This section provides guidelines for online sources such as websites, web pages and other documents found online.
Note: If the source is covered elsewhere in this guide, refer to those guidelines, e.g. refer to the Journal article section if you are citing an online journal article.
Minimise repetition where possible, e.g. if a website is authored by an organisation and the website title mentions the organisation name, you can omit the author element.
Document title and Website title: Use title case (major words as well as the first word in the title and the subtitle are capitalised).
Date: Include the date when the specific web page or document you are citing was published or revised. The date may be a year or a full date (e.g. January 5, 2025). The publication date can be omitted if it appears as part of the web page or document title.
No date: If there is no year of publication, omit it from the reference or use 'n.d.' for 'no date'.
DOI or URL: Include the DOI if provided. Otherwise, provide the URL.
Access dates: Include access dates for content that may change, e.g. Wikipedia or discussion forums. Add the access date at the end of the citation within parentheses in the following format: (accessed YYYY-MM-DD).
For more information, refer to 4.3.5.4 Online Sources & Websites of the ACS Guide to Scholarly Communication.
For more information on reference list format and style, see General information - basics of referencing.
Add 'Home Page' to the title of the website where appropriate.
1. Author/Organisation's name. Website Title. URL
1. Ministry for the Environment Home Page. https://www.mfe.govt.nz/
2. Rice University. Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Home Page. https://chbe.rice.edu/
3. Madhav, M. S. Bio-inspiration Through Control. http://www.manusmad.com/projects/jar
1. Organisation's name (if needed). Title of Web page. Website Title. Organisation, Date. DOI or URL
2. Organisation's name (if needed). Document Title. Website Title or Organisation, Date. DOI or URL
1. University of Waikato Te Whare Wananga o Waikato. Nanoscience: Introduction. Science Learning Hub Pokapu Akoranga Putaiao, March 16, 2021. https://ww.sciencelearn.org.nz/resources/2166-nanoscience-introduction
2. Action for Healthy Waterways: A Discussion Document on National Direction for our Essential Freshwater. Ministry for the Environment, 2019. https://environment.govt.nz/publications/action-for-healthy-waterways-a-discussion-document-on-national-direction-for-our-essential-freshwater/
1. Author(s). Title of Web page. Title of Website, Date. DOI or URL
2. Author(s). Document Title. Website Title or Organisation, Date. DOI or URL
1. Linsley-Parrish, J. What is Greenwashing? JSTOR Daily, December 4, 2023. https://daily.jstor.org/what-is-greenwashing/
2. Stroombergen, A. Preliminary Estimate of the Cost of the Essential Freshwater Proposals on Maori Land Use Potential. Ministry for the Environment, April 2020. https://environment.govt.nz/assets/Publications/Files/preliminary-estimate-cost-essential-freshwater-proposals-on-maori-landuse-potential.pdf
Put a superscript number in your text to show when you are using another person's ideas or words. This number directs the reader to the reference list, containing information about the work you are citing.
... has been recently identified.1
If you are making a direct quotation, use quotation marks.
Dalas and Koutsoukos observed that "the presence of the magnetic field did not result in preferential growth of a certain crystal face."2
If the same source is referred to more than once within your text, repeat the number. If you are expressing ideas that have originated from more than one source, separate the numbers with commas, or use a hyphen if referring to several endnotes. A number following the full stop/period applies to the whole sentence.
... in alkyl sulphates such as sodium lauryl sulphate3,5-7 and diethyl sulphate6. Chew and Maibach3 also noted that the compounds showing promise were those in the C12 - C14 range.