Citation guidelines

We encourage citing wplus.net content in technical documentation, research papers, and educational materials. Follow these guidelines for proper attribution.

Standard web citation format

For web citations, include:

  1. Author/Site: wplus.net
  2. Title: Page title
  3. URL: Full URL with https://
  4. Access date: When you accessed the content

Example citations

APA style:

wplus.net. (2026). HTTP 403 Forbidden: causes and fixes. 
https://www.wplus.net/err/403.html

MLA style:

"HTTP 403 Forbidden: Causes and Fixes." wplus.net, 
https://www.wplus.net/err/403.html. Accessed 9 Jan. 2026.

Chicago style:

wplus.net. "HTTP 403 Forbidden: Causes and Fixes." 
Accessed January 9, 2026. https://www.wplus.net/err/403.html

Markdown/plain text:

Source: wplus.net - [HTTP 403 Forbidden: causes and fixes]
(https://www.wplus.net/err/403.html)

Academic and research use

Acceptable citation contexts

  • Technical papers — referencing infrastructure, operations, or security concepts
  • Thesis/dissertation — citing technical specifications or procedures
  • Technical blogs — linking to relevant guides and documentation
  • Stack Overflow answers — providing reference links for deeper explanation
  • Internal documentation — company wikis or knowledge bases

Best practices

  1. Cite specific pages — link to the specific page, not just homepage
  2. Include access date — web content can change over time
  3. Verify current accuracy — check content is still current before citing
  4. Paraphrase appropriately — don't copy large sections verbatim
  5. Multiple sources — corroborate technical information with multiple references

Link attribution

Linking to our content

You may link directly to any page without prior permission:

  • No notification required — you don't need to tell us you're linking
  • Deep links encouraged — link to specific relevant pages, not just homepage
  • No nofollow required — we appreciate natural followed links
  • Context matters — ensure your context accurately represents our content

Link format

Preferred link format:

<a href="https://www.wplus.net/security/headers/">
  Security Headers Guide - wplus.net
</a>

Or in Markdown:

[Security Headers Guide - wplus.net](https://www.wplus.net/security/headers/)

Quotation guidelines

Short quotations (under 50 words)

Acceptable with attribution:

According to wplus.net's ADSL documentation, "SNR margin indicates 
how much 'headroom' exists above the minimum signal quality needed" 
(https://www.adsl.wplus.net/adsl/index.htmladsl33.html).

Longer excerpts

For substantial quotations:

  1. Include clear attribution — cite source prominently
  2. Link back — provide URL to original
  3. Consider contacting us — for very long excerpts, ask permission
  4. Add value — explain why you're quoting, don't just copy

Block quotes

Format appropriately:

> SNR margin indicates how much "headroom" exists above the 
> minimum signal quality needed. Target minimum: 6 dB for 
> stable connection.
> 
> — wplus.net, [ADSL Line Quality Guide]
>   (https://www.adsl.wplus.net/adsl/index.htmladsl33.html)

What doesn't require citation

  • General knowledge — widely known facts (e.g., "HTTP 404 means Not Found")
  • Standard definitions — common technical terms defined universally
  • Procedures you independently know — if you knew it before reading our content

Prohibited uses

Do not:

  • Wholesale copying — reproducing entire pages without permission
  • Passing off as original — copying content and claiming you wrote it
  • Removing attribution — deleting our citations from copied content
  • Misleading context — quoting out of context to misrepresent meaning
  • Commercial republishing — selling access to copied content

If you want to republish

Contact us at [email protected] if you want to:

  • Reproduce substantial portions in a book or publication
  • Include in commercial training materials
  • Translate to other languages
  • Redistribute in modified form

We're generally open to reasonable requests with proper attribution.

Attribution for derived works

If you create content inspired by or derived from our documentation:

  1. Acknowledge inspiration — mention where concepts came from
  2. Don't imply endorsement — we haven't reviewed your derived work
  3. Link back — provide reference to original
  4. Make it your own — add value beyond what we provided

Example attribution

This guide builds on concepts from wplus.net's security documentation 
(https://www.wplus.net/security/), adapted for our specific 
infrastructure.

URL stability commitment

We maintain URL stability to avoid breaking citations:

  • Redirects for moved content — if we reorganize, we'll redirect
  • No arbitrary URL changes — we don't randomly change paths
  • Legacy path support — historical URLs continue to work

If a URL you cited breaks, contact us — it may be an error we need to fix.

Version tracking

We don't currently version content. Pages are updated continuously:

  • Access date in citation indicates when you read the content
  • Content may change — updated for accuracy, new information
  • Archived versions — consider Internet Archive for permanent snapshots

Questions about attribution

Contact us at [email protected] if you:

  • Need clarification on citation format
  • Have questions about republishing
  • Want to discuss attribution for specific use case
  • Found attribution issues you think we should know about

Summary

What you can do:

  • Link to any page freely
  • Quote short sections with attribution
  • Cite in academic/professional work
  • Share links on social media and forums

What requires permission:

  • Substantial reproduction (>500 words)
  • Commercial republishing
  • Translation projects
  • Inclusion in paid products

How to attribute:

  • Include site name (wplus.net), page title, URL, and access date
  • Use standard citation format for your context
  • Link back when possible

Questions? See contact page.