More information is provided in the Research Guide about evaluating websites. The acronym C.R.A.A.P. cas serve as a quick reminder:
The CRAAP Test
Currency:
Is the information up-to-date for your topic?
Relevance:
Does the information relate to your topic and is it at a good reading level for you?
Authority:
Who is the author (or publisher, source, sponsor) and are they qualified to write about the topic?
Accuracy:
Does the language seem unbiased and are there no grammatical errors?
Purpose:
What is the reason for the site? Is it to inform and teach or is it designed to sell, entertain, or persuade?
(Adapted from the Meriam Library, California State University, Chico and the Michigan Library Association CRAAP Test Worksheet)
This LibGuide is based on the MLA Citations LibGuide created by Montgomery College Libraries. The content and format are used with permission.
The MLA Formatting Style Guide by OWL at Purdue was also used with permission.
Internet Sources can be difficult to cite because the information available is not consistent. When creating your citation, follow the guidelines and use as much information as you have. If information is not available, use the abbreviations provided on this page. For pages without an author, begin your citation with the title of the web page.
URL or Web Address: MLA does not require the URL to be part of the citation, however, most teachers prefer that the URL is included in the Works Cited list for websites but not for databases.
When creating a Works Cited entry for an Internet source pay attention to what you are looking at. Websites can include a wide variety of documents and formats. Remember, you need to source what you are looking at as well as the larger container. You want to point your teacher to what you were looking specifically. So, you may have to cite a book you found on a website or a government document that you found on a website.
When citing a page on a website try to find the following:
Most websites will not have page numbers so, of course, you cannot provide them. Some teachers will ask for the section name or paragraph number instead. Please remember to follow your teacher's requirements.
Author named in the text: Format
Signal phrase with author's name, "quote."
Example
Richard Foot said that Vimy Ridge is, "sometimes mythologized symbol of the birth of Canadian national pride and awareness."
Author named in parentetical citation: Format
Signal phrase, "quote" (Author page).
Example
The battle of Vimy Ridge has become a symbol for Canadians and is often seen as beginnings of Canadian nationalism (Foot).
Works Cited (remember you need a hanging indent in your Works Cited page)
Foot, Richard. "Vimy Ridge." The Canadian Encyclopedia, Historica Canada, 2006. url.
If the source has no named author, use the title. If it is a very short title, you may use the whole thing. If it is a long title, use a shortened title. Put the title in quotation marks if it is the name of a webpage.
You may also name the title in your text and provide the page number in parentheses.
Most websites will not have page numbers so, of course, you cannot provide them. Some teachers will ask for the section name or paragraph number instead. Please remember to follow your teacher's requirements.
Format
Signal phrase, "quote" ("Shortened Title").
Signal phrase with title, "quote" (page).
Example
In the "The Battle of Vimy Ridge", the author argues, "Canada came of age as a country on those hard April days in 1917."
"Canada came of age as a country on those hard April days in 1917" ("The Battle of Vimy Ridge").
Vimy Ridge was very important in the development of a Canadian identity ("The Battle of Vimy Ridge").
Works Cited (remember the hanging indent in your Works Cited page)
"The Battle of Vimy Ridge." Veterans Affairs Canada, Government of Canada, 2015, http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/history/first-world-war/fact_sheets/vimy.
Used with permission.
OWL at Putdue so one of the best sources of information on citing. Please review the following material if more information is required.
