Sometimes it can be difficult to find information essential to a citation on a webpage, like an author or a date. Here are some steps you can take to make up for this lack of information. - If there is no author listed, use the title of the webpage or the article you are viewing. These steps will make your citation more clear and precise! Want to master Microsoft Excel and take your work-from-home job prospects to the next level? Jump-start your career with our
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instruction on functions, formula, tools, and more. Buy Now (97% off) > Other worthwhile deals to check out: Published on November 5, 2020 by Jack Caulfield. Revised on June 17, 2022. 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. Generate accurate APA citations with ScribbrCiting an entire websiteWhen 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. How to cite online articlesVarious kinds of articles appear online, and how you cite them depends on where the article appears. Online articles from newspapers, magazines, and blogsArticles 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 sitesFor 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.
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Learn more 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.
Websites with no dateWhen 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.
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: Obama, B. [@BarackObama]. (2020, September 7). This Labor Day, let’s thank all those who’ve kept our country going this year—nurses, teachers, delivery drivers, food service [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/1303015313320050688 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: Dorsey, J. [@jack]. (n.d.). Tweets [Twitter profile]. Twitter. Retrieved November 14, 2019, from https://twitter.com/jack Frequently asked questions about APA Style citationsWhat does an APA in-text citation for a website look like? 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:
How do I cite a source with no page numbers in APA Style? 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. How do I cite a source with no author in APA Style? 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. Sources in this articleWe strongly encourage students to use sources in their work. You can cite our article (APA Style) or take a deep dive into the articles below. This Scribbr article
Is this article helpful?You have already voted. Thanks :-) Your vote is saved :-) Processing your vote... How do you cite a website that has no author in APA?Cite in text the first few words of the reference list entry (usually the title) and the year. Use double quotation marks around the title or abbreviated title.: ("All 33 Chile Miners," 2010). Note: Use the full title of the web page if it is short for the parenthetical citation.
Who is the author of this website?Check at the top or bottom of an article for the author's name. You can also search for a "Contact" or "About" page. Look in the terms and conditions or the website's copyright information. Sometimes, you'll find the author displayed next to the copyright.
How do I reference a website using APA?Basic format to reference a webpage on a website. Author or authors. The surname is followed by first initials.. Year, Month Day (in round brackets). Use the most exact date possible.. Title (in italics).. Website name.. The first line of each citation is left adjusted. Every subsequent line is indented 5-7 spaces.. |