In the earlier posts, we have already discussed
- How citations can help you avoid charges of plagiarism
- How to use APA Style Citations for:
- How to use MLA style citations for books
In this post, I will focus on MLA style citation for a website.
When you cite any source, your citation will have two parts:
- There will be an in-text citation in your content at the point where you have used the referenced content. This just indicates that you are quoting or paraphrasing someone’s work and briefly identifies this source.
- There will be a full citation giving all details of the source as and entry in the Works Cited list at the end of the document. This entry gives all details of the source content such as the authors, name of publication, publisher details, and more.
Format for In-Text Citations
The in-text citation appears within the main text where the referenced content is used. Remember that you should cite sources irrespective of how you have used the source content; you may have directly quoted the referenced content, used a part of it, or then paraphrased it.
- Narrative citation is the one that uses the author’s name in the text. In the case of websites, there are no page numbers, and so the in-text citation generally uses the narrative format with the author’s last name mentioned.
For example:
Panangipally says “One of the most important characteristics of effective technical writing is consistency; be it in form, function, or style of writing.”
The only way to be more specific is to mention the paragraph numbers of the referenced content on the web page.
For example:
Panangipally (2015) says “One of the most important characteristics of effective technical writing is consistency; be it in form, function, or style of writing” (par. 2). - Parenthetical citation is one where you are quoting, paraphrasing, summarising or in any way referencing content from the source without mentioning the author name. In this case, the author’s last name is included in parentheses at the end of the content.
For example:
One of the most important characteristics of effective technical writing is consistency; be it in form, function, or style of writing (Panangipally).
Format for Citations in the Works Cited List
While the in-text citation indicates that we have referenced another work, the complete details will be included as a full citation in the Works Cited list. This entry will help the reader locate the source content.
For every in-text citation, there must be a corresponding entry in the Works Cited list; similarly, every source in the Works Cited list must have been cited in the main text.
Include any other sources that you have referred to but not used used and cited in your content as a separate list under the title Bibliography. Only sources that have been cited should be under the Works Cited list.
The general format for the MLA style citation for a website as mentioned in the Works Cited list is:
Last Name of Author, First Name Middle Initial. “Title of the Page”. Site Name, Date of Publication as DD Month YYYY, DOI or URL.
For example:
Panangipally, Aruna. “Understanding Structured Authoring.” Ibruk Consulting, 15 June 2018, ibruk.in/understanding-structured-authoring/.
Or
Organization Name. “Title of page”. Site Name, Date of Publication as DD Month YYYY, URL.
For example:
BBC. “Virus Drives Airlines to ‘worst’ Year on Record.” BBC News, 9 June 2020, www.bbc.com/news/business-52983756.
Citation Style When Some Information is Missing
When the Author Name or Organisation is Not Known
When the author name or the organisation name is not known, then use the format:
“Title of the Page”. Site Name, Date of Publication as DD Month YYYY, DOI or URL.
For example:
“Technical Writing and Instructional Design Case Studies.” Ibruk Consulting, 24 Aug. 2017, ibruk.in/technical-writing-instructional-design-case-studies/.
When the Date of Publication is Not Known
When the date of publication is not known, just omit the publication date and use the format:
Last Name of Author, First Name Middle Initial. “Title of the Page”. Site Name, DOI or URL.
For example:
“Technical Writing and Instructional Design Case Studies.” Ibruk Consulting, ibruk.in/technical-writing-instructional-design-case-studies/.
When the Content is Likely to Change with Time
When you reference a website or a page whose content may change with time, use the format for the MLA style citation for a website is:
Last Name of Author, First Name Middle Initial. “Title of the Page”. Site Name, Date of Publication as DD Month YYYY, DOI or URL. Accessed DD Month YYYY.
For example:
“Technical Writing and Instructional Design Case Studies.” Ibruk Consulting, 24 Aug. 2017, ibruk.in/technical-writing-instructional-design-case-studies/. Accessed 26 June 2020.