I’m citing a source with a long URL. Can I manually split the URL into another line when creating my citation?
Last Updated: Mar 07, 2023 Views: 1208

If you are citing in APA:

  • APA recommends copying and pasting the URL or DOI directly from your browser into your reference list. Do not manually split the URL when adding it to your citation. However, it is acceptable if your word processing app automatically moves part of your URL into a new line. When a URL or DOI is extremely long or complex, you may also use shortDOIs or shortened URLs (e.g., bit.ly ).

​​​​​​​If you are citing in MLA:

  • MLA encourages listing URLs as they are listed on the browser. As long as the URL is accurate, it would be acceptable to add manual line breaks or have automatic line breaks (e.g., from a word processing app) to the URL. MLA recommends splitting a URL before a period and before or after any other punctuation or symbol (e.g., /, //, _). MLA does not recommend splitting URLs after a hyphen. When a URL exceeds more than three full lines, you may shorten it to the host/base URL. MLA does not recommend using shortened URLs (e.g., bit.ly).

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