Citing HowStuffWorks

HowStuffWorks is glad you've chosen to reference information on our Web site, HowStuffWorks.com. To help you cite the information correctly in your bibliography or works cited page, we've created the following guidelines. If your class is using a particular citation style, like Modern Language Association (MLA) or American Psychological Association (APA) style, please consult the style manual for detail about how to cite online works, rather than following our general recommendations.

In general, the author's name can be found directly under that article's title. You can find further information, including the publication date, by clicking the "Citation and Date" button found at the bottom of each page. The name of the publisher is HowStuffWorks, LLC.

If you don't have specific direction from your instructor, or if you're not using a particular style guide, you may reference/cite our articles in your bibliography as follows:

Author Last Name, Author First Name. "Title of Article." HowStuffWorks.com. HowStuffWorks, Inc. Publishing Date. Date Accessed. URL of the article.

For example:

Lamb, Robert. "How Willpower Works." HowStuffWorks.com. HowStuffWorks, Inc. 20 December, 2012. 12 January, 2013. https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/willpower.htm

Some articles on HowStuffWorks.com do not have an individual author listed. If this is the case, consult the manual for the citation style you are using, or ask your instructor how he or she would like you to cite materials that have no author. Often, all you'll need to do is leave the author name off.

If you are citing HowStuffWorks in an electronic publication, please link the article title (e.g., How Willpower Works) and the site title (e.g., How Stuff Works) directly to the appropriate pages. The HTML tags for doing this are:

If you are citing HowStuffWorks in a newspaper, magazine or other print publication please include our site's URL (https://www.howstuffworks.com) and the article URL (https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/willpower.htm) so that readers can find the site if they would like more information.

If you reference or review HowStuffWorks, we would love to hear from you by e-mail!