the newest edition of MLA no longer requires the inclusion of the URL. Because of the impermanent and ever-changing nature of the web, you only need to include as much information as is necessary to be able to search for the source. If the author and title is not enough to lead one to your source, then include the URL after the Date of Access.***

Also, though we have not listed below every type of source found online, any of the following can be sited by using the format for an entire website, a webpage within a website, or an article from an electronic database.A Government Document Online A Government Website or Webpage within A Website Online Reviews, Editorials, Letters to the Editor, and Press Releases An Article in An Online Series An Online Book A Blog or Message Board Post An E-mail An Image, Map, Cartoon, or Advertisement Online Movies TV Shows, Videos, and Video ClipsSongs and Sound Recordings

EXAMPLES

An Entire Website or Single Page

Last Name, First Name. Title of Website. Vers. #. Sponsoring Organization, Date of Publication. Web. Date Accessed.

MacArthur, John D., and Catherine T MacArthur. Self-Esteem. Research Network on Socioeconomic Status and Health, Mar. 2004. Web. 22 July 2008.

The History Channel. A&E Television Networks, 22 July 2008. Web. 22 July 2008.

Homestar Runner.com. 21 July 2008. Web. 22 July 2008.

If the site is a class website, your instructor is the author. After the title of the course, type "Course Home Page." Then list the term or semester.

Last Name, First Name. Title of Course. Course home page. Term. Name of Department, Institution. Date Updated. Web. Date Accessed.

Smith, Troy. POSC 110: Thinking and Writing in Political Science. Course Home Page. Winter 2008. Political Science Department, Brigham Young University-Hawaii, 5 Jan. 2008. Web. 4 Jul. 2008.

For a personal home page, type, "Home Page" if the home page does not have a title.

Last Name, First Name. Title of Home Page or Home page. Sponsor (if applicable), Date Updated. Web. Date Accessed. URL.*

*This is a case in which the URL may be necessary for one to find the source.

Lincoln, Abraham. The Lincoln Family Tree. 12 February 1999. Web. 21 Jul. 2008. .

Speer, Kalle. Home page. 15 Nov. 2005. Web. 21 Jul. 2008. .

A Webpage in a Website

Last Name, First Name. "Title of Webpage." Title of Website. Vers. #. Sponsoring Agency, Date Updated. Web. Date Accessed.

Atkin, Ronald. "Wimbledon 2008 in Review." Wimbledon 2008. IBM Corp, 7 July 2008. Web. 22 July 2008.

Emerson, Ralph Waldo. "Give All to Love." Poetry.com. Web. 18 Oct. 2008.

"Keiki." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., 12 April 2008. Web. 22 July 2008.

"John Steinbeck." Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2008. Web. 22 July 2008.

"Random." Def. 6. Dictionary.com Unabridged. Vers. 1.1. Random House, Inc. Web. 22 July 2008.

An Article (or Abstract) from Online Electronic Database

These are the kinds of articles you get from databases such as JSTOR and EBSCO. If you got it through a library subscription service, then you will also need to include the name of the library. If you are citing an Abstract, type "Abstract" after the page numbers. Since the URLs of individual articles from databases are usually unstable, you may cite the main datapage's "Search Page" if known. A second option is to list the Keywords used. Or else, you can leave the URL out completely, ending the entry with the date accessed.

Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Title of Periodical volume.number (date): page number(s). Name of Database. Web. Date Accessed.

Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Title of Periodical volume.number (date): page number(s). Abstract. Name of Database. Web. Date Accessed.

Bower, Bruce. "Growing Up Online." Science News 169.24 (June 2006): 376-78. JSTOR. Web. 1 Aug. 2008.

Schepers, Anastasia. "Beyond Breaded, Battered, and Fried: Reel in Seafood Benefits." Environmental Nutrition 31.6 (June 2008): 5. Alt Health Watch. Web. 1 Aug. 2008.

Barret, Anne E., Cheryl Robbins. "The Multiple Sources of Women's Aging Anxiety and Their Relationship with Psychological Distress." Journal of Aging and Health 20.1 (Feb 2008):32-65. Abstract. Social Services Abstracts. Web. 1 Aug. 2008.