Private Websites
MLA:
Mohanraj, Mary Anne. “Other Photos of Me.” Mary Anne Mohanraj.
[author.] [“section or page title.”] [website name.]
25 June 2006 <http://www.mamohanraj.com/BioPhotos/bio1.html>.
[date of access] [<URL>.]APA:
Mohanraj, M. A. Other photos of me. Mary Anne Mohanraj.
[author.] [section or page title.] [website name.]
Retrieved June 25, 2006, from http://www.mamohanraj.com/BioPhotos/bio1.html
[Retrieved date of access,] [from URL.]Chicago:
22. Mohanraj, “Other Photos of Me.”
[fn. #.] [author last name, “title.”]
[Shortened Chicago reference; see More Notes on Chicago Style for more information.]
[Note: In the Bibliography, Chicago style does not generally include date of access.]
Private websites come in many forms. Some dabble in multiple topics, about which the site’s author may not even profess any special expertise. Some announce themselves as fan sites, indicating that the author has an intense interest but no special background or credentials. Still others are quite professional in presentation, with authors who profess or demonstrate vast experience.
Just a few years ago, unreliable websites were often riddled with typographical errors or burdened with amateurish design and graphics. But it’s increasingly easy to host websites that look polished and professional, which can make it hard to judge whether the site’s sponsors take seriously the responsibility to check and update their information. For the purpose of academic research, most private websites should be considered popular sources, which can be useful as sources of opinion but should generally not be relied on for authoritative information. (See Popular vs. Scholarly Sources for more information.)
As discussed in the section on How To Cite, it’s often useful to identify your source in the body of your paper (and not just in your citation or footnote); this identification is especially important when you use private websites. If you give a sense of what kind of web source you’re using, the reader will be better able to understand the context of your evidence. Private websites also raise issues of privacy, as some sites that require password access may not invite republication of their material in scholarly research. See Special Demands of Internet Sources for more information.
When using material from a private website, list by the author (if known), then by the title of the article or specific Webpage you’re using (if known), and the date of posting (if listed). Follow this by the title of the website, if applicable. If the site is part of an identifiable online group (like “MySpace”), include that title next. Next, list the date that you accessed the site and the full URL—the Webaddress that begins with “http.”
Some of these details may be hard to identify. In the example above, for instance, it was not possible to determine when the specific section of the website was last updated. Only the date of access is given.
Note: You may notice that listing Internet sources often takes more time and care than listing print sources. Since the authorship and location of Web sources are harder to establish, readers need even more information in order to assess sources and to retrieve them for further study. See Special Demands of Internet Sources for more information.
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