Can You Use Websites In A Research Paper?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Can you use websites in a research paper? Can I use websites in academic study? The short answer is “

yes – but you must use them appropriately

“. Websites can provide valuable evidence to support your discussion, just like books or paper journals.

Can we cite a website in a research paper?


Website are required every time information is referenced from a website for an academic essay, research paper, dissertation, article or book

. Regardless of how insignificant or minimal the information is that you sourced from the website, a citation has to be made to avoid plagiarism.

Can you use a website as a source?

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.

Can you cite a website in an essay?

Is it OK to cite website?

Luckily, writing the in-text citation for a website or webpage is easy:

Simply include the author and year of publication

. The URL goes in the corresponding reference list entry (and yes, you can leave the links live).

Should you cite a website?

According to the APA manual (7th ed.),

you do not need to cite entire websites in the reference list

. In the body of the paper, provide the name of the site and URL.

How do I cite a website?

  1. author (the person or organisation responsible for the site)
  2. year (date created or last updated)
  3. page title (in italics)
  4. name of sponsor of site (if available)
  5. accessed day month year (the day you viewed the site)
  6. URL or Internet address (pointed brackets).

Is website a primary source?


A website is a secondary source if it analyzes, summarizes, evaluates and processes information from primary sources

. Information on a secondary source website can exist in the form of published blog posts, review articles, bibliographies, reference books, indexes, journals, commentaries and treatises.

Is website an article?


An article stands alone

. A webpage is a complete page that can include many articles and non-articles. An article, such as a news article or piece of investigative report.

How do you put a website source in an essay?


Cite the website by placing the name of the website's editor or author in parenthesis at the end of the sentence containing information from the cited website source

. Include a works cited page to be included after the last page of the essay.

What should you not cite?

  • Common knowledge (2,3). Common knowledge includes facts that are found in many sources. …
  • Generally accepted or observable facts (2,4). When a fact is generally accepted or easily observable, you do not need a citation. …
  • Original ideas and lived experiences (4).

What do you cite in a research paper?

While you are doing research and locating sources, be sure to document materials thoroughly, noting the

author, title, publisher, place of publication, date, and page numbers of all sources used

. For electronic materials, you should also note the DOI number (Digital Object Identifier) if available.

How do I reference a website in APA?

  1. Author or authors. The surname is followed by first initials.
  2. Year, Month Day (in round brackets). Use the most exact date possible.
  3. Title (in italics).
  4. Website name.
  5. URL.
  6. The first line of each citation is left adjusted. Every subsequent line is indented 5-7 spaces.

How do I cite a website in APA?

APA website citations

usually include the author, the publication date, the title of the page or article, the website name, and the URL

. If there is no author, start the citation with the title of the article. If the page is likely to change over time, add a retrieval date.

How do you cite an entire website in APA?

Do not create references or in-text citations for whole websites. To mention a website in general, and not any particular information on that site,

provide the name of the website in the text and include the URL in parentheses

. For example, you might mention that you used a website to create a survey.

Is a company's website a primary or secondary source?


Primary sources

of information on companies include documents such as Annual Reports, SEC filings, (10-K, 10-Q, Prospectuses, Proxy Statements), News Releases, Company documents and webpage. This information may include presentations, interviews, videos and promotional materials in addition to financial statements.

Are online articles secondary sources?


Secondary sources can be found in books, journals, or Internet resources

.

What are primary research sources?

Primary sources are

documents, images or artifacts that provide firsthand testimony or direct evidence concerning an historical topic under research investigation

. Primary sources are original documents created or experienced contemporaneously with the event being researched.

What kind of source is website?

An online source is

material you find online

. It can be an online newspaper, magazine or television website such as NBC or CNN. Peer-reviewed journals, webpages, forums and blogs are also online sources. Some other names for online sources are electronic sources, web sources and Internet sources.

Are articles and websites the same?


The main differences between website content and blog articles are the actual content itself and the format of that content

. Blog articles are usually an individual's personal opinion but with more research than just a blog post. Whereas website content takes on a more informative and business-related angle.

How do you cite a website in APA 7?


Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of online content: Subtitle. Website Name. URL

.

Can you use websites in a thesis?

Make sure the information provided by the website you are citing is reliable, and

only cite quotable websites in your bachelor's or master's thesis

. The main components of website citations are: Author, title, domain, URL, date of last access, and date of publication.

How do you cite a website in a paper example?

MLA format Author last name, First name. “Title of Article.” Website Name, Day Month Year, URL. MLA in-text citation (Smith)

How cite a website with no author?

As per the MLA 9 handbook, if you don't find an author's name, don't state it as “Anonymous.” Instead, omit the author's name and fill in the next element of the works-cited entry:

the name of the webpage. “Title of the Article or Individual Page.” Website Name, Publisher, Day Month Year Published, URL

.

What are 5 things that don't need to be cited or documented?

  • Your own personal/anecdotal information or experiences.
  • Your own arguments or opinions.
  • Your own videos, photographs, and other artwork you've created.
  • “Common knowledge”- This one is a little tricky to distinguish.

What are two things that dont need to be cited or documented?

  • Writing your own lived experiences, your own observations and insights, your own thoughts, and your own conclusions about a subject.
  • When you are writing up your own results obtained through lab or field experiments.

Do you have to cite your source if you rewrite the sentence in your own words?

Paraphrasing is the rewriting of an author's idea in your own words. Paraphrase rather than quote when you want to present an author's idea but the exact language is not significant.

When you paraphrase, you must cite the source

. You also must fully rewrite the original language and original sentence structure.

How do you put sources in a research paper?

  1. Quotation – when you use the exact words from the source. …
  2. Paraphrase – when you state the ideas from another source in your own words. …
  3. Summary – much like a paraphrase, but used in cases where you are trying to give an overview of many ideas.

Can you use news articles in a research paper?

How do you cite sources in a paper?

For every in-text citation in your paper, there must be a corresponding entry in your reference list.

APA in-text citation style uses the author's last name and the year of publication

, for example: (Field, 2005). For direct quotations, include the page number as well, for example: (Field, 2005, p. 14).

How do you in text cite a website in a research paper?


Cite web pages in text as you would any other source, using the author and date if known

. Keep in mind that the author may be an organization rather than a person. For sources with no author, use the title in place of an author. For sources with no date use n.d. (for no date) in place of the year: (Smith, n.d.).

How do you cite a quote from a website in a research paper?

How do you cite a website in a research paper MLA?

Author Last Name, First Name. “Title of Work.” Title of Site, Sponsor or Publisher [include only if different from website title or author], Date of Publication or Update Date, URL. Accessed Date [only if no date of publication or update date].

Amira Khan
Author
Amira Khan
Amira Khan is a philosopher and scholar of religion with a Ph.D. in philosophy and theology. Amira's expertise includes the history of philosophy and religion, ethics, and the philosophy of science. She is passionate about helping readers navigate complex philosophical and religious concepts in a clear and accessible way.