This guide provides examples for citing Web documents that are not published as part of a journal, magazine, or newspaper. A guide is also available on citing articles from databases (e.g. JSTOR).
Know that we feel your pain in trying to make sense of all of these, so feel free to contact us if you need additional help.
In MLA style, the components are arranged this way:
Author. “Document Title.” Publication or Web Site Title. Name of sponsoring organization (if no sponsor or publisher is listed, use N.p. for “no publisher”), Date of publication (if no date is listed, use n.d.). Web. Date of access.
Example of MLA style:
Dews, Fred. “The Economic Benefits of Fracking.” Brookings Now. Brookings Institution, 23 Mar. 2015. Web. 17 Mar. 2017.
In APA style, the components are arranged this way:
Author. (Date of publication [if no date is listed, use n.d.]). Document title. Retrieved from [sponsor’s name] website: URL
Example of APA style:
Dews, F. (2015, March 23). The economic benefits of fracking. Retrieved from the Brookings Institution website: https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brookings-now/2015/03/23/the-economic-benefits-of-fracking/
In Chicago’s Notes & Bibliography style, the components are arranged this way:
Author. “Document Title.” Web Site Title. Date published or last modified. Date accessed. URL.
Example:
Dews, Fred. “The Economic Benefits of Fracking.” Brookings Now. March 23, 2015. Accessed March 17, 2017. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brookings-now/2015/03/23/the-economic-benefits-of-fracking/.
In Chicago’s Author-Date system, the components are arranged this way:
Author. Year of publication. “Document Title.” Title or owner of the site, month and date of publication. Date accessed. URL.
Example:
Dews, Fred. 2015. “The Economic Benefits of Fracking.” Brookings Now, March 23. Accessed March 17, 2017. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brookings-now/2015/03/23/the-economic-benefits-of-fracking/.
In CSE’s citation-sequence or citation-name style, the components are arranged this way:
Author(s). Title [Internet]. Place of publication (if not known, use [place unknown]): Publisher (if none listed, use [publisher unknown]) ; date of publication [date of latest update; date of access]. Available from: URL
Example:
Dews, F. “The economic benefits of fracking [Internet]. Washington, D.C.: The Brookings Institution; 2015 Mar 25 [accessed 2017 Mar 17] Available from: https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brookings-now/2015/03/23/the-economic-benefits-of-fracking/
In CSE’s name-year style, the components are arranged this way:
Author(s). Title [Internet]. Date of publication. Place of publication (if not known, use [place unknown]): Publisher (if none listed, use [publisher unknown]); [updated date; date of access]. Available from: URL
Example:
Dews, F. 2015 Mar 25. “The economic benefits of fracking [Internet]. Washington, D.C.: The Brookings Institution. [accessed 2017 Mar 17] Available from: https://www.brookings.edu/blog/brookings-now/2015/03/23/the-economic-benefits-of-fracking/
Perma.cc is a free service that creates a snapshot of a webpage, and provides a persistent link to that preserved copy for use in citations. This is particularly important when creating citations for use in published works, and when a permanent URL is not available for a web resource.
Using Perma.cc is a strategy for mitigating “link rot” within your citations—when web pages become unavailable, or their content changes from what it was at the time of citation.
Anyone may register for a free Perma.cc account and save up to 10 personal links in a private folder. For enhanced access to Perma.cc beyond these 10 saved web pages, Lafayette College affiliates can request an organization account by contacting permacc.group@lafayette.edu using their Lafayette email address.
When citing a web resource for which a Perma.cc link has been created, it is recommended to include both the original URL as well as the Perma.cc URL in the citation.
For more information on creating, managing, and organizing Perma.cc links, see the Harvard Law School Library Perma.cc Guide.
For more detailed information and examples, consult the sources listed below.
MLA Style
MLA Handbook
Skillman Ref Desk: LB2369 .G53 2016
APA Style
Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association
Skillman Ref Desk: BF 76.7 .P83 2010
Frequently Asked Questions about APA Style from the American Psychological Association.
Chicago Style
Chicago-Style Citation Quick Guide from the Chicago Manual of Style Online.
Chicago Manual of Style
Skillman & Kirby Ref Desks: Z253 .U69
CSE Style
Scientific Style and Format: The CSE Manual for Authors, Editors, and Publishers
Skillman Ref Desk: T11 .S386 2011