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MLA Citation Style 8th Edition: World Wide Web Sources

Core Elements for World Wide Web Pages

Core Elements Websites
1. Author. Author(s) and/or editor(s).
2. Title of source. "Web Page or Article Title."
Container 1  
3. Title of container, Title of the Website,
4. Other contributors, Other contributors (if applicable),
5. Version,  
6. Number,  
7. Publisher, Publisher (if applicable and available),
8. Publication date, Publication date,
9. Location. doi:xxxxxxxxxx (DOI), URL (without "http://" or "https://) or permalink. 
Container 2  
3. Title of second container,  
4. Other contributors,  
5. Version,  
6. Number,  
7. Publisher,  
8. Publication date,  
9. Second location.  

NOTE:

  • MLA Handbook suggests including date of access for online works (day, month, and year) (53).
  • Cite containers such as collections of short stories or poems, a television series, or even a website. 
  • If you cannot locate any of the above components but found them in a reliable external source, cite them in square brackets (2.6.1). Otherwise, leave them out (www.mla.org/MLA-Style/What-s-New-in-the-Eighth-Edition).

Citation example (basic web page):

Toppo, Greg. “Do Video Games Inspire Violent Behavior?” Scientific American, Springer Nature, 1 July 2015, www.scientificamerican.com/article/do-video-games-inspire-violent-behavior/. Accessed 5 Sept. 2016.

Padgett, John B. “William Faulkner on the Web: An Introduction.” WFotW ~ Introduction to Faulkner on the Web, The University of Mississippi, 10 Oct. 2000, www.mcsr.olemiss.edu/~egjbp/faulkner/intro.html. Accessed 31 August 2016.

When is a Website a Container? (from MLA.org)

Entire website or Website homepage

Citation format:

Editor, author, or compiler name (if available). Name of Site. Version number, Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher), date of resource creation (if available), URL without http:// or https://, DOI or permalink. Date of access (if applicable).

MLA Style. Modern Language Association, 2016, www.mla.org/MLA-Style. Accessed 1 Sept. 2016. 

U. S. Department of Education. US Dept. of Education, www.ed.gov. Accessed 6 Sept. 2016.

 

Personal web page

Moss, Cindy. Skyline College. Instructor Page. Fall 2016, accounts.smccd.edu/moss/. Accessed 6 Sept. 2016.

Online book

An online book may be the electronic text of part or all of a printed book, or a book-length document available only on the Internet (e.g., a work of hyperfiction).

Bird, Isabella L. A Lady's Life in the Rocky Mountains. G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1881. Victorian Women Writers Project, general editor, Perry Willett, Indiana University, 20 Apr. 1998, www.indiana.edu/~letrs/vwwp/bird/rocky.html. Accessed 7 Sept. 2016.

Online book chapter

Bryant, Peter J. "The Age of Mammals." Biodiversity and Conservation, University of California, 2002, darwin.bio.uci.edu/sustain/bio65/lec02/b65lec02.htm. Accessed 7 Sept. 2016.

Article in an online journal

Wiwanitkit, Viroj. "Emerging Zika virus infection: What should we know." Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine, vol. 6, no. 7, July 2016, pp. 551–553. ScienceDirect, doi:10.1016/j.apjtb.2016.03.014. Accessed 7 Sept. 2016.

Article in an online magazine

Citation format:

Author Last Name, First Name. "Article title." Title of the web magazine, publisher name, publication date, URL (without http:// or https://). The date of access.

Main, Douglas. "We've Destroyed One-Tenth of Earth’s Wilderness In The Last 20 Years." Newsweek, 8 Sept. 2016, www.newsweek.com/one-tenth-earths-wilderness-destroyed-last-20-years-496706. Accessed 8 Sept. 2016.

Newspaper article from a newspaper website

Citation format:

Author Last Name, First Name. "Title of Article." Name of Website, Sponsor/Publisher of Website, Date of last update, URL without http:// or https://. Date of Access. 

Lattin, Don. "Religions Have Complicated Role in Globalization." SF Gate, San Francisco Chronicle, 23 February 2003, www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/02/23/LV133895.DTL. Accessed 7 Sept. 2016.

Bilmes, Linda J., and Joseph E. Stiglitz. "The Iraq War will Cost Us $3 Trillion, and Much More." Washingtonpost.com, Washington Post, 9 March 2008, www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/03/07/AR2008030702846.html. Accessed 8 Sept. 2016.

Poem or short story from a website

Collins, Billy. "More than a Woman." Poetry Magazine. Poetry Foundation, February 2002, www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/browse?contentId=41394. Accessed 1 Sept 2016.

Nesbit, Edith. "Marching Song." Ballads and Lyrics of Socialism. London, 1908. Victorian Women Writers Project, general editor, Perry Willett, Indiana University, May 2000. webapp1.dlib.indiana.edu/vwwp/view?docId=VAB7021;chunk.id=d1e720;toc.depth=1;toc.id=;brand=vwwp;doc.view=0;query=. Accessed 22 Aug. 2016.

Photograph or other image from a website

"Alcatraz_island.jpg." PRBO Conservation Science, 2011, www.prbo.org/cms/images/marine/Alcatraz/Alcatraz_island.jpg. Accessed 5 Sept. 2016.

Online Video Clip, e.g. YouTube video

Citation description:
Filmmaker's name, if available. "Title." Title of Web site, contributor's name (if any), date the video was posted on the site, URL without  http :// or https://. Date of viewing. 

Citation example:

Gallucci, Tony. "Sherman Alexie Speaks." YouTube, uploaded by Milk River Film, 9 Nov. 2007,  www.youtube.com/watch?v=NwiQb8OQ6dY. Accessed 25 Oct. 2016.

 

Song from YouTube

Citation description:
Artist, performer, composer, or conductor depending on which person is most responsible for the production or who you wish to emphasize. "Title of song." Title of Web site, contributor's name (if any), date the video was posted on the site, URL without  http :// or https://. Date accessed. 

Citation description:

McLean, Don. "Vincent ( Starry, Starry Night) With Lyrics." YouTube, Uploaded by wysty67, www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxHnRfhDmrk. Accessed 23 Nov. 2016.