apa citation for websites without author and year published

APA Citation Style, 7th edition: Web Page with No Author

• General Style Guidelines
• One Author or Editor
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Document from a Web site with no Author

• When citing sources that you find on the Internet you only need to include a retrieval date if the information you viewed is likely to change over time.  If you reference an article from a news source (e.g., CNN, NBC, Washington Post) or a site that may experience continuous updates, you would then need to include a retrieval date.
• New in 7th edition: You must include the site name in your citation, unless the site name is the same as the corporate author. For example, a citation of a CDC report would not include the site name.

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• How to cite a website in APA Style

How to Cite a Website in APA Style | Format & Examples

Published on November 5, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on September 5, 2024.

APA website citations usually include the author, the publication date, the title of the page or article, the website name, and the URL. If there is no author, start the citation with the title of the article. If the page is likely to change over time, add a retrieval date.

If you are citing an online version of a print publication (e.g. a newspaper , magazine , or dictionary ), use the same format as you would for print, with a URL added at the end. Formats differ for online videos (e.g. TED Talks ), images , and dissertations .

Use the buttons below to explore the format, or use our free APA Citation Generator to automatically create citations.

Cite a website in APA Style now:

Table of contents, citing an entire website, how to cite online articles, websites with no author, websites with no date, how to cite from social media, frequently asked questions about apa style citations.

When you refer to a website in your text without quoting or paraphrasing from a specific part of it, you don’t need a formal citation. Instead, you can just include the URL in parentheses after the name of the site:

One of the most popular social media sites, Instagram (http://instagram.com), allows users to share images and videos.

For this kind of citation, you don’t need to include the website on the reference page . However, if you’re citing a specific page or article from a website, you will need a formal in-text citation and reference list entry. Our plagiarism checker can help ensure your writing doesn’t contain any accidental plagiarism.

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Various kinds of articles appear online, and how you cite them depends on where the article appears.

Online articles from newspapers, magazines, and blogs

Articles appearing in online versions of print publications (e.g. newspapers and magazines) are cited like their print versions, but with an added URL.

The same format is used for blog posts. Just include the blog name where you would usually put the name of the magazine or newspaper.

Articles from online-only news sites

For articles from news sites without print equivalents (e.g. BBC News, Reuters), italicize the name of the article and  not  the name of the site.

When a web page does not list an individual author, it can usually be attributed to an organization or government . If this results in the author name being identical to the site name, omit the site name, as in the example below.

If you can’t identify any author at all, replace the author name with the title of the page or article.

In the in-text citation , put the title in quotation marks if it is in plain text in the reference list, or in italics if it is in italics in the reference list. Note that title case is used for the title here, unlike in the reference list. Shorten the title to the first few words if necessary.

When a web page or article does not list a publication or revision date, replace the date with “n.d.” (“no date”) in all citations.

If an online source is likely to change over time, it is recommended to include the date on which you accessed it.

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The AI-powered Citation Checker helps you avoid common mistakes such as:

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As social media posts are usually untitled, use the first 20 words of the post, in italics, as a title. Also include any relevant information about the type of post and any multimedia aspects (e.g. videos, images, sound, links) in square brackets.

On some social media sites (such as Twitter ), users go by usernames instead of or in addition to their real names. Where the author’s real name is known, include it, along with their username in square brackets:

In some cases, you’ll want to cite a whole social media profile instead of a specific post. In these cases, include an access date, because a profile will obviously change over time:

When citing a webpage or online article , the APA in-text citation consists of the author’s last name and year of publication. For example: (Worland & Williams, 2015). Note that the author can also be an organization. For example: (American Psychological Association, 2019).

If you’re quoting you should also include a locator. Since web pages don’t have page numbers, you can use one of the following options:

• Paragraph number: (Smith, 2018, para. 15).
• Heading or section name: ( CDC, 2020, Flu Season section)
• Abbreviated heading:  ( CDC, 2020, “Key Facts” section)

When you quote or paraphrase a specific passage from a source, you need to indicate the location of the passage in your APA in-text citation . If there are no page numbers (e.g. when citing a website ) but the text is long, you can instead use section headings, paragraph numbers, or a combination of the two:

(Caulfield, 2019, Linking section, para. 1).

Section headings can be shortened if necessary. Kindle location numbers should not be used in ebook citations , as they are unreliable.

If you are referring to the source as a whole, it’s not necessary to include a page number or other marker.

When no individual author name is listed, but the source can clearly be attributed to a specific organization—e.g., a press release by a charity, a report by an agency, or a page from a company’s website—use the organization’s name as the author in the reference entry and APA in-text citations .

When no author at all can be determined—e.g. a collaboratively edited wiki or an online article published anonymously—use the title in place of the author. In the in-text citation, put the title in quotation marks if it appears in plain text in the reference list, and in italics if it appears in italics in the reference list. Shorten it if necessary.

APA Style usually does not require an access date. You never need to include one when citing journal articles , e-books , or other stable online sources.

However, if you are citing a website or online article that’s designed to change over time, it’s a good idea to include an access date. In this case, write it in the following format at the end of the reference: Retrieved October 19, 2020, from https://www.uva.nl/en/about-the-uva/about-the-university/about-the-university.html

Instead of the author’s name, include the first few words of the work’s title in the in-text citation. Enclose the title in double quotation marks when citing an article, web page or book chapter. Italicize the title of periodicals, books, and reports.

No publication date

If the publication date is unknown , use “n.d.” (no date) instead. For example: (Johnson, n.d.).

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator.

Caulfield, J. (2024, September 05). How to Cite a Website in APA Style | Format & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved October 19, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/apa-examples/website/

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APA 7th Edition Citation Guide

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Source with no date, source with no title, source with no page numbers.

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Note : If a source has no author, begin with the title. If the source you are citing was published by an organization or corporation, cite it as having an organizational or corporate author.

Note : Use (n.d.) for sources with no date.

Note : For sources with no title, describe the source in brackets in place of the title.

Note : There are two options for quoting sources with no page numbers.  If the source is short, count paragraphs from the top of the document and include the paragraph number in the in-text citation.  If the source is long, but has section headings, you can include the the section heading in lieu of the paragraph number.

Source with No Page Numbers (Paragraph Numbers)

Source with No Page Numbers (Section Heading)

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APA 7 Citation & Style

• Why Cite Sources?
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APA Reference Entry for a Website with No Author Listed

In the video below, Keri from the Writing Center explains how to create an APA-style Reference entry for a website without an author listed.

• APA Reference: Website with NO Author Slides

Reference entries for a website without an author listed will include:

• Organizational Author.
• Title of page.
• Container or Site Name (if different than the organizational author, if it's the same--skip info here!)

Example website source (with elements color-coded):

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Skin Diseases. (2019). Scoliosis in children and teens. National Institute of Health. https://www.niams.nih.gov/health-topics/scoliosis/

Example website source (final, as it would appear on a Reference page):

Example in-text citation for this source (color-coded):.

( National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal Skin Diseases,   2019 )

• Visit the page on in-text citations if you want more information about how those work!
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APA Citation Style 7th Edition: No Author, No Date etc.

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On This Page

No page numbers.

No Title 

No Database Name

If no author or creator is provided, start the citation with the title/name of the item you are citing instead. Follow the title/name of the item with the date of publication, and the continue with other citation details.

Note : an author/creator won't necessarily be a person's name. It may be an organization or corporation, for example Health Canada or a username on a site such a YouTube.

If no author or creator is provided, use a shortened version of the title where you'd normally put the author's last name. 

If you're citing something which is part of a bigger work, like an article from a magazine, newspaper, journal or encyclopedia, or chapter or short story from a book, put the shortened title in quotation marks in your in-text citation. 

Example, paraphrasing: ("A few words", 2014) 

If you're citing an entire work, like a book, website, video, etc., italicize the shortened title in your in-text citation

Example, 'paraphrasing: ( A few words , 2014)

If and only if an item is signed as being created by Anonymous, use "Anonymous" where you'd normally put the author's name.

Alphabetical Order in References List

When putting works in alphabetical order, ignore initial articles such as "the", "a", or "an". For example the title The best of Canada would be alphabetized as if it started with the word best instead of the word The

If the title begins with a number, alphabetize it as if the number was spelled out. For example the title 5 ways to succeed in business would be alphabetized under F as if it had started with the word Five .

If no date is provided, use the initials n.d. where you would normally put the date.

Also use the initials n.d. if the date of content is difficult to determine, such as on a Wikipedia page.

Page numbers may not be provided for some items, such as online materials. If this is the case:

References List

If a citation would normally include page numbers but none are provided, skip the page numbers in the citation.

In-Text Citation - Quoting Directly

When quoting directly in the text of your paper, you would normally include page numbers if they were given. If there are no page numbers given:

• Indicate the paragraph number instead of the page number with the word "para." before it. For example: (Smith, 2012, para. 3)
• If there are headings, give the name of the heading, followed by the word "section" and the number of the paragraph within the section it is from. For example: (Smith, 2012, Discussion section, para. 3)
• If there is only one paragraph, provide the author's last name and the year and omit the page number

Occasionally an item may not have a title. If you are citing something with no identified title, write a description of the item placed in square brackets. Put this description in brackets where you'd normally put the title.

If you find an article through the  search bar  on the main library page, you might be unsure which database the article is from, because this searches across many different databases.

You can find the name of the database a few ways:

Method 1. Click on the title of the article in the search results list. This will bring you to a page with a description of the article as well as other useful information. Scroll down to the bottom of this list of information, and you should see "Database" listed near the bottom.

Method 2. You can also find the name of the database in the summary of information just below the title of the article in the search results list. It will look something like this:

Notice the name of the database is listed at the end.

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Home / Guides / Citation Guides / APA Format / APA Website Citation

How to Cite a Website in APA

This guide explains all of the important steps to referencing a website/web page in your APA research papers. The guidance below follows APA style, 7th edition.

APA format is much different than MLA format and other styles. If you need to cite websites in MLA , or you’re looking for more styles , check out the other resources on EasyBib.com!

Guide Overview

Here’s a run-through of everything this page includes:

What is a website? Am I citing a website or a web page?

Citing a website in the text (in-text citation), citing a website on the reference page, citing a general web article without an author, titles of pages on the web, extra information, publisher information, web addresses and dois, apa format for online news articles, additional website citation examples, troubleshooting.

A website is a place on the Internet that holds a group of individual pages (called web pages).

Think of a website like a tree. A website is the tree, and the individual web pages are the branches. Use YouTube as an example. YouTube is the site, and the individual channel pages and video pages are the branches. Wikipedia is a site, and each article has its own individual web page on that site.

Most of the time, you aren’t trying to cite a whole, entire site, but actually an individual web page. If you used a YouTube video to help you with your research project, you wouldn’t cite the entire YouTube site, you would cite the specific YouTube page the video was found on.

Here’s a similar question we’re often asked when it comes to the APA citation of a web page:

Q: This page describes citing specific pages and articles. Can I cite an entire site?

A: According to the APA manual (7th edition), it is not necessary to cite a site in its entirety in a reference list. Instead, include a reference to the website in the body of your paper and cite any web page individually.

The Department of Justice has just released a new site called ReportCrime.gov at https://www.reportcrime.gov/ to help people identify and report crimes in their area.

In the above passage, the website is stated in the text rather than cited. This guide focuses on how to cite individual pages found on the web (web pages). If you used an entire website, it’s perfectly acceptable to cite the whole site in the text of your paper, as shown above, but for the most part, you want to cite the page where the information was found.

If you’re seeking out an APA citation website to take the stress away from proper referencing, try out EasyBib.com! Stop typing into the search bar, “how to cite a website APA” or “APA in-text citation website.” EasyBib.com is the answer to your referencing questions and needs!

When you include a piece of information from a site in your project, you must include two citations: a brief citation in the text and also a full citation on the reference page.

When it comes to mentions in the text, students are sometimes tempted to put the web address in the body of a project. However, URLs can be long, clunky, and distracting. They should never be written in the body of a project.

Instead of writing the full address in the text, use the last name of the author and the date the source was published. If no author is shown, write the title of the individual page and the date.

For direct quotations, you may use paragraphs to indicate the quotation’s location in the work. Count the paragraphs manually if needed and use the abbreviation “para.” for paragraph.

Check out this in-text citation APA website example:

                 Cite your source

The above APA website in-text citation (the author’s last name and the date the information was published) corresponds to the information on the final page of the project, the reference page.

Here’s how the full APA citation for a web page looks on the final page of the project:

Need more in-text citation APA website info? Here’s more on how to build an APA parenthetical citation . You may also like our full-length guide on how to create an APA in-text citation .

If you’re looking for information on structuring other styles in the text of your paper, check out our page on MLA in-text and parenthetical citations .

In the next section of this APA citation website guide, we’re going to focus on how to format an APA website citation. If you’re wondering how to create an APA citation of a web page, the majority of web references use the structure shown below.

General structure for how to cite a website in APA

Note: A retrieval date is no longer required for online sources. It’s only needed if the content is likely to change over time (such as wikis and social media). The article or page title should be italicized. The URL is at the end and does not have a period after it.

Full reference example:

View Screenshot | Cite your source

Example of an in-text citation for a website in APA:

If you’re looking for an APA format website to do the work for you, try out EasyBib.com’s citation generator. Our APA citation website makes referencing a breeze!

APA citation for website structure:

Do you need to cite a source with no author in APA ? No problem. Wikipedia pages, online dictionary sites, and online encyclopedia sites are just a few examples of sites without an author. When there is no clear individual author, use the website organization (group author) as the author.

Group authors

There are plenty of times when an individual’s name isn’t listed as the author, but the information on the site is written by a group, organization, or company.

In an APA website citation, it is completely acceptable to use the group’s name in the author position. Type it out in its entirety and add a period at the end. Check out the various APA citation of web page examples at the bottom of the page to see group authors in action!

Note: If the author name and website name is the same, just list it once in as the author; leave out the website name section in the APA citation. 

APA citation for website example:

If you’re wondering whether to include the full date in your APA citation for web pages (month, day, and year) or just the year, we have the answer for you here.

An APA citation of web page reference includes the month, day, and year if it’s a site that is updated with new information frequently. Blog posts, newspaper articles, posts from social media profiles, and YouTube videos are just a few of the sources that would display the full date. In an APA citation for web pages, it’s written in this order in parentheses: (Year, Month Day).

If there is any information missing, simply include what is available. Also, if there is no date , indicate this by using (n.d.).

No date APA website example:

If you’re using the EasyBib citation generator to create an APA citation for a web page, our technology structures dates for you in their proper order. It’s the APA format website (and also the APA in-text citation website) you’ve been waiting for. Give it a whirl!

Here’s the advice we provide on many of our guides:

• If the source you are citing is a standalone source, meaning an entire book, television series, or film, the title of such sources should be in italics.
• If, however, you are citing a piece of a larger source, i.e., a journal article, a page on a site, or an episode of a show, the title should be in sentence case and not in italics.

Long story short, do not italicize an APA citation for web pages’ title in the text and on the final page of references.

For full references on the final page of the project, only include capital letters at the beginning of the title, at the beginning of each proper noun, and at the beginning of the first word in the subtitle.

The title is written in the text only when there isn’t an author listed. So, instead of showing the reference as (Author, Date), use (“Title of Page,” Date) in any APA citation for web pages. Notice the switch from sentence case to title case in the text reference.

A little extra information goes a long way when it comes to site citations. If you’re including a unique source type, include information about the medium directly after the title. This information is placed in brackets. Only the first letter is capitalized.

Here are a few examples you might see in an APA citation for a web page:

[Image attached]

[Infographic]

[Status update]

To see some of the extra information in action, scroll down to the examples towards the bottom of this page.

Speaking of extra information, it may not hurt to get some extra details on grammar topics in that brain of yours. Brush up on your adjective , pronoun , and interjection knowledge with our comprehensive guides!

Any information related to the publisher is not invited to the web citation party. In an APA citation of a web page, you do not need to include information about the company that made the site, where its offices are located, or any other similar information about the company in any web references. One thing less to worry about in your APA citation for web pages!

Other source types are much different, so before you exclude publisher information from all of your references, make sure you check out our APA citation page. While you’re at it, check out our other helpful resources, such as APA reference page  and MLA works cited .

We also need a web address and DOI number in an APA citation for a web page. Including site addresses and DOIs are an absolute necessity. Addresses and DOIs (which stand for direct object identifiers) are usually the last item in an APA website citation.

For sites, after adding the full URL to the APA citation for a web page, do not end it with a period. If the address is very long, it is acceptable to roll it onto the next line, but break it up so that a type of punctuation mark or symbol is the first item closest to the left margin. Check out the APA citation of a webpage URL below.

APA citation of a webpage example of a properly structured URL:

DOI numbers are assigned by publishers to electronic sources such as journal articles, e-books, datasets, and more. They’re a string of numbers and sometimes other characters. If the source you’re using has a DOI number assigned to it, place it at the end of the APA website citation, instead of the URL, in this format: https://doi.org/10.XXXXXXXXX. Place the DOI string in place of the X’s shown above.

DOIs were created to combat the problem of broken links and 404 errors (pages taken down). Think about it: if a webpage is taken off of the Internet, it can be pretty difficult to find a copy of it. If you’re lucky, an archive site may have a copy stored somewhere, but for the most part, when sites are gone, they’re gone. DOIs are permanent, making them the ideal choice to include in any APA citation for webpages.

APA properly structured DOI:

APA differentiates between traditional newspapers that are online versus news websites with no daily/weekly/monthly newspaper or magazine edition. Unsure what you’re citing? Follow this decision tree:

• YES –> Cite it as a newspaper article.
• NO –> Cite it as a web page or a news site article.
• NO –> Cite it as a web page or news site article.

Online news article APA example:

News sites with no associated daily/weekly/monthly publication should be cited like a web page. That means the article title is italicized and the publisher/site name is in plan font. This format applies to articles from these sites:

• MSNBC Fox News

Newspaper article online APA example:

Sites associated with a daily/weekly/monthly publication should be cited as a newspaper article. That means the article title is in plain font and the publisher/site name is italicized. This format applies to articles from these sites:

• The New York Times
• The Guardian
• The Times of India
• The Wall Street Journal
• The Washington Post
• Yomiuri Shimbun

Below are various web reference examples to give you a quick visual of how pages are structured and organized. Quick reminder that if you’re trying to create a reference for an e-book found on the web, use the APA book citation page. In addition, if it’s an online article from journal, use our APA journal page.

If you’re looking for a quick and easy way to build your references, EasyBib.com is an APA citation website that does the work for you. Try it out and say hello to stress-free referencing and goodbye to constantly searching for “how to cite a website APA” or “how to cite APA” on search engines. The APA offers more information here .

How to cite a group/organization/company:

How to Cite a Blog Post in APA:

The structure is the same, but the format is slightly different: The blog article title is in plain text, and the name of the blog is italicized.

APA citation of a web page example for Facebook:

The text of the post is italicized, while the site name (Facebook) is in plain text.

APA citation of a web page example for Twitter:

Cite your source

If the name of the author is unknown, start the APA citation of a web page for Twitter with the username.

Need another set of eyes to check your paper for grammar and spelling edits? Not quite sure if every determiner , preposition , or conjunction is where it belongs? Check out our grammar and plagiarism checker . It’s the answer to all of your grammar questions!

If you’re still confused and typing into the search bar, “how to cite APA” or “how to cite a website APA,” try out EasyBib.com’s reference generator. It’s fast, easy, and allows you to focus on your writing and research, and less on your references. The best part? It creates both types of references. It has an in-text citation website APA generator and also a full reference generator! What are you waiting for? Go see the magic happen!

Here’s a quick video overview of how to cite a website in APA:

Solution #1: Determining the website company, the author, the publisher, or both (APA)

A website citation included in an APA-format bibliography doesn’t need a publisher, so you do not need to worry whether the website company is the publisher of a page you want to cite!

If an author isn’t credited on a given webpage, the website company should be listed as the author. This also goes for online encyclopedias, dictionaries, etc.

Here’s an example for a full bibliography:

Roman empire. (2022, February 6). In Wikipedia . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Empire

Here is an example for an in-text citation:

(“Roman Empire,” 2022)

Solution #2: How to cite images and videos from social media in APA format

Making a bibliographic citation for a photo or video from social media is similar to making a citation for any website. Examples that fall into this category include photos, videos, or social media-specific mediums like highlights, reels, moments, or lives.

For your full citation in your bibliography, use the caption of the photo or video, up to 20 words, as the title. Denote the style of media in brackets, following the title.

For sources like Instagram Reels, Highlights, and other media whose exact date of posting is hard to discern, include the date you found and cited the photo or video rather than the original date the media was shared.

Here are examples of bibliographic citations:

World Wildlife Foundation [wwf]. (2021, October 20). This year marks our 60 years of action for people and nature. Together, we’ve done so much… [Photo]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/CVQQbF_KmA6/

New York Times [nytimes]. (n.d.) NYC Marathon 2021 [Highlight]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/stories/highlights/17928514339867051/

Here are the corresponding in-text citations:

(World Wildlife Foundation, 2021)

(New York Times, 2021)

Solution #3: How emojis are cited in APA format

If the website or social media post you are citing contains an emoji, keep the emoji in your full bibliographic citation without altering it.

Reference list example:

Grande, A [arianagrande]. (2021, October 18) the final #voicebattles begin tonight @nbcthevoice.🧚🏼‍♂️ thank you @kchenoweth, i love you. [Photo]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/CVLfY_vv_3c/

In-text citation example:

(Grande, 2021)

If you have trouble pasting the emoji into your full citation, put the emoji’s name followed by the word “emoji” all in brackets within your citation instead. Use Unicode’s Emoji Charts to look up the widely accepted, technical name of the emoji you want to cite.

Grande, A [arianagrande]. the final the final #voicebattles  begin tonight  @nbcthevoice . [woman fairy emoji] thank you  @kchenoweth , i love you. [Photo]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/CVLfY_vv_3c/

This guide is not officially associated with the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, but it does provide information in line with the manual. 

APA Formatting Guide

APA Formatting

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You will need the webpage’s author’s name, publication date, title of the page, website name, and the URL.

Here is an example with an author:

Geggel, L. (2021, July 6). A brief history of dinosaurs . LiveScience. https://www.livescience.com/3945-history-dinosaurs.html

Usually, if no author is shown the website is assumed to be the author. In these cases, the website name replaces the author name in the beginning of the reference.

For example:

National Park Service. (2018, July 23). Night skies as a cultural-historical resource . https://www.nps.gov/subjects/nightskies/cultural.htm

The URL of a website is mandatory if you cite a website or a webpage. Where you include the URL depends on the type of citation. To cite a website as a general reference without any reference to a specific page or particular details, simply add the name of the website in the text and include the URL in parentheses. There is no need to add a reference list entry. However, to cite a webpage on a website, you need to provide both an in-text citation and a reference list entry. Do not add the URL in the in-text citation. Just add the author’s name and year. The URL is given only in the reference list entry. Templates for in-text citations and reference list entries of a website or webpage along with examples are given below.

Website as a general reference

In-text style:

We took the data from the Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India (https://censusindia.gov.in/).

Webpage of a website

In-text citation templates and examples:

Author Surname (publication year)

Skelton (2017)

Parenthetical:

(Author Surname, publication year)

(Skelton, 2017)

Note that month and day are not mentioned in in-text citations.

Reference list entry template and example:

Author Surname, F. M. (Year, Month Day). Title of the webpage. Name of the Site. URL

Skelton, R. (2017, February 16). Fact check’s return perfect timing in ‘post truth’ age. ABC Opinion. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-16/fact-check-return-perfect-timing-in-post-truth-age/8277268

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APA 6th Edition Citation Style

No author / no date.

• APA 6th Edition Guide
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• Article, Journal (without DOI)
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• Book, Electronic
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Newspaper article (from the newspaper’s website) with no author

Proper Bibliographic Reference Format:

• Bibliographic references are double-spaced and indented half an inch after the first line.
• If there is no author, the article title comes first.
• For titles of newspapers, use italics and "headline" style capitalization.
• Use the URL of the homepage of the newspaper to avoid non-working URLs.
• It is no longer necessary to include the date of retrieval.

Barcelona to ban burqa in municipal buildings. (2010, June 14).  Retrieved from http://gulfnews.com

In-Text Citations:

• Citations are placed in the context of discussion using the author’s last name and date of publication.
• When a work has no identified author, cite in text the first few words of the article title using double quotation marks, “headline- style” capitalization, and the year.

(“Barcelona to Ban Burqa,” 2010)

• Alternatively, you can integrate the citation into the sentence by means of narrative.
• There must be a total match between the reference list and the parenthetical citation, so the article title must stand in place of an author’s name in the essay.

“Barcelona to Ban Burqa” (2010) contends that the move is aimed at all dress that impedes identification.

Website with no author and no date

• If there is no date, use the abbreviation n.d.

United Arab Emirates architecture. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.uaeinteract.com/

• When a work has no identified author, cite in text the first few words of the article title using double quotation marks, “headline-style" capitalization, and the year.

(“United Arab Emirates Architecture,” n.d.)

“United Arab Emirates Architecture” (n.d.) describes building materials used in early settlements.

Journal or magazine article (from library database or online) with no author

• For titles of journals or magazines, use italics and "headline" style capitalization.
• Use the URL of the homepage of the journal or magazine to avoid non-working URLS

Famine relief: Just a simple matter of supplying food? (2002). Nutrition Noteworthy , 5(1). Retrieved from http://escholarship.org/uc/uclabiolchem_nutritionnoteworthy

• When a work has no identified author, cite in text the first few words of the article title using double quotation marks, “headline” style capitalization, and the year.

(“Famine Relief,” 2002)

“Famine Relief” (2002) examines the causes of poverty and famine in Africa.

Works With an Anonymous Author

When a work’s author is designated as “Anonymous,” cite in text the word Anonymous followed by a comma and the date:

(Anonymous, 2010)

In the reference list, an anonymous work is alphabetized by the word Anonymous

Anonymous. (2010). Food safety shake-up needed in the USA. The Lancet , 375(9732), 2122. Retrieved from http://www.thelancet.com

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• When citing sources that you find on the Internet you only need to include a retrieval date if the information you viewed is likely to change over time.  If you reference an article from a news source (e.g., CNN, NBC, Washington Post) or a site that may experience continuous updates, you would then need to include a retrieval date.
• New in 7th edition: You must include the site name in your citation, unless the site name is the same as the corporate author. For example, a citation of a CDC report would not include the site name.
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• Bibliography Answers

How to cite a website in APA format

There are two ways to cite a website in APA format – the automatic way, and the manual way.

 The easy way to cite a website in APA format

We can cite a website for you automatically (and for free) with our citation generator below. Simply paste the page URL into the search box (or search for some keywords) and then click on the result we find. We’ll find all the details you need and format it correctly, ready for you to copy into your paper.

 The manual way to cite a website in APA format

To cite a website by hand just follow the instructions below.

First, you need to locate these details for the website: page or article author, page or article title, website name, published date, access date, page URL (web address) .

• The author can typically be found on the page, but if there isn’t one listed you can use the website name in its place.
• The page title can be found near the top of the page, and you can also find it by hovering your mouse over the browser tab.
• The website name can usually be found in the web address or by looking for a logo or similar at the very top of the page.
• There often isn’t a publish date , but if there is it’ll be very close to the page title.
• The access date is the date you took information from the article (usually today).
• The page URL can be copied straight from the address bar of your browser and will start with either http:// or https://.

Then use this template, replacing the colored placeholders with the information you found on the page:

Author last name , Author first name initial . ( Published year , Published month and day ). Page title . Retrieved Accessed month and day , Accessed year , from Article URL .

The final formatted citation should look like this:

Stanley, J. (2014, December 31). Medical equipment and engineering infrastructure. Retrieved July 25, 2018, from https://www2.health.vic.gov.au/hospitals-and-health-services/planning-infrastructure/medical-equipment

 What to do when there’s no author

Often you’ll find a webpage doesn’t have a clear personable author, and in this case you can substitute the page title in the place of the author instead. Adapting the example above would look like this:

Medical equipment and engineering infrastructure. (2014, December 31). Retrieved July 25, 2018, from https://www2.health.vic.gov.au/hospitals-and-health-services/planning-infrastructure/medical-equipment

 What about multiple authors?

When the page has multiple authors you should include each of them in the same format, separated by a comma. The last author should also be separated by an ‘&’. For example

Stanley, J., Friendly, B., & Deck, P. (2014, December 31). Medical equipment and engineering infrastructure. Retrieved July 25, 2018, from https://www2.health.vic.gov.au/hospitals-and-health-services/planning-infrastructure/medical-equipment

Daniel is a qualified librarian, former teacher, and citation expert. He has been contributing to MyBib since 2018.

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APA Formatting and Style Guide (7th Edition)

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Resources on using in-text citations in APA style

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Citing a website in APA style

Create a new citation.

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Published January 18, 2021. Updated December 21, 2021.

How to cite a website in APA

To cite a website in APA, you need to know the author, website title, website name, date (day, month and year), URL (uniform resource locator), and in some cases the retrieved date (day, month, and year).

The templates and examples below are based on the 7th edition of the  Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association  and the main  APA style website . On this page, you can learn how to cite the following:

Basic web page

Organization author

Entire website

Social Media

If you’re trying to cite a website, the  Chegg Writing APA citation generator  could help.

Citing a basic web page in APA

In-text citation template and examples:

Author Surname (Publication Date)

Erdelyi (2020)

Parenthetical:

(Author Surname, Publication Date)

(Erdelyi, 2020)

Reference list entry template and example:

Author Surname, F. M. (Year, Month Day Published).  Title of the page in italics . Publisher/Name of Website. URL

Erdelyi, K. M. (2020, October 30).  How to leave your comfort zone & why you should . Psycom. https://ww.psycom.net/comfort-zone

Read this  APA format  guide for more style basics.

Citing a web page with organization author in APA

In-text citation template and example:

Organization Name (Publication Date)

Chegg (2003)

(Organization Name, Publication Date)

(Chegg, 2003)

Organization Name. (Year, Month Day Published).  Title of the page in italics . Publisher/Name of Website. URL

Chegg. (2003).  Twin paradox . Chegg Study. https://www.chegg.com/learn/physics/introduction-to-physics/twin-paradox

Citing a web page without a date in APA

Author, A. (n.d.).  Article title . Website/Publisher Name. URL

University of California Santa Barbara. (n.d.).  About UC Santa Barbara . UC Santa Barbara. https://www.ucsb.edu/about

Note that if the webpage contents are likely to change, include a retrieval date, formatted as follows:

University of California Santa Barbara. (n.d.).  About UC Santa Barbara . UC Santa Barbara. Retrieved November 3, 2021, from https://www.ucsb.edu/about

Citing a web page with no authors in APA

Title  (Publication Date)

What is an adjective  (2020)

( Title , Publication Date)

( What is an adjective , 2020)

As there is no author, you can use the abbreviated form of the title.

Title of the page in sentence case . (Year, Month Day Published). Publisher/Name of Website. URL

What is an adjective: A quick and easy adjective overview . (2020, July, 13). Chegg Writing. https://www.chegg.com/writing/guides/adjectives/

Citing an entire website in APA

Name of the Website (URL)

Biography.com (https://www.biography.com/)

(https://www.biography.com/)

According to APA guidelines, reference list entries should not be created for whole websites. Instead, state the name of the website in the text and then include the full URL in parentheses.

Citing Twitter in APA

Author or Organization Name (Publication Date)

Chegg (2020)

(Author or Organization Name, Publication Date)

(Chegg, 2020)

For author names, use only the surname in in-text citations.

Author, F. M. [@username]. (Year, Month Day Published).  Full Tweet text in italics  [Attachments if applicable] [Tweet]. Twitter. URL

Chegg [@Chegg]. (2020, November 4).  The election continues, but #ElectionDay has come to a close. What did students experience when casting their votes? Hear their  [Image attached] [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/Chegg/status/1324148302623899649

Tweet text should not exceed more than 20 words. If the content is too long, use the first 20 words. It is not necessary to include a retrieval date unless the tweet has been removed or you are citing the entire profile as of a certain date (this applies to other social media references as well).

Citing Facebook in APA style

Dhar (2020)

(Dhar, 2020)

For author names, use only the surname in the in-text citations.

Author Surname, F. M. (Year, Month Day Published).  Description/Text of the post . [Attachments if applicable] [Status Update]. Facebook. URL

Dhar, M. (2020, February 16).  Poor dad can’t buy birthday cake, stranger changes his life forever  [Video attached] [Status update]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/search/top?q=Poor%20dad%20can’t%20buy%20birthday%20cake%2C%20stranger%20changes%20his%20life%20forever

Citing Instagram in APA style

Gates (2020)

(Gates, 2020)

Author Surname, F. M. [username]. (Year, Month Day Published).  Description/Text of the post  [Format of the post]. Instagram. URL

Gates, B. [@thisisbillgates]. (2020, October 20).  How to avoid a climate disaster  [Photograph]. Instagram. https://www.instagram.com/p/CGiosKygqaz/

For more information on citing sources in APA, also read these guides on  APA in-text citations  and  APA reference page examples .

Troubleshooting

Solution #1: when to use a retrieval date when citing a website.

You should only use a retrieval date in your citation if the contents of the webpage are likely to change over time. An example could be a webpage that shows statistics that are updated on a regular basis.

If you do need to include a retrieval date, it should be formatted as: Retrieved November 5, 2021, from URL

For example: 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.).  COVID data tracker.  Retrieved November 5, 2021, from https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#datatracker-home

Solution #2: How to cite a comment on a webpage

To cite a comment on a webpage, the commenter should be treated as the author. You can use either the person’s real name or their username/screen name depending on the information available.

Commenter Surname, F. M. (Year, Month Day posted).  Comment title or first 20 words of comment text  [Comment on the webpage  Web page title ]. Website/Publication Name. URL

Schmitz, D. (2021, November 5).  Molten Salt Reactors using Thorium are also a good way for nuclear to go  [Comment on the webpage  On climate, we need to run fast — but not run scared ]. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/11/04/climate-we-need-run-fast-not-run-scared/?commentID=b7aa6a39-1d5c-4ec7-8548-1ca7d2962bc4

APA Style: Learn More

Frequently asked questions, what is the correct way to cite a blog post in apa.

To cite a blog post in APA, the core elements required are the blogger’s name, title of the post, title of the blog, date of publication, and URL. The below table shows how the in-text citation and the reference-list entry are included for a blog post in APA.

In-text citation

Template: (Blogger’s Surname, Publication Year) Example: (Radice, 2011)

Reference-list entry

Blogger Surname, F. M. (Year, Month Day Published). Title of the post.  Title of the Blog . URL of the post Example:

Radice, R. (2011, January 1). A Bayesian approach to phylogenetic networks.  University of Bath Blog . https://researchportal.bath.ac.uk/en/studentTheses/a-bayesian-approach-tophylogenetic-network

How do I cite a website in APA?

To cite a website in APA, the core elements required are the name of the author or organization, the title of the webpage, the website name, the year of publication, and the URL. The table below shows how to format the in-text citation and the reference-list entry for a webpage on a website in APA.

Template: (Individual Author’s Surname/Organization’s Name, Year of Publication) Example: (Mean, 2021)

Author Surname, F. M./Organization Name  (Year, Month Day).  Title of the webpage . Name of the Website. URL Example:

Mean, W. (2021, September 28).  Alexander Graham Bell: 5 facts on the father of the telephone.  Biography. https://www.biography.com/news/alexander-graham-bell-facts

Day and Month are not given in the in-text citation, but they are given in the reference-list entry.

How do I cite an app in APA?

Do not cite common apps such as Facebook and WhatsApp in the reference list. Only include such apps in the text using the proper name of the app. Include the version number as well (if relevant). However, when paraphrasing or quoting from any app, include a reference list entry and an in-text citation.

Cite uncommon apps both in in-text citations and reference-list entries. To cite an uncommon app, use the core required elements: the name of the author or group, year of publication, the title of the app and version number, and URL. The table below shows how to format the in-text citation and the reference-list entry for an uncommon app in APA.

Template: (Name of the Group, Year) Example: (ixigo, 2021)

Name of the group (Year).  Title of the mobile app  (Version #) [Mobile app]. App Store .  URL Example:

ixigo. (2021).  IRCTC authorised partner  (Version 5.2.2.1) [Mobile app] .  App Store. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ixigo.train.ixitrain

How do I cite website with no author or date in APA?

To cite a website with no author or date in APA, use the core required elements: for the parenthetical citation, include the title of the webpage (articles in quotations and reports in italics). For the reference-list entry, include the title of the webpage first, “(n.d.).” to indicate there is no date, the website name, and the URL.

The table below shows how to format the in-text citation for a website with no author or publication date in APA.

Template: (Title of the webpage) Example: (“Michigan Island Lighthouse”)

How do I cite a blog post in APA with no author?

To cite a blog post in APA with no author, use the core required elements: the title of the post, date of publication, title of the blog, and URL. The table below shows how to format the in-text citation and the reference-list entry for a blog post in APA with no author.

Template: (Title of the Post, Publication Year) Example: (The Easy Way, 2021)

Title of the post. (Year, Month Day Published).  Title of the Blog . URL of the post Example:

The easy way to maximize natural light in your space (2021, October 19).  Apartment Therapy . https://www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-to-maximize-natural-light-hgtv-tip-36989458

How do I cite an Instagram post in APA?

To cite an Instagram post (e.g., video or photo), include the last name of the person who made the post and the year in in-text citations. In the reference list entry, include the name and the Instagram names of the user, title and description of the post, date posted, and URL. The below table shows how the in-text citation and the reference list entry are included for an Instagram post in APA.

Template: (Last Name of the user, year) Example: (Murphy, 2020)

User’s Last Name, First Initial OR Name of Group [@Instagram user name]. (Year, Month Day).  Title of the post  [Description] .  Site Name. URL Example:

Murphy, I. [@adamanthillo]. (2020, July 8).  A few simple ways to combat boredom  [Photo] .  Instagram. https://medium.com/@adamanthillo/a-few-simple-ways-to-combat-office-boredom

Add only the year in in-text citations, but the month and date should also be included in the reference list entry.

Use a maximum of the first 20 words from the post for the title.

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  Chegg Writing  »  APA Citation Generator  » Citing a website in APA style

Author–Date Citation System

Use the author–date citation system to cite references in the text in APA Style. In this system, each work used in a paper has two parts: an in-text citation and a corresponding reference list entry.

In-text citations may be parenthetical or narrative .

• In parenthetical citations, use an ampersand (&) between names for a work with two authors or before the last author when all names must be included to avoid ambiguity.
• In narrative citations, always spell out the word “and.”

The author–date citation system is covered in Sections 8.10–8.36 of the APA Publication Manual, Seventh Edition

Number of authors to include in in-text citations

The format of the author element of the in-text citation changes depending on the number of authors and is abbreviated in some cases.

• For a work with one or two authors, include the author name(s) in every citation.
• For a work with three or more authors, include the name of only the first author plus “et al.” in every citation (even the first citation).

The following table shows the basic in-text citation styles:

a Define the abbreviation for a group author only once in the text, choosing either the parenthetical or the narrative format. Thereafter, use the abbreviation for all mentions of the group in the text.

Exceptions to the basic in-text citation styles

• when two works in a paper would both abbreviate to the same “et al.” form (spell out as many surnames as needed to disambiguate)
• when multiple works in a paper have an identical author (or authors) and publication year (append letters to the years)
• when the first authors of multiple references in a paper share the same surname but have different initials (use initials in the in-text citations)

Dates in a citation

• The year in the in-text citation should match the year in the reference list entry.
• Use only the year in the in-text citation, even if the reference list entry contains a more specific date (e.g., year, month, and day).
• For works with no date, use “n.d.” in the in-text citation.
• For works that have been accepted for publication but have not yet been published, use “in press.”

Repeating a citation

When repeating a citation, show the entire citation; do not, for example, include only a page number (the abbreviation “ibid.” is not used in APA Style). Instead, use the following guidelines:

• Include the author(s) and year for every parenthetical in-text citation.
• Do not repeat the year for narrative in-text citations the second and subsequent times they appear in a single paragraph. Follow this guideline with each new paragraph (i.e., include the year in the first narrative citation in a new paragraph).
• However, if you cite multiple works by the same author or authors, regardless of the publication years, include the date in every in-text citation to prevent ambiguity. For example, if you cite Mohammed and Mahfouz (2017) and Mohammed and Mahfouz (2019), include the year with every citation, even when one of the references is cited multiple times in a single paragraph.

Further guidelines for in-text citations

• Each in-text citation must correspond to only one reference list entry.
• Do not include suffixes such as “Jr.” in the in-text citation.
• For works with an unknown author (see Section 9.12), include the title and year of publication in the in-text citation.
• Chapter 10 of the Publication Manual (7th ed.) includes more than 100 reference examples, each of which includes examples of the parenthetical and narrative citations.
• For more guidance and examples, see the Publication Manual .

Want to create or adapt books like this? Learn more about how Pressbooks supports open publishing practices.

6 Chapter 6: The Reference Page

The reference page of an APA paper is one of the final touches of a well written document. It should be neat, orderly, and easy to navigate. Here are somethings to remember in order to construct a well-rounded reference page.

1. Follow APA Guidelines for Formatting

• Title : Label the page “References” at the top, centered, and bolded.
• Font : Use a readable font, such as 12-point Times New Roman or 11-point Calibri.
• Spacing : Double-space all entries, with no extra space between them.
• Hanging Indent : Use a hanging indent for each reference, where the first line is flush left, and all subsequent lines are indented by 0.5 inches.
• Alphabetical Order : List entries in alphabetical order by the last name of the first author. If the author is unknown, alphabetize by the title of the work (ignoring “A,” “An,” or “The”).

2. Know the Types of Sources You’re Citing

Different types of sources (books, journal articles, websites, etc.) have slightly different citation formats. Knowing how to format each type of source is key to creating an accurate reference page. Here’s a quick breakdown of common sources:

• Format: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the book . Publisher.
• Example: Smith, J. A. (2020). Understanding psychology . Penguin Press.
• Format: Author, A. A. (Year). Title of the article. Title of the Journal, Volume (Issue), Page range. DOI or URL (if available).
• Example: Johnson, P. L., & Carter, M. (2019). Social media and mental health. Journal of Social Research, 12 (3), 45-67. https://doi.org/10.1234/jsr.2020.345
• Format: Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of the web page. Website name . URL
• Example: Brown, T. (2021, May 5). The rise of online education. Education Today . https://www.educationtoday.com/online-learning

3. Use Author’s Full Names and Proper Capitalization

• For author names , list the last name first, followed by initials. Use a comma to separate multiple authors and an ampersand (&) before the last author.
• For titles of books or articles , capitalize only the first word of the title, the first word after a colon (if any), and proper nouns.
• For journal titles , use title case (capitalize all major words) and italicize the journal name.

4. Ensure Consistency in Formatting

• Double-check that all your entries follow the same format (e.g., all titles are correctly italicized or in sentence case where required).
• Make sure every in-text citation corresponds to a complete reference on your reference page.

5. Use DOI or URLs Correctly

• DOIs (Digital Object Identifiers) should be included for journal articles when available. Always use the format “ https://doi.org/ …” rather than “DOI: …”
• If there’s no DOI, include the direct URL to the journal or article page. For webpages, provide the most specific URL possible (avoid homepages if the article is accessible from a deeper link).

Example with DOI :

Taylor, S. K. (2021). Cognitive learning in the digital age. Journal of Educational Psychology, 45 (2), 112-128. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000345

Example with URL :

• Smith, L. (2020, June 15). Effective teaching strategies for online classrooms. Teaching Times . https://www.teachingtimes.com/effective-strategies

6. Check for Missing Information

• Ensure that all required information is present for each entry. This includes author names, publication years, titles, and publication details (journal name, volume, issue, etc.).
• If some information is not available (like an author for a webpage), start with the title of the work instead.

7. Avoid Overusing Secondary Sources

• When possible, use and cite primary sources (the original research or article). If you must use a secondary source, clearly indicate it, but try to locate and cite the original source directly.

8. Proofread Carefully

• After creating your reference page, proofread it for typos, formatting errors, or missing elements.
• Use APA’s own publication manual or online tools such as the Purdue OWL website to verify citation formats.

9. Use Citation Management Tools

• Reference Generators : Online tools like Zotero, Mendeley, or citation generators like Citation Machine can help format your references correctly. However, always double-check the results for accuracy, as these tools can sometimes make mistakes.
• Reference Managers : Programs like EndNote or RefWorks can manage and organize your references, automatically formatting them into APA style.

Example of a Correctly Formatted APA Reference Page:

References (please note that these should be double spaced and contain a hanging indent)

Brown, T. (2021, May 5). The rise of online education. Education Today . https://www.educationtoday.com/online-learning

Johnson, P. L., & Carter, M. (2019). Social media and mental health. Journal of Social Research, 12 (3), 45-67. https://doi.org/10.1234/jsr.2020.345

Smith, J. A. (2020). Understanding psychology . Penguin Press.

APA Formatting and Style Guide Copyright © 2024 by College of Southern Idaho is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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