How to Cite a Web Resource

Ref says:
"Don't be a stinker.
Cite all your resources!"



Citing Text | Citing Images | Links | Note to Teachers | References


Be a Team Player! Give credit where credit is due, by creating a reference for every online resource you use. TekMom's favorite format for citing Web resources is from Classroom Connect. Here it is, color-coded for ease of use:

Author. Title. [Online] Available http://address/filename, Date.


Example of a finished citation (color-coded):

Savage, Anne. How to Cite a Web Resource. [Online] Available http://www.tekmom.com/cite/index.html, January 5, 2000.


Of course, you'll type it in black, like this:

Savage, Anne. How to Cite a Web Resource. [Online] Available http://www.tekmom.com/cite/index.html, January 5, 2000.


Here's another one which cites the resource used in creating this page:

Classroom Connect. Citing Internet Resources. [Online] Available http://www.connectedteacher.com/newsletter/citeintres.asp, October 3, 1999.



To create a text citation, you'll need to collect four pieces of information from the web page. Here is how to find and write down each one:

Information Needed
Explanation

1. Author

Usually at top or bottom of page. Use this format: Lastname, Firstname MI.
If no author name can be found, use the editor or the compiler of the information.

2. Title

Usually at the top of the web page or in the title bar of the browser window.

3. URL

The web address, starting with http://

4. Date

The date on the page or the date you are looking at the page. Use this format: January 1, 2000




To cite an image (graphic, picture, map, photo), you can use the following format from Classroom Connect:

Description or title of image. [Online image] Available http://address/filename, Date.


Example of a final citation (color-coded):

Two beluga whales. [Online image] Available http://www.seaworld.org/beluga_whales/beluga_col.gif, January 5, 2000.


In black:

Two beluga whales. [Online image] Available http://www.seaworld.org/beluga_whales/beluga_col.gif, January 5, 2000.



Links to more information on citation, intellectual property rights and plagiarism:
Note to Teachers:

Even young students can begin citing their work. If they can cut and paste a picture from the Web, then they can at least cut and paste the URL to get them in the habit of giving credit to others.

For older students, if they cut and paste text from the Web for a report, they must put quotes around the text and create a citation for it. If they copy and paste a graphic, they must cite it. If they gather information but tell it in their own words (paraphrase), they should still cite the original resource. "Plagiarism often starts with the notetaking stage of the research process." (Williams, 1996). Teach students to gather the required pieces of citation information as soon as they begin online research.

A great suggestion from Indiana University's Writing Tutorial Service can work well for students of all ages: have the students read the information, then look away and "[w]rite out the idea in your own words without peeking." (Indiana University, 2000). If students are tempted to look at the monitor, you can tell them to hit the "back" button to hide it - or perhaps the students don't understand the information yet, and need to read it again more slowly and carefully.

 

References:

Classroom Connect. Citing Internet Resources. [Online] Available http://www.connectedteacher.com/newsletter/citeintres.asp, October 3, 1999.

Indiana University, Writing Tutorial Services. Plagiarism: What It is and How to Recognize and Avoid It. [Online] Available http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/wts/plagiarism.html, March 3, 2000.

Williams, Sharon. Avoiding Plagiarism. [Online] Available http://www.hamilton.edu/academic/Resource/WC/AvoidingPlagiarism.html, June 26, 1996.

 
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TekMom's Citation Page last updated on February 28, 2002.
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