Internet research has become increasingly important as a source of information and ideas when writing research papers, term papers, and essays. As with printed materials, it is equally important to cite the source of the online information or significant ideas.
“In general terms, a citation is a reference to a published or unpublished source” (Wikipedia (2011). Citation. Retrieved January 13, 2011 from Wikipedia: Link here)
When quoting directly from another source, you must enclose the cited material in quotation marks as illustrated above. You must then cite the source of the cited item either inline in a parenthetical citation or in a footnote.
Two of the most popular citation formats are:
The American Psychological Association (APA) style
The Modern Language Association (MLA) style
Using the example above, we know the following information about the cited article:
Author Name: Unknown Title: Citation Date First Published: Unknown Date Last Updated: Jan 13, 2011 10:40 AM Date Accessed: Jan 13, 2011 Source: Wikipedia URL: Link here.
Internet citation using APA format
To cite a document from an Internet site, begin the citation with the author’s name, if given. Follow this with the publication date or last updated date in parentheses and then the title of the paper. Continue with the name of the project, site, or database in italics. Follow this with “Retrieved” followed by the date of retrieval and the word “from” followed by the URL of the specific work or document.
Using the previous example:
(January 13, 2011). Appointment. On Wikipedia. Retrieved on January 13, 2011, from Link here.
Internet citation using the MLA format
To cite a document from an Internet site, begin the citation with the name of the author and, in quotation marks, the title of the work. If the author is not given, begin the citation with the title of the material, enclosed in quotation marks. Continue with Post Date (or the date the page was last modified). Follow this with the access date. Finally follow with the URL enclosed in angle brackets ().
Using the previous example:
“Appointment”. Wikipedia. January 13, 2011 10:40 a.m. Consulted: January 13, 2011. Link here.
When directly citing online sources or paraphrasing ideas online, it is very important to cite the source of the above information using one of the formats described for a couple of reasons:
Give the true author credit for their work.
It will help you avoid being accused of plagiarism.