Authors/Editors
If an encyclopedia or dictionary entry does not indicate a specific author or co-authors, begin the citation with a group author such as Merriam-Webster or American Psychological Association, followed by the year of publication in round brackets.
Titles
Capitalize the first letter of the first word of the title of the entry and the title of the encyclopedia or dictionary.
Capitalize the first letter of proper names in titles, such as names of places or people. Example: Canada
Publication Information for Online Encyclopedias and Dictonaries
Include the publisher name for an encyclopedia or dictionary where clearly identified, just as with a book or ebook. If the author and publisher are the same, omit the publisher element.
Some electronic content is assigned a unique number called a Digital Object Identifier (DOI). If a DOI is provided for an encyclopedia or dictionary, include it after the name of the encyclopedia or dictionary of the entry and edition beginning with "https:"
You do not need to put a period after a DOI number.
If you accessed the encyclopedia or dictionary through a website, provide the url. If the encyclopedia or dictionary provides stable archived versions, link to the latest one without "retrieved from"; no statement of the retrieval date is necessary in this case. A statement of the retrieval date should be provided for any web pages that are dynamic and not archived. When in doubt, provide a retrieval date to help the reader in case the entry you use is updated between the time you read it and the time your reader looks at it.
In-Text Citation - Page Numbers
Page numbers may not be available for an online dictionary or encyclopedia entry. Here are some options if you have no page numbers and you are quoting directly:
Count the paragraphs, and use that number where you'd normally put the page number. Put the word "para." in front of it. Example: (Smith, 2012, para. 3). This example refers to the third paragraph in the entry.
If the entry has section headings, you can use those. Encyclopedia entries often have section headings. Enter the section heading name, followed by the word "section" and then the number of the paragraph within that section. Example: (Smith, 2012, Climate section, para. 2). This example refers to the second paragraph under the Climate section of the entry.
If there is only one paragraph and no headings, as may be the case for many dictionary entries, skip the page/paragraph/section information and give the author's name and date only. Example: (Smith, 2012)
Author's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial if Given. (Year of Publication). Title of entry. In Editor's First Initial. Second Initial if given. Last Name (Ed.), Name of encyclopedia or dictionary (edition if given and is not first edition). https://doi.org/DOI-number-if-given
| Example |
Gannon, P. (n.d.). Brain evolution. In AccessScience Mcgraw-Hill encyclopedia of science and technology (10th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.YB150959
|
| In-Text Paraphrase |
(Author's Last Name, Year)
(Gannon, n.d.) |
| In-Text Quote |
(Author's Last Name, Year, p. page number or section name and paragraph number)
(Gannon, n.d., Comparative Anatomy section, para. 1) Note: When there are no visible page numbers or paragraph numbers, you may cite the section heading and the number of the paragraph in that section to identify where your quote came from. |
Title of entry. (Year of Publication). In Editor's First Initial. Second Initial if given. Last Name (Ed.), Name of encyclopedia or dictionary (edition if given and is not first edition). https://doi.org/DOI-number-if-given
| Example |
Canada. (2019). In Encyclopedia Britannica. Note: This encyclopedia entry has no editor.
|
| In-Text Paraphrase |
("Title of Entry," Year) ("Canada," 2019) |
| In-Text Quote |
("Title of Entry," Year, p. page number or section name and paragraph number) Example ("Canada," 2019, Economy section, para. 2) Note: If a dictionary or encyclopedia entry has no author, the in-text citation should include the title of the entry. The title of the entry should be in quotation marks, with each word starting with a capital letter. |
Author's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial if Given. (Year of Publication).Title of entry. In Editor's First Initial. Second Initial if given. Last Name (Ed.), Name of encyclopedia or dictionary (edition if given and is not first edition). URL
| Example |
Beck, J., & Foley, D. (2012). Music composition. In The Canadian encyclopedia. https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/music-composition |
| In-Text Paraphrase |
(First Author's Last Name & Second Author's Last Name, Year) Example: (Beck & Foley, 2012) |
| In-Text Quote |
(First Author's Last Name & Second Author's Last Name, Year, p. page number or section name and paragraph number) (Beck & Foley, 2012, para. 1) |
Name of Group Author. (Year of Publication). Title of entry. In Editor's First Initial. Second Initial if given. Last Name (Ed.), Name of encyclopedia or dictionary (edition if given and is not first edition). URL
| Example |
Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Plagiarism. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/plagiarism |
| In-Text Paraphrase |
(Group author, Year) Example: (Merriam-Webster, n.d.) |
| In-Text Quote |
(Group author, Year, p. page number or section name and paragraph number) Example: (Merriam-Webster, n.d., The Kidnapping Roots of Plagiarize section) Note: This entry has only section headings so only this information can be included the citation. |
Author's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial if Given. (Year of Publication). Title of entry. In Editor's First Initial. Second Initial if given. Last Name (Ed.), Name of encyclopedia or dictionary (Volume number, pp. first page of entry-last page of entry). Publisher Name often shortened.
| Example |
King, P.N., & Wester L. (1998). Hawaii. In The world book encyclopedia (Vol. 9, pp. 88-110). World Book. |
| In-Text Paraphrase |
(Author's Last Name, Year) Example: (King & Wester, 1998) |
| In-Text Quote |
(Author's Last Name, Year, p. page number or section name and paragraph number) (King & Wester, 1998, p. 90) |
When there is no named author for the entry, treat the dictionary/encyclopedia as an edited book and move the editors to the author position:
Editor, A., & Editor, B. (Eds.). (Date). Dictionary/Encyclopedia entry. In Name of dictionary/encyclopedia (edition, if not the first). Publisher.
| Example |
Hughes, J. M., Michell P. A., & Ransom, W. S. (Eds.). (1992). Zucchini. In The Australian concise Oxford dictionary (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. |
| In-Text Paraphrase |
(Editor's last name, Year) Example (Hughes, Michell, Ransom, 1992) |
| In-Text Quote |
(Editor's last name, Year, p. Page Number) Example (Hughes, Michell, Ransom, 1992 p. 227) |