Research the website itself. Make sure the website's information is reliable. Check to see if the website is an electronic copy of a print publication. If so, cite to the print version of the information according to the style required for your essay.
Collect the following information about the online source: author or editor, article title, website title, publisher, date the website was accessed, page numbers (if applicable), and the URL. Before giving up on any of this information, be sure it is truly not available, and not just difficult to locate.
Create the appropriate reference to the piece for your works cited page according the format prescribed for your essay. Refer carefully to the appropriate style manual. The format will vary according to the type of source and the information about the source that is available.
Create an in-text citation for the information according to your style manual. MLA format requires only the use of the appropriate signal word to direct the reader to the works cited listing. This goes in parentheses following the sentence containing the information cited. APA format requires the use of the author's name and either the publication date or the notation "n.d." When no author is known, the title of the article should be substituted.