How to Cite an Internet Source Sheet

If you have to write a paper for work or school, you probably have to cite your sources. Two common ways of citing sources are by using Modern Language Association, or MLA, and American Psychological Association, or APA, format. Each style varies in the information that you need to include, so it's best to double-check with your instructor or editor when compiling your source sheet.

Instructions

MLA Format

    1

    Locate the author of the Internet source. Write the name as last name and first name. For example, if the author is Robert Lee, write "Lee, Robert." Follow this with a period.

    2

    Write the title in quotes. Follow this with a period. It should look like this: "How to Cite Internet Sources."

    3

    Enter the name the website. Make sure to italicize it and follow it with a period. For example, if the website is named VirtualSalt, you would italicize that exact name.

    4

    Include the date that the source published or revised. If there is no date, use the copyright date at the bottom of the website. Write it as day, month and year. If the article was published on July 4, 2010, write it as "4 July 2010." Follow the date with a period.

    5

    Write the date that you found the source. Also, write it as day, month and year. If you came upon the article on November 20, 2010, write it as "20 November 2010." Follow this with a period.

    6

    Include the full URL of the website. Enclose the website with brackets. It should look like this: . Include a period after the URL.

APA Format

    7

    Locate the author's name. Write it as last name and first initial. For the author, Robert Lee, write it out as "Lee, R." Follow with a period.

    8

    Write the date of the article. In this case, you would write it as year, month and day. For the date July 4, 2010, write it out as "(2010, July 4)," with the parentheses. Follow with a period.

    9

    Find the title of the article. Capitalize only the first letter of the title. The title How to Cite Internet Sources should look like: How to cite internet sources. Italicize the title and follow it with a period.

    10

    Include "Retrieved from" and the website URL. It should appear as follows, without the quotes: "Retrieved from http://www.websiteURL.com/source.html".

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