Library: Citation Guide: Websites

Websites

Footnote

#. Author’s firstname lastname, “Article title,” Broader Website, date, URL.

#. John Sudworth, “The faces from China's Uyghur detention camps,” BBC, May 2022, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/extra/85qihtvw6e/the-faces-from-chinas-uyghur-detention-camps?utm_source=digg.

Shortened footnote

#. Author’s lastname, “Shortened title.”

#. Sudworth, “The faces.”

Bibliography

Author’s lastname, firstname. “Article Title.” Broader Website, date. URL.

Sudworth, John. “The faces from China's Uyghur detention camps.” BBC, May 2022. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/extra/85qihtvw6e/the-faces-from-chinas-uyghur-detention-camps?utm_source=digg.

An institution can sometimes be considered the author, particularly if an institution puts out a website but gives no specific authors' names. If the institution’s name begins with a, an, or the, alphabetize the name by the next word.

Footnote

#. Human Rights Watch, “China: Baseless Imprisonments Surge in Xinjiang,” February 24, 2021, https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/02/24/china-baseless-imprisonments-surge-xinjiang.

Shortened footnote

#. Human Rights Watch, “China.”
Bibliography

Human Rights Watch. “China: Baseless Imprisonments Surge in Xinjiang.” February 24, 2021. https://www.hrw.org/news/2021/02/24/china-baseless-imprisonments-surge-xinjiang.

Footnote

#. Author firstname lastname, “Title,” Blog Name (blog), date (time if known), URL.

#. Juan Cole, “The Unbearable Whiteness of Being French: Murderer of Kurds ‘William M.’ Treated with kid Gloves,” Informed Comment (blog), December 27, 2022, https://www.juancole.com/2022/12/unbearable-whiteness-murderer.html.

Shortened footnote

#. Author’s lastname, “Shortened title.”

#. Cole, “The Unbearable Whiteness.”

Bibliography

Author lastname, firstname. “Title.” Blog Name (blog), date (time if known). URL.

Cole, Juan. “The Unbearable Whiteness of Being French: Murderer of Kurds ‘William M.’ Treated with kid Gloves.” Informed Comment (blog), December 27, 2022. https://www.juancole.com/2022/12/unbearable-whiteness-murderer.html.

Using Stable URLs

A bibliographic citation is meant to give the reader all of the information she needs to find and access the source being cited. When citing web pages, that means including the web address, otherwise known as the URL or Uniform Resource Locator. Citing websites can be tricky. While many works on the internet are freely open to anyone, many others are only available to verified users with a login or users who pay to get access to something behind a paywall. If you are citing a source that requires a login or is behind a paywall, you MUST use what is variously called a stable URL or permalink. While a stable URL/permalink will not necessarily give every reader access to the article or content, they will at least be directed to a page that shows that the article is indeed there. If you instead put a non-stable URL, like the URL from the top browser bar, then a reader who types in or click on that link will not be directed to that article.

One specific type of stable URL is a DOI (Digital Object Identifier), a URL which is permanently linked to that object. Anyone making online content can register their content with the DOI organization. DOIs all begin https://www.doi.org or https://doi.org

Many article databases note a stable URL or include a tool for finding one. On JSTOR, a stable URL and DOI can be found on the left side of the page when you click on an article. On EBSCO Academic Search Complete, there is an option for obtaining a permalink at the bottom of the right-hand column; look for the chain-link icon. Click on it and the permalink will appear above the article title.