Citing a Website
Any webpage, article, or blog post you found online
Find the page title
Look at the top of the browser tab or the big heading at the top of the page. That's the title of the specific page you used — not the website's name.
e.g. "How Volcanoes Form"Find the author's name
Scroll to the top or bottom of the article. Look for "By [Name]" or "Written by". If there's no author listed, that's okay — just leave it blank.
e.g. "By Sarah Jones" near the topFind the website name
This is the organization or company that owns the site — usually in the logo at the top. It's different from the page title.
e.g. "National Geographic Kids" (not just "National Geographic")Copy the URL
Click in the address bar at the top of your browser and copy the full web address. Make sure it starts with https://
e.g. https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/...Record today's date
Websites can change or disappear. Write down the date you visited — this is called the "access date." You can use today's date.
🗺 Where to find each piece
📄 Example citations
No author? No problem.
Many websites don't list an author. Just leave that field blank and your citation will still be correct.
Can't find a date?
If there's no publish date, check the very bottom of the page. Some sites show a "copyright year" which you can use instead.
Wikipedia is a starting point
Teachers often say not to cite Wikipedia directly. Use it to find better sources listed in its References section at the bottom!
Common questions
Citing a Book
Printed books, e-books, and textbooks
Find the title page
Open to the very first pages of the book. The title page has the full title, the author's name, the publisher, and the year. This is your best source for all the information you need.
Write down the author's full name
In citations, we put the last name first. So "Jane Smith" becomes "Smith, Jane." If there are two authors, list both.
e.g. Smith, JaneFind the publisher and year
Flip to the copyright page — it's usually the back of the title page. You'll see the publisher's name and the copyright year (©). Use the most recent year listed.
e.g. © 2021 Scholastic Inc.Try the ISBN auto-fill ✨
Every book has an ISBN number — a long number usually printed near the barcode on the back cover. Paste it into ReadyCiteGo's "Auto-fill from ISBN" box and it will fill in all the fields for you!
ISBN is on the back cover near the barcode🗺 Where to find each piece
📄 Example citations
Use the ISBN lookup
Paste the ISBN from the back of the book and ReadyCiteGo fills everything in automatically. Saves a ton of time!
Titles go in italics
Book titles are always italicized in citations. ReadyCiteGo does this automatically — but if you're writing by hand, underline instead.
Two authors
If a book has two authors, MLA format uses: "Smith, Jane, and John Brown." The second author's name is written normally (first name first).
Common questions
Citing a YouTube Video
YouTube videos, educational clips, documentaries online
Copy the video title
Find the exact title of the video. It's shown in big text below the video player. Copy it exactly — including any capitalization and punctuation.
e.g. "How Does the Water Cycle Work?"Find the channel name
The channel name is shown below the video title, next to the channel's logo. Click on it to make sure you get the full, official channel name.
e.g. SciShow Kids (not "scishow" or "Sci Show")Find the upload date
The upload date is shown below the video, usually near the view count. It might show "3 years ago" — click on it to see the exact date.
e.g. Jan 15, 2021Copy the URL
Copy the link from your browser's address bar. A shorter link like youtu.be/... works just as well as the full youtube.com/watch?v=... link.
🗺 Where to find each piece
📄 Example citations
Use trusted channels
Channels like SciShow Kids, Crash Course Kids, TED-Ed, and National Geographic are more credible than random accounts. Your teacher will notice the difference.
It's about the uploader
In citations, we use the channel name — not the person speaking in the video, unless they're the same. "NASA" uploaded it, so "NASA" is what you list.
Common questions
Citing a Magazine or Newspaper Article
Time for Kids, Scholastic News, local newspapers, online news
Find the article title
The article title is the headline — the big title of just that one article. It's different from the magazine or newspaper name.
e.g. "Ocean Plastic: The Growing Problem" (not "Time for Kids")Find the magazine or newspaper name
This is the publication that printed the article — the magazine or newspaper's name, shown on the cover or in the website's logo.
e.g. Time for Kids, Scholastic News, The New York TimesFind the author
Look for a byline near the headline — it usually says "By [Name]." Some short magazine articles don't list an author, which is fine.
Find the volume, issue, and page numbers
In Advanced mode, you can add these. For a print magazine, the volume and issue numbers are usually on the cover. The page numbers are where the article starts and ends.
e.g. Vol. 25, No. 3, pp. 12–14🗺 Where to find each piece
📄 Example citations
Article title vs. magazine name
A common mix-up: "Time for Kids" is the magazine. "Ocean Plastic" is the article inside it. You need both, in separate fields.
Online article?
If you read the article on a website, add the URL in the optional field. This helps your teacher find it.
Citing a Personal Interview
Conversations with experts, community members, or anyone you asked questions
Write down who you interviewed
Include the person's full name. If they have a title or job that's relevant (like "Dr." or "Principal"), you can include that too, but it's not required.
e.g. Dr. Maria Lopez, or Maria LopezChoose the interview type
Was it in person, on the phone, by email, or over a video call? Pick the one that matches. This goes in the citation so readers know how you talked to them.
Record the date
Write down the exact date the interview happened. If it was by email, use the date you received their reply.
e.g. March 15, 2026📄 Example citations
Take notes!
Always write down (or record with permission) what the person said. You'll need to quote or paraphrase their words accurately in your paper.
Ask permission first
Before you interview someone, ask a parent or teacher for permission. If you want to record the conversation, always ask the person being interviewed.
Email counts!
If you emailed an expert and they wrote back, that counts as an interview. Use "Email interview" as the type, and the date they replied.
General Citation Questions
Ready to build your list?
Head back to ReadyCiteGo and start adding your sources.
✏️ Go to Citations →