Research on the Internet has become increasingly important as a source of information and ideas when writing research papers, final papers, and essays. As with printed materials, it is equally important to cite the source of online information or important ideas.

“Generally speaking, a citation is a reference to a published or unpublished source” (Wikipedia (2011). Citation. Retrieved January 13, 2011 from Wikipedia: Put the link here)

When quoting directly from another source, you must enclose the quoted material in quotation marks as illustrated above. You must then cite the source of the cited item either online in a parenthetical citation or in a footnote.

Two of the most popular dating formats are:

The style of the American Psychological Association (APA)

The Modern Language Association (MLA) style

Using the example above, we know the following information about the cited article:
Author Name: Unknown Title: Citation First Post Date: Unknown Last Updated Date: January 13, 2011 10:40 AM Access Date: January 13, 2011 Source: Wikipedia URL: Put the link here.

Dating on the Internet using the APA format

To cite a document from an Internet site, begin the citation with the author’s name, if provided. Follow this with the date of publication or the date of the last update in parentheses and then the title of the work. Continue with the project, site, or database name in italics. Follow this with “Retrieved” followed by the retrieval date and the word “from”, followed by the URL of the specific job or document.

Using the example above:
(January 13, 2011). Appointment. On Wikipedia. Retrieved January 13, 2011 from Put link here.

Dating on the Internet using the MLA format

To cite a document from an Internet site, begin the citation with the name of the author and, in quotation marks, the title of the work. If no author is given, begin the citation with the title of the material, in quotation marks. Continue with the Publish Date (or the date the page was last modified). Follow this with the date of access. Finally, follow with the URL enclosed in angle brackets ().

Using the example above:
“Appointment”. Wikipedia. January 13, 2011 10:40 AM. Accessed: January 13, 2011. Put the link here.

When directly citing sources online, or paraphrasing ideas online, it is very important to cite the source of the information above using one of the formats described for a couple of reasons:

He credits the real author for his work.

It will help avoid being accused of plagiarism.