Websites can be referred to by their title, by the name of the owner, sponsor or author, or by a descriptive phrase. When the source does not include an author’s name, cite the name of the organisation that owns the website. Some websites use their domain name as their website name. In the note and reference, titled sections or pages of websites are enclosed in quotation marks, but titles of entire websites are not. The word "website" enclosed in parentheses may be added after the title of the site if the nature of the source may otherwise be unclear.
If the source is undated, reference the access date and include n.d. as the year of publication. For frequently updated sources, reference a time stamp or a last modified date and retain a copy of the information. For assessment tasks, students may be required to include access dates for all online sources. Online sources may not have fixed page numbers, in the absence of page numbers use other locaters such as section headings if needed.
Rule for Note |
Note number. "Title or description of specific page," Title, description, or owner of website, Year of Publication, URL. |
Example of Note entry |
1. “National Architecture Prizes & Competitions,” The Australian Institute of Architects, 2018, http://www.architecture.com.au/events/national/prizes-competitions. |
Subsequent Note entry |
2. “National Architecture Prizes & Competitions.” |
Rule for Bibliography |
Author’s Surname, Author’s Given Name, or Organisation's Name. "Title of Webpage." Website Name, Year of Publication. URL. |
Example of Bibliography entry |
The Australian Institute of Architects. “National Architecture Prizes & Competitions.” architecture.com.au. 2018. http://www.architecture.com.au/events/national/prizes-competitions. |
Citations of blogs include the author of the post, the title of the post, the title of the blog, the date of the post, and the URL. Titles of blog posts, like articles in journals, are enclosed in quotation marks. Titles of blogs are set in italics. The word "blog" enclosed in parentheses may be added after the title of the blog, unless it is part of the title.
Blog posts, like newspaper articles, can often be cited in footnotes alone; if a bibliography entry is needed, it is listed under the author’s surname. The distinction between a blog and a website will be sometimes blurry. When in doubt, treat the source like a website.
Rule for Note |
Note number. Author's Full Name, "Title of the Blog Post," Title of the Blog (blog), Date of Post, URL. |
Example of Note entry |
1. Martin Earl, 'What Must Be Said," Poetry Foundation (blog), April 10, 2012, https://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2012/04/what-must-be-said/. |
Subsequent Note entry |
2. Earl, "What must be said." |
Rule for Bibliography |
Author's Surname, Given Name. "Title of the Blog Post." Title of the Blog (blog), Date of Post. URL. |
Example of Bibliography entry |
Earl, Martin. "What Must Be Said." Poetry Foundation (blog), April 10, 2012. https://www.poetryfoundation.org/harriet/2012/04/what-must-be-said/. |
Publicly shared social media sources such as Facebook and Twitter are cited by the author’s name along with their screen name. Because they do not generally include a title, citations can quote the entire content. Privately shared social media sources are cited like other forms of personal communication. To differentiate between multiple posts of the same day include a time stamp. Generally social media sources need not be included in bibliographies, but if a bibliography entry is needed, it is listed under the author’s surname.
Rule for Note |
Note number. Author’s Full Name (Author’s Screen Name), The First 160 Characters of the Post (or nearest phrase if longer), Name of the Social Media Service, Date Posted, URL. |
Example of Note entry |
1. Conan O’Brien (@ConanOBrien), “In honor of Earth Day, I’m recycling my tweets,” Twitter, April 22, 2015, https://twitter.com/ConanOBrien/status/590940792967016448. |
Subsequent Note entry |
2. O’Brien, “Earth Day." |
Rule for Bibliography |
Author’s Surname, Given Name (Author’s Screen Name). The First 160 Characters of the Post (or nearest phrase if longer). Name of the Social Media Service. Date Posted Including the Year. URL. |
Example of Bibliography entry |
O’Brien, Conan (@ConanOBrien). “In honor of Earth Day, I’m recycling my tweets.” Twitter. April 22, 2015. https://twitter.com/ConanOBrien/status/590940792967016448. |