You might see <cite> Element reference while reading someone else’s HTML, or need it while building a page of your own. Instead of memorizing a definition, look at a working example and see when the element makes sense.
The Idea in Plain English
Marks the title of a creative work, such as a book, movie or painting. It is not meant for the author name alone.
For a reference page, pay attention to where the element is allowed, whether it needs a closing tag, and what other elements it can contain.
A Working Example
Read the sample once before copying it. Notice the element names and attribute values, then compare them with the explanation below.
<p>Our favorite book is <cite>The Little Prince</cite>.</p>What Each Part Does
- The cite element identifies a creative work’s title.
- A paragraph keeps one idea together as readable text.
The book title receives citation semantics.
Try It Yourself
Try replacing the example content with your own while keeping the valid HTML structure.
Common Beginner Mistakes
- Wrapping the author name in cite instead of the work title.
- Changing several parts of the example at once, making it difficult to see which part caused a different result.
- Choosing a tag only because its default appearance looks right, without checking whether it describes the content correctly.
Key Takeaways
- Marks the title of a creative work, such as a book, movie or painting. It is not meant for the author name alone.
- The book title receives citation semantics.
- Test the markup in a browser, and check accessibility and real-world behavior where relevant.