How to Cite Online Journal Articles

Basic Format with DOI

Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Title of Journal, Volume(Issue), pp-pp. https://doi.org/xxx

Example:

Smith, J. D., & Johnson, M. R. (2023). Digital research methods. Journal of Online Research, 15(2), 123-145. https://doi.org/10.1234/jor.2023.123

Format with URL (No DOI Available)

Author, A. A. (Year). Title of article. Title of Journal, Volume(Issue). URL

Example:

Wilson, K. L. (2023). Web-based research tools. Digital Methods Journal, 8(4). https://www.example.com/article

Format Guidelines

DOI Format

  • Present DOI as a URL (https://doi.org/xxx)
  • Do not add a period after the DOI
  • Use lowercase letters for DOI

URL Format

  • Include complete URL
  • Remove "Retrieved from" statement
  • Do not include access date unless content may change

In-Text Citations

Narrative Citation

Smith and Johnson (2023) demonstrated...
According to Wilson (2023)...

Parenthetical Citation

...(Smith & Johnson, 2023)
...(Wilson, 2023, para. 4)

Special Cases

Articles with Article Numbers

Some online journals use article numbers instead of page numbers

Brown, R. T. (2023). Digital methods. Online Research Journal, 10(2), Article e12345. https://doi.org/10.1234/orj.12345

Supplemental Material

Include information about supplemental material in brackets

Davis, C. D. (2023). Research findings [Supplemental material]. Digital Journal, 12(4). https://doi.org/10.1234/dj.2023.789

Key Points to Remember

  • Always include DOI when available
  • Use URL only when DOI is not available
  • Format remains the same regardless of access method
  • Include page numbers or paragraph numbers for direct quotes
  • Do not include database information for academic databases