Blogs are becoming more and more popular not only for the general public but for companies and agencies across the country. They are using blogs as part of their marketing strategies and as a way to push out news and updates from their office to their consumers. You may find yourself needing to cite a blog in MLA, APA, or Chicago Style formats for professional, academic, or even personal reasons. Several ways exist to create a citation, but for today we are only going to dive into the Modern Language Association, better known as MLA format.
Structure
Formatting a citation for a blog is fairly similar to other written formats when citing. Just like other written formats, there are several ways to cite a blog including the most popular works cited page and in-text citation.
In-Text
For an in-text citation, you will simply put the author’s last name in parentheses. For example, if the author’s last name is smith, rather than putting the entire citation within a sentence you would write the sentence with the author’s last name after or their screen name if there is no clear first and last name. This is more common in blogging than in other mediums because of usernames and pseudonyms.
In-Text Example:
The orange one-shoulder dress is without a doubt the fall wedding guest dress of the season (Smith).
Works Cited List
For after your article, you’ll need a works cited list for all of the texts you used to create your piece. This will be in alphabetical order by the author’s last name.
Structure Example:
Author/screen name. “Posting Title”. Name of Site, Version Number (if applicable), name of institution/organization affiliated with the site(sponsor or publisher), URL. Date of Access.
Additional Example:
Smith. “Fall Fashion Staples”. Fashion with Smith, 3. Aug. 2022, Fashionwithsmith.com/thread/fall-fashion-staples. Accessed September 5. 2022.
Why It’s Important
Correctly crediting authors across all mediums when posting is crucial to balance throughout platforms. Without giving credit where it is due, you not only publish thoughts that are not your original thoughts, but you are taking the hard work of someone else without keeping them in the loop.
Properly citing a blog in MLA will give you another supporter and friend almost immediately. This is because they will see another person who not only appreciates their work but has similar values and interests within their own practice. You can even use citing other authors’ work as a networking tool. The benefits of citing a blogger properly are endless, and it’s a gift that keeps on giving.
