Intern’s Corner: Referencing and Citing Sources Part III: Web Pages

This is the third installment of the referencing and citing sources series. In this series, I provide tips for using the OWL to help you locate the necessary information for citing your sources. The previous blog posts were Referencing and Citing Sources Part I: Printed Books and Part II: Database and Website. This week I will focus on citing web pages.

Referencing a web page with no author

When citing a website, the OWL provides a clear picture of where to find the necessary information without a named author. From the Locating Reference Information tutorial, click on the website image. You will see a diagram of a website with all of the necessary information highlighted in purple:

  • URL
  • Title of the Website
  • Article Title
  • Date

Web page detective work

For more explanation on how to reference a source without an author, go to the OWL and search for referencing a web page using APA and MLA. 

APA

Image of screenshot of online writing labs example of web page citation for APA regarding known or unknown author.

 

MLA (with and without an author listed)

Image of screenshot of online writing labs example of web page citation for MLA with unknown author.

Image of screenshot of online writing labs example of web page citation MLA style with known author.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

It can be discouraging if you are not able to locate the author of a web page, but the OWL provides ways of referencing your resource to ensure proper formatting. For information on deciding if a website is credible, check out the tutorial the OWL has put together.

Stay tuned for the next installment in the series, where I dive deeper into how the OWL helps learners with APA style.

 

Ginger Hamblin is an intern for the Excelsior University Online Writing Lab. She has been a student of Excelsior University for almost two years and is pursuing her Bachelor of Science – Liberal Arts in Professional and Technical Writing. She is a writing enthusiast, painter, wife, and mother of three boys.

boys.