MLA online citation sources are any electronic publications such as website, online articles, emails, and images. Usually, your citation should include URL (without https://) or DOI and date of access. In this case, highlighting the date when the information was accessed may be important as websites and publications are updated regularly.
In general, the citation will look like this:
Example:
In our citation examples we use the following color coding:
- Red – Author
- Blue – Title of book/article/charter/webpage
- Pink – Date
- Orange – Website/Publisher
- Turquoise – Place of publication
- Green – Title of journal
- Violet – Editor/Translator
- Black – Volume/Issue
- Sienna – Pages
- Gray – URL/database/website where the source is retrieved
- Gold – Book, a part/chapter of which is being cited
Entire website
When citing the entire website, it is necessary to provide full URL (without https://) and the date, when the source was accessed.
Example:
www.starbucks.com/. Accessed 24 Jan. 2016.
Page from website
Example:
eHow, www.ehow.com/how_2227693_art-piece-using-tree-branches.html.
Accessed 24 Jan. 2017.
In this case, if the exact author is unknown, one should skip this part and start with the title of the page (see Page from Website with Unknown Author for an example).
Image from website
This format can be actively used when citing famous paintings, sculptures, and artworks that are available online.
Example:
Learning, www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/vincent-van-gogh-the-starry-
night-1889. Accessed 24 Jan. 2017.
Be sure to use this format for images from the Internet too. The common problem is that there’s no author mentioned. That’s not the problem. Just skip it and cite everything in a usual way.
Example:
Stories, National Geographic, 11 Jan. 2017, www.nationalgeographic.com/photography/proof/2017/01/edward-burtynsky-earth-human-landscapes/. Accessed 24 Jan. 2017.
Online book
The basic book format is used here followed by the name of the electronic library (italicized) and the URL.
Example:
Humanities E-book, hdl.handle.net/2027/heb.07588.0001.001.
Portion of an online book
A chapter or a book that is a part of a larger work is taken in parenthesis. The name of an electronic library (italicized) followed by an URL ends the line.
Example:
Allan Poe, edited by James A. Harrison, vol. 4, Thomas Y. Crowell, 1902, pp.
250-58. HathiTrust Digital Library,
babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924079574368;view=1up;seq=266.
Article in an online journal (journal article from database)
Example:
Forensic Applications.” PLoS ONE, vol. 12, no. 1, 2017,
www.libguides.columbiansouthern.edu/ehost…789/. Accessed 20 Jan. 2017.
If the article can also be found in print, it is necessary to mention the page numbers.
Example:
for Forensic Applications.” PLoS ONE, vol. 12, no. 1, 2017, pp.458-471,
www.libguides.columbiansouthern.edu/ehost…789/. Accessed 20 Jan. 2017.
Article in an online magazine/newspaper
Example:
medievalfragments.com/2014/05/02/the-beauty-of-the-injured-book. Accessed
20 Jan. 2017.
Entire blog
The date can be usually found at the bottom of the web page along with the copyright information.
Example:
Comment or response on a blog post
Example:
Blog, 24 Jun. 2015, 11:34 p.m., www.contemporary-
travel.com/2015/24/06/10-best-destinations-in-germany/.
When citing an e-mail, the subject line is used as the title. It should be put in quotation marks and supported by the standard capitalization. No italics are required.
Example:
Video or film
If there is a general discussion of a film, a title of it should be followed by the names of creators and performers. A name of the distributor is also required.
Example:
Century Fox, 1988.
If a there is a need to focus on a specific participant, start the line with his or her name.
Example:
Podcast/YouTube
The name of the video is followed by the name of a hosting website (italicized). A name or a username of an uploader should be mentioned with the download date.
Example:
Nov. 2016, www.youtube.com/watch?v=h8yo_Sp-rGY.
Lecture/Public address
If the lecture or other live performance is cited, the city must be mentioned. However, it should be left out if it is already in the name of the event. The name of an organization should follow the name of the meeting. The speech title is taken into quotation marks.
Example:
Conference, 25 Mar. 2015, Royal York Hotel, Toronto. Address.
Government publication
If the author is unknown, mention the government and the department. The name of the publishing office must follow the title of the document.
Example:
Strategies for Future. Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, 2003.
Dissertation
Citing a dissertation is common to a book, but it has to include the “dissertation” word along with the name of the institution issuing a degree and a year it was awarded.
Example:
Schools. Dissertation, University of Iowa, 2013. UOI, 2015.
Page from website with unknown author
Example:
conditions/antibiotic-resistant-std-faq. Accessed 24 Jan. 2017.
Single blog entry
Example:
www.easyrecipes.com/04/25/2016/pumpkin-pie. Accessed 24 Jan. 2017.