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How to Cite Google Maps

Google Maps has become an application we cannot give up. It is one of the most used applications today. Google Maps is your savior if you don’t know how to go somewhere. Sometimes, it does not have to be somewhere you don’t know the way; we use it to facilitate our journey. We even started to use it in our studies as well. If you are writing an academic paper such as a research paper or a report and want to give a source on Google Maps, this article will be very useful. Providing an address as a source on Google Maps can be pretty tricky. Known citation methods may not work when citing an address. That’s why you need to know how to cite Google Maps.

Google Maps is a handy application. It swiped almost all other navigation applications, especially the ones before smartphones. Its innovative operating system helps people a lot in their daily lives, such as mentioning the amount of traffic and the estimated arrival time.

Google Maps has become a tool for scientific studies as well. The information it has provides the necessary results for scientific studies. It does not have to be the information either. Sometimes, Google Maps is a mediator rather than a tool.

For example, you might want to cite Google Maps for a historical project while discussing some ruins related to your search. There is also a way how to cite a YouTube video if you want to add a website link.

These were some examples of the reasons to cite Google Maps. There may be many reasons to mention Google Maps as well. 

We are going to touch upon the three citing formats. APA, MLA, and Chicago style.

google maps

Academic Writing Formats

There are several formats for academic writing. However, the most used ones are APA and MLA. Most students meet these academic writing formats at university, which universities accept as an academic writing format differs. Some accept APA, and some accept MLA. And we also have Chicago-style citations. This citation is usually used for historical articles, etc.

Now, let’s look at how to cite Google Maps in three of them.

Cite Google Maps in APA

APA stands for the American Psychology Association. It is mainly used to write scientific papers. This format is used by many of the Social Sciences and Behavioral Sciences studies.

Always follow the structure completely when citing in APA format because it shouldn’t even include one mistake. This format contains two types of citations—in-text citations and references. In-text citations are shorter, and they are written inside the text. As you can guess from the name, references are written in the References part of the study.

Let’s have a look at how to cite Google Maps on the references paper in APA:

apa format
  • Set Google as the author. APA-style reference list always begins with the author’s name. Since Google Maps is a service of Google, you can choose Google as the author. Put a dot after typing Google.

    e.g., Google.
  • Next, you need to enter the release date. However, since the information on Google Maps is not published on a specific date, there is no date information. So use the abbreviation “n.d.” Type “n.d” in parentheses.

    e.g., Google (n.d).
  • Then you have to type the source of the title, but Google Maps doesn’t have that either. Therefore, you can give direction information in square brackets. In this way, you also indicate that you are writing a description, not a title. Put a period after closing the parenthesis.

    e.g., Google (n,d). [Google Maps directions for driving from Boston, Massachusetts, to New York City, New York].
  • Usually, it is not necessary to give a date for APA in online sources, but as this is a location and may change, please indicate the date you cite.

    e.g., Google (n,d). [Google Maps directions for driving from Boston, Massachusetts, to New York City, New York]. Retrieved January 1, 2023, from https://www.google.com/maps.

Cite Google Maps in MLA

MLA stands for Modern Language Association. The organization developed the MLA format to be used by researchers, scholars, and students. The format was primarily used in language and literature, yet it is used for all kinds of academic research. 

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It has a different structure than APA. Like in APA, you must follow the system without a mistake to cite anything successfully. 

There are two types of figures in MLA as well. In-text citations and references. Let’s take a look at how to cite Google Maps on the references paper in MLA format:

mla format
  • Since Google Maps won’t give you a specific title for the map, you should set the title to describe what the map is showing. Then, you have to put a dot at the end.

    e.g., Directions for Driving from Boston, Massachusetts, to New York, USA.
  • Next, you need to specify the source of the map. For this, you have to write Google Maps and then add the year you sourced from. If you need to enter an exact date, you can write it as a day-month-year.

    e.g., Directions for Driving from Boston, Massachusetts, to New York, USA. Google Maps, January 1, 2023,
  • To add a URL later, you can simply add the URL of the site instead of the long link on the Google search bar. Then you can put a dot and finish.

    e.g., Directions for Driving from Boston, Massachusetts, to New York, USA. Google Maps, January 1, 2023, maps.google.com.

Cite Google Maps in Chicago Style

The University of Chicago created the Chicago citation style. It is generally for citing sources in historical articles and occasionally in other study fields as well. Many in humanities disciplines prefer the Notes and Bibliography style. Citations are usually provided in the bibliography. The Reference List style is recommended for social sciences. Sources are cited using parenthesis in-text citations in the reference list.

Let’s look at how to cite Google Maps ins Chicago style:

chicago format
  • First, use Google Maps as the author for your reference. Add a period after you write the title.

    e.g., Google Maps.
  • Then, write a description of the location you want to use in quotation marks. Nouns, adjectives, adverbs, etc., capitalize the initials of the words. Then, put a period in the quotation mark and close the quotation.

    e.g., Google Maps. “Directions for Driving from Boston, Massachusetts, to New York, United States.”
  • After describing the location, add “Accessed” and then write the date you used to cite the Google Map. Add a dot at the end.

    e.g., Google Maps. “Directions for Driving from Boston, Massachusetts, to New York, United States.” Accessed January 1, 2023.
  • The last step of the Chicago-style Google Maps citation is to put the URL for the map. For Chicago style, normally, URLs are not shortened, but you can choose to write short for your paper after discussing it with your instructor or someone else.

    e.g., Google Maps. “Directions for Driving from Boston, Massachusetts, to New York, United States.” Accessed January 1, 2023. from https://www.google.com/maps.

Conclusion

We have covered ‘how to cite Google Maps.’ It is an unavoidable part of our lives. It even gets into our academic studies as well. That is why it is essential to know how to cite it. We have mentioned how to cite the Maps in APA, MLA, and Chicago formats. Now, you can easily apply these citation methods to your work.

Frequently Asked Questions About

Yes, Google Maps and all of Google’s branded features are copyrighted. You may need permission to include Google Maps, depending on how you use it in your work.

You can use screenshots of Google Maps without violating their terms of service. You can find more detailed information about Google’s Permissions at https://www.google.com/permissions/geoguidelines/.

If you want to use Google Maps, Google Earth, or Google Street View for commercial purposes, be sure not to change anything about the look of the products. You can find a more detailed description at https://www.google.com/permissions/geoguidelines/.

If you want to write an academic paper or do research, you should be able to use the formats we mentioned in your work. This way, your work will look professional.

Google is considered an open source, so you can use it to search for academic articles and needed information from trusted sites.

James Orublig

Posts: 536

Hi, my name is James but my friend calls me JamesTheNews since I always have the latest news about social media. Follow my blogs to learn every bit of trickery there is to social media.

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1 Comments on How to Cite Google Maps

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1 Comment

  1. Loyalson
    Loyalson

    I cite Google maps whenever I share my location with someone who wants to reach me or the destination I’m at. More people should be using this little feature.