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John M. Flaxman Library SAIC School of the Art Institute of Chicago

How to Cite Your Work | Giving Credit | Citation Styles

How to Cite Wikipedia

Take Note

Taking note of the following elements as you find things will help when it comes time to finish your citations! 

  • Title of Entry
  • Date last modified/updated
  • URL
  • Accessed date

Pro-Tips

  • Slow down and look carefully at a webpage when taking note - often the information you need is there, just not always in an obvious place
  • If you don't see the date on the page, sometimes it is included in the URL for the page (especially on blogs)
  • Remove https:// when citing URLs - just start with www.
  • When possible, look for a stable link (look for permalink, share, or cite areas) rather than copying the URL in the browser bar
     

Example Citations (Scroll Down)

Screenshot of an entry for Ray Yoshida in WikipediaTake Note


MLA - 8th Ed.

For this style: Double-spaced and hanging indent in the works cited page. For more extensive advice, see the Purdue Online Writing Lab’s MLA Works Cited Page: Electronic Resources page.

"Title of Entry." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, Wikimedia Foundation, Day Mon. Year Last Modified, Time Last Modified, URL. Accessed Day Mon. Year. [Scroll to the bottom of the page to find the date an article was last modified.]

Example:
"Ray Yoshida." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Sep. 2021, 11:30 pm, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Yoshida. Accessed 11 Nov. 2021.
 

APA - 7th Ed.

For this style: Double-spaced and hanging indent in the references page. For more extensive advice, see Wikipedia Entry References from the APA Style website.

Title of Entry. (Year, Month Day accessed). In Wikipedia. URL to archival entry for your date. [For archival entry: click "View History" tab above the entry, find the entry nearest to your access date, click it and copy that link instead.]

Example:
"Ray Yoshida." (11 Nov. 2021). In Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Ray_Yoshida&oldid=867719906.
 

Chicago - 17th Ed.

For this style: Single-spaced (with blank space between each citation) and hanging indent in the bibliography. For more extensive advice, see section 14.233 in The Chicago Manual of Style Online.

Wikipedia, s.v. "Entry Title," last modified Month Day, Year, time using 24 hour system, URL.

Example:
Wikipedia, s.v. "Ray Yoshida," last modified September 27, 2021, 23:30, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Yoshida.