How to Cite a Dictionary Website

Bibliographic Citations

• 1

  Determine the required citation style for your paper or project. Ask your instructor or professor if you are unsure.

• 2

  Locate the headword of the entry you searched. Usually this is the word or term in bold at the top of the page. For MLA, place the word in quotation marks followed by a period. For APA, follow the word with a period.

• 3

  Determine the title of your source, i.e., Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary. Follow with a period. For MLA, underline the source; for APA, italicize the source.

• 4

  Find the date the entry was posted or published. For many online dictionaries, the copyright date located at the bottom of the page suffices. Follow with a period. For MLA, place the year published after the source title. For APA style, place the year published before the source title.

• 5

  Include the date you accessed the dictionary and place it after the source title. For MLA, format the date as day, month, year, followed by a period. For APA, use "Retrieved Month Day, Year," followed by a comma and "from".

• 6

  Include the full URL of the site after the date retrieved.

In-text Citations

• 7

  Cite the title of the entry in parentheses at the end of the sentence before the final period.

• 8

  For MLA style, place quotation marks around the title of the entry, i.e., ("canvas").

• 9

  For APA style, follow the headword with a comma and the date posted or published.