Referring to an entire website: If you are citing an entire website in your paper, and not indicating a

specific idea, fact or document, it is acceptable to simply include the URL of the website in
parantheses within your writing. For example:
The MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia allows users to browse for topics and find information on a
variety of health topics and medical procedures
(http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/encyclopedia.html).
However, if you are referring to a specific piece of information or directly quoting information on the
website, you will need to create both a text and reference citation for that material.

Elements of a Reference Citation of Online Material

If you are citing an electronic version of a book (or book chapter), journal article, ERIC document,
dissertation or thesis, use the above tabs to find information on citing those materials. Below is a
guide for citing online materials that do not fit the norm of the publication world. For more information,
refer to the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 6th edition, pp.211212, 7.09 Unpublished and Informally Published Works.

Author - the author is the person or organization taking credit for the information. If you are not sure
who is taking responsibility for the information, look for an About Us link or who is copyrighting the
material.
Personal author(s) example: Jane Smith & Michael J. Johnson
Corporate author examples:
American Heart Association (a non-profit organization)
National Cancer Institute (a government organization)
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company (a commercial organization)

Date Beware: many websites include a current date feature, which dates the page with todays
date. This is not the date upon which the information was written, it is the date you are
viewing it. In your citation, you need to include the date the information was written or
copyrighted.
1.

2.

3.

4.

Copyright Date - generally found at the bottom of the page; if a date range is given (20072010), give only the most current year - 2010.
A byline date is sometimes used near the top of the webpage: May 1, 2004
A date of last update may be found at the top or bottom of the page and looks something
like: Updated: 8:43 a.m. MT May 10, 2009.
If the website has no date associated with it, your citation will reflect this by an (n.d.) where
the date should be.

Title This rule works sometimes, not always look in the extreme upper, left-hand corner of your
web browser page. If you are using Internet Explorer, you should see the symbol for IE, the title of
the webpage, and then the words Internet Explorer. Sometimes the title is not here, and you will need
to look at the information on the page to find the title.

Retrieval Date - Include a retrieval date only with material that is expected to change over time
(such as wikis).

URL Be careful to get the correct URL (Uniform Resource Locator or web address).
Comments (0)

Examples of website citations

Corporate Author
American Heart Association. (2009). Learn you levels. Retrieved from
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=513
HealthCentral Network. (2009). Heart attack symptoms and warning signs. Retrieved
from http://www.healthcentral.com/heart-disease/patient-guide-44510-6.html
U.S. Food and Drug Administration. (2009, July 24). Smoking cessation products to help
you quit. Retrieved from http://www.fda.gov/hearthealth/riskfactors/riskfactors.html
Personal Author(s)

Hoffman, D. (2009). Diagnosing skin cancer on nose. Retrieved from

http://health.ivillage.com/cancer/sc/0,,6f9v,00.html
Irving, I. & Kuan, X. (2009, August 25). Crime, punishment and poverty in the United States.
Retrieved http://ideas.repec.org/p/dal/wparch/uspov.html
Wiki - please note that I have not yet found an example of a wiki citation in the 6th edition, so this
citation refers to the 2007 Update.
Study spots. (2007). Retrieved January 4, 2008, from the University of Stanford Wiki:
http://stanford.wikia.com/wiki/Study_Spots
Blog Article - please note that I have not yet found an example of a blog article citation in the 6th
edition, so this citation refers to the 2007 Update.
Ruiz, V. (2007, August 8). Wearing your anatomy on your skin: The anatomy tattoo gallery. In Street
anatomy:
Medicine + art + design. Retrieved January 9, 2008, from http://streetanatomy.com/blog/?p=132
Blog Post
c4nn1b4l. (2009, August 9). Re: Wearing your anatomy on your skin: The anatomy tattoo gallery
[Web
log message]. Retrieved from http://streetanatomy.com/blog/?p=132
Podcasts
Fogarty, M (Producer). (2006, October 8). Excessive redundant redundancies [Show 18]. Grammar
Girl: Quick
and Dirty Tips for Better Writing. Podcast retrieved from http://grammar.quickanddirtytips.com/
Smith, C. (Producer). (2006, January 8). Obesity, appetite, exercise and weight loss. The Naked
Scientists.
Podcast retrieved from http://www.thenakedscientists.com/