Q. How do you cite a webpage from a free website?

The key to citing webpages is to first locate the specific citation elements (e.g., author, title, and date) on your webpage. 

• AUTHOR - The author's name on a webpage might appear at the top of the article or at the bottom. Sometimes, the author will be a group author, such as a government agency or a well-known organization.
• TITLE OF WEBPAGE -  Titles are usually at the top of the webpage and are distinguishable by bold or large font size.  The webpage title is also displayed as the name of the tab in your browser.
• WEBSITE NAME - The name of the website is often branded in the top left corner of the webpage.  Use the domain name in the URL to help identify the website name.
• SPONSOR/PUBLISHER - Frequently, the name of the sponsor/publisher is the same as the website name.  Look for the "About Us" information or a copyright date to help identify the sponsor/publisher.  "Contact Us" can be helpful if you need to locate the place of publication.
• DATE - Look for a publication date that is clearly associated with the content of the webpage.  The date can be at the top or bottom of the webpage.  The date might be identifiable with phrases such as "Last updated" or "Last reviewed."
• URL - The URL appears at the top of your browser in the address/location bar.

Here are some very basic instructions for citing webpages following MLA, APA, and CSE instructions.

MLA

Author Last Name, First Name. "Title of the Webpage."  Name of the Website, Name of institution/organization affiliated with the site (sponsor or publisher), date (if available), URL. Date of access (if no date is available).

NOTE:  If the name of the institution/organization affiliated with the site is the same as the website, do not include it.

APA

Author, A. A. (Date). Title of the webpage. Website name.  URL

NOTE:  Include as much date information as you can locate on the webpage (Year, Month, Day).

Include a retrieval date with the URL if it is likely that the content of the page will change and will not be saved on the Internet (Retrieved Month, Day, Year, from URL).

CSE 

Author AA. (Date). Title of the webpage.  Place of Publication: Publisher; [accessed date you viewed the webpage]. URL.

NOTE:  At Phoenix College, most instructors use the CSE name-year system.  Dates are written Year Month Day.  Months are written using only the first three letters, such as Jun for June.