Websites can be referred to by their exact title, by the name of the sponsor or author, or by a descriptive phrase. When the resource 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.
Informally published sources online may not include all the bibliographic information that formally published sources do. If the website does not have a publication or 'last modified' date, reference the access date and include 'n.d.' (no date) as the year of publication in both the reference list entry and the citation. 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 locators such as section headings.
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Rule for Citation |
(Author’s Surname or Organisation Year of Publication) or (Author’s Surname or Organisation, n.d.) |
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Example of Citation entry |
(The Australian Institute of Architects 2018) or (Alliance for Linguistic Diversity, n.d.) |
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Rule for Reference list |
Author or Organisation. Year of Publication. “Title of Webpage.” Website Name. URL. or Author or Organisation. n.d. “Title of Webpage.” Website Name. Accessed Date. URL. |
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Example of Reference list entry |
The Australian Institute of Architects. 2018. “National Architecture Prizes & Competitions.” architecture.com.au. https://wp.architecture.com.au/awards-2018/winners/ or Alliance for Linguistic Diversity. n.d. “Balkan Romani.” Endangered Languages. Accessed April 6, 2016. http://www.endangeredlanguages.com/lang/5342. |
Pamphlets, corporate reports, brochures, exhibition catalogues, and other freestanding publications are treated essentially as books. Information on author and publisher may not fit the normal pattern, but sufficient information should be given to identify the document.
References to 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. The distinction between a blog and a website will be sometimes blurry. When in doubt, treat the source like a website.
For assessment tasks, students may be required to include access dates for online sources.
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Rule for Citation |
(Author’s Surname Year Posted) |
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Example of Citation entry |
(Earl 2012) |
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Rule for Reference list |
Author’s Surname, Given Name. Year Posted. “Title of Blog Post.” Title of Blog (blog). URL. or Author’s Surname, Given Name. n.d. “Title of Blog Post.” Title of Blog (blog). Accessed Date. URL. |
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Example of Reference list entry |
Earl, Martin. 2012. “What Must Be Said.” Harriet (blog). 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.
Note: for social media content repeat the year along with the date posted in the reference list entry.
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Rule for Citation |
(Author’s Surname Year Posted) or (Author’s Screen Name Year Posted) |
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Example of Citation entry |
(O’Brien 2015) or (@ConanOBrien 2015) |
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Rule for Reference list |
Author’s Surname, Given Name (Author’s Screen Name). Year Posted. The First 160 Characters of the Post (or nearest phrase if longer). Name of the Social Media Service. Date Posted Including the Year. URL. |
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Example of Reference list entry |
O’Brien, Conan (@ConanOBrien). 2015. “In honor of Earth Day, I’m recycling my tweets.” Twitter. April 22, 2015. https://twitter.com/ConanOBrien/status/590940792967016448. |