How to Use Internet Citations in a Research Paper

When students write their academic assignments, they have to follow certain requirements. They are set by the educational system of the country. Besides, educational institutions are free to change those requirements.

Thus, when a student writes any scientifically-based paper, he/she is obliged to make citations correctly. It’s necessary to distinguish printed citations from the Internet citations.

Many students struggle with citing of different kinds. Some are inattentive, cannot follow the rules, or simply forget about them. This forces them to look for online support. Thus, you can use a research paper writing service as a professional helper.

If you find a trustworthy service, it will provide you with qualified experts. They surely know how to cite in accordance with any writing format. They will easily make citations of digital, as well as printed sources correctly.

It’s required to cite the other authors because you have no right to simply take someone’s words and results of studies. Under such conditions, you violate their copyrights and plagiarize the project you write. Accordingly, it will be worthless. Moreover, some serious scientific projects like a research paper may involve you in the problems with the law. That’s why everyone has to learn how to cite correctly.

The Main Guidelines of the Internet Citing

Prior to checking the correct way to cite digital or non-printed sources, you should also understand that there are different writing formats. They all have differences and similarities. Sometimes, the differences are slight. Accordingly, many students miss or forget about them. It’s necessary to give heed to:

  • The name and initials of the author,
  • The year of publishing,
  • A resource where you have found the information,
  • The time you’ve accessed it,
  • The number of the page and/or chapter you’ve used,
  • Enumeration of the sources in accordance with the appearance in your paper, etc.

You ought to attentively study the demands of the writing format you’re assigned. There are the following formats:

  • MLA,
  • APA,
  • Chicago,
  • Harvard,
  • AMA,
  • CSE,
  • Turabian, etc.

There is a great diversity of formats, and it’s hard to keep those slight differences in mind. That’s why we recommend studying every format separately and when it is assigned. In the meanwhile, we would like to pay your attention to determined rules of the Internet citations.

Firstly, write out the quote or data that you intend to insert. In order to end the sentence correctly, add a period outside the parentheses. Specify the first data your source lists in the bibliography. If your information source consists of the email address, don’t mention the entire address.

Shorten it to the name of the website and its online indication. The indications may be “com”, “org”, “edu”, “gov”, etc. For example, it may be “WikiHow.com”. In comparison to printed sources, digital sources don’t demand to specify page and/or paragraph numbers.

When you name the author, write his/her last name first. In case the author is not stated, skip this step. Insert the title of the work next. Mind that the title of the website isn’t the title you should mention.

You ought to specify the title page within the website you’re quoting. This sort of information must stand in quotation marks. The general name of the accessed website must be italicized. To find the name, look at the web address or get the link to the homepage.

You ought to specify the publication information. Under the condition, you cannot find the publication information, write “n.p.”. Almost every webpage shows the latest update. This tip can be used by you if there is no date of publishing.  Mention at least the last date the article when it was updated. If this information is also missing, write n.p. again.

Sometimes, it’s not required to mention the URL or at least not fully. If you cite in MLA, consult with your academic supervisor to clarify this issue.

Check the online citations for accuracy. For example, your Internet citation should look like this: Tolkien, Christopher. “Silmarillion and Untold Tales.” FanstasyLiterature.com. n.p. 2019. September 3, 2009, <http://email address>. (don’t forget to italicize the whole email address).

Mind that you’ll have to adhere to specific guidelines of the assigned writing format. Most guidelines are quite similar. Nonetheless, there are differences too. Different disciplines should be written after a certain format.

For example, English-based papers are commonly used in MLA style. The scientific-based projects are written in the APA style. Of course, the format varies from one educational institution to another one. That’s why you should obligatorily consult all the guidelines with your academic supervisor.

Obligatorily memorize our article. It provides essential information about how to use Internet citations in a research paper of any type. Don’t deprive yourself of important grades and always follow the main guidelines of the assigned writing format.

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