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26 Referencing Websites

Learning Objectives

This chapter demonstrates how to reference websites.

  • When to use the webpage/document on the internet format
  • Referencing a webpage with an individual author
  • Referencing a webpage with an organisation as author
  • Referencing a website with no author
  • Referencing a website with no date

 

When to use the webpage/document on the internet format

This format can be used for information obtained from webpages, websites or documents such as company reports that are found online. Use this format for all information that you find on the internet that is not:

  • A book in a database
  • A journal article
  • A magazine or newspaper article
  • A government report

Referencing a webpage with an individual author

Individual authors are usually listed near the title or at the bottom of the text.

Reference list format:

Author YEAR, Title in italics, source, viewed date, <URL>.

Example:

Gilfillan, G 2015, Statistical snapshot: small business employment contribution and workplace arrangements, Parliament of Australia, viewed 18 December 2019, <https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp1516/Employ>.

Remove all hyperlinks from your reference list entries. Your URLs should be enclosed in angled brackets, in plain black type, and have no underline.

Referencing a webpage with an organisation as author

It is quite common for a website to have an organisation as the author.

Reference list format:

Organisational Author YEAR, title in italics, source (omit if the same as author), viewed date, <URL>.

Example:

Liverpool City Council 2021, SIC funded projects, viewed 19 June 2021, <https://www.liverpool.nsw.gov.au/development/major-projects/current-major-works/sic-funded-projects>.

In these cases, the organisational author and the source are often the same. Omit the source element.

Referencing a website with no author

If you cannot determine the author, the title moves to the front position of the reference.

Reference list format:

Title, YEAR, Source, viewed date, <URL>.

Example:

Safety rules for science class, 2020, Mind Resources, viewed 22 July 2020, <https://www.mindresources.com/education/067212>.

Referencing a website with no date

When you can’t find a publishing date, use n.d. (no date) instead.

Reference list format:

Author n.d., Title in italics, viewed date, <URL>.

Example:

Samsung n.d., Top selling products, viewed 18 June 2021, <https://shop.samsung.com/au/top_selling_products>.

Not all internet resources are authoritative and reliable. If a source has no author and no date, consider whether it is appropriate to use in your assessment.

Chapter Review

  • Always consider the source of online content. Not all resources found online are suitable for academic writing
  • There are different formatting rules for websites with organisational authors, multiple authors and no author in the Harvard Western SydU style guide
  • Ensure that all URL addresses are not hyperlinked and are in plain, straight, black type with angled brackets

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