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How to Cite an Internet Reference

The Modern Language Association gives guidelines for writers who want to cite internet references in their essays in the "Modern Language Association Handbook." This style guide, however, admonishes writers to evaluate potential web sources thoroughly before incorporating material from them into papers. The editors suggest that a published book, a chapter from an edited volume or an article from a journal, magazine or newspaper usually constitutes a more reliable source than most web references. Your internet reference citations will consist of two parts: an in-text citation and a works cited.

Instructions

  1. Evaluating Web Sources

    • 1

      Determine the author of the web source. Ask yourself if he possess the qualifications to write authoritatively about the subject. If you are unsure about this, consider contacting him. If no contact information is available, you may want to consider finding a different source.

    • 2

      Find out about the publisher of the web site: is it a public institution or a private entity? Decide if the publisher is qualified to host information about the subject.

    • 3

      Assess the objectivity of the source. Figure out if the author expresses an opinion or a non-biased perspective. Make sure that she is not simply trying to market a product or idea.

    • 4

      Date the source. If the information has not been published recently, this may be a problem if you are looking at statistics, for instance. Look out for tell-tale signs of outdated web sources, such as dead or broken links.

    • 5

      Examine at page's physical design. If it has been poorly laid out or if it contains a large number of images and very little text, it may not be a reliable source.

    Citing Sources

    • 6

      Enclose an abbreviated version of the internet reference's title in quotation marks and parentheses for your in-text citation. For example:

      ("Pavement Biography")

    • 7

      If the source provides one, give a page number for your internet reference. If not, you may optionally use a paragraph number with the abbreviation par.

      ("Pavement Biography" par. 3)

    • 8

      Give the page title in quotation marks to begin your works cited entry.

      "Pavement Biography."

    • 9

      Follow this with the author's name, the publisher of the site, and the date. Omit any information not given.

      "Pavement Biography." Matador Records.com. 9 Mar. 2009.

    • 10

      Write "Web" followed by a period and the date you last accessed the internet reference.

      "Pavement Biography." Matador Records.com. 9 Mar. 2009. Web. 27 Jun. 2011.

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