How to Cite a Website in APA: With and Without Author

In Brief

Here’s exactly how to cite a website in APA 7th edition style, whether the webpage lists an individual author, uses an organizational author, or has no author listed at all. The format changes depending on who’s credited — and getting it wrong is one of the most common student errors.

Key Takeaways

• With an individual author: Use their last name and initials, the date, the italicized page title in sentence case, the site name, and the full URL.
• With no author: Move the page title to the front of the citation and shorten it for in-text citations.
• With an organizational author: Use the organization’s name as the author and omit the site name if it’s the same as the author.
• Never add a “Retrieved from” date unless the content is designed to change over time (like a live database or wiki).

Why Website Citations Matter

When you write an academic paper, every source you use needs a reference. In APA style, that means two things in every paper: an in-text citation somewhere in your body paragraphs, and a matching full reference entry at the end of your paper.

Websites have become the most commonly cited source type for students. According to the official APA Style website, webpages are cited whenever a work doesn’t fit better within another category — and that covers nearly everything you’ll find on the internet.

The tricky part isn’t that the rules are complicated. It’s that students make the same formatting mistakes over and over. Let’s walk through every scenario and show you exactly what to do.

Scenario 1: Website With an Individual Author

This is the most straightforward scenario and arguably the most common one students encounter. The webpage is written by a named individual — a journalist, a professor, a researcher, or any credited author.

Format:

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of webpage in sentence case. Site Name. URL

Example:

Mantel, B. (2025, April 24). How to be a caregiver for someone with multiple sclerosis. AARP. https://www.aarp.org/caregiving/health/info-2025/multiple-sclerosis-care-plan/

How to cite it in-text:

• Parenthetical: (Mantel, 2025)
• Narrative: Mantel (2025)

What to include:

1. Author: Last name first, followed by initials. No commas between the last name and initials.
2. Date: Year, followed by a comma, then month and day. This specificity is new in APA 7th edition — the old edition didn’t require the full date for most web content.
3. Title: Italicized. Sentence case — only the first word, the first word after a colon, and any proper nouns are capitalized.
4. Site name: Not italicized. This is the name of the website or platform hosting the content.
5. URL: No period after the URL. Adding one breaks the hyperlink.

Pro tip: If you’re citing a webpage from a news site like CNN, BBC, or HuffPost, the page title is italicized and the site name is not italicized. This is different from citing a newspaper article from a site like The New York Times, which uses the newspaper article category and formats differently.

Scenario 2: Website With an Organizational Author

Many academic, government, and non-profit webpages don’t list an individual author. Instead, the organization or agency responsible for the content is credited as the author. This is one of the scenarios students handle differently in their heads, which leads to mistakes.

Format:

Organization Name. (Year, Month Day). Title of webpage in sentence case. URL

Example:

National Institute of Mental Health. (2018, July). Anxiety disorders. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders/index.shtml

Example with same author and site name:

World Health Organization. (2018, May 24). The top 10 causes of death. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/the-top-10-causes-of-death

How to cite it in-text:

• Parenthetical: (National Institute of Mental Health, 2018)
• Narrative: World Health Organization (2018)

What’s special here:

When the author (the organization) and the site name are identical, APA 7th edition says to omit the site name entirely. This prevents redundancy. The WHO example above is the canonical case: “WHO” appears once as the author, and the URL serves as the source.

Scenario 3: Website With No Author

This is the scenario where most students make the biggest mistake. When no author is listed on a webpage, you do not skip the citation or use the URL as the author. You use the title.

Reference list format:

Title of webpage in sentence case. (Year, Month Day). Site Name. URL

Example:

New guidelines for digital privacy. (2025, May 14). Tech News Daily. https://www.technewsdaily.com/privacy-guidelines-2025

How to cite it in-text:

• Parenthetical: ("New guidelines," 2025)
• Narrative: "New guidelines" (2025)

What students get wrong:

1. They don’t italicize the title in the reference list entry. The webpage title is italicized just like any other page title.
2. They forget the quotation marks for the shortened title in the in-text citation. A shortened version of the title always goes in quotation marks inside the parentheses.
3. They capitalize the wrong words. Remember: sentence case means only the first word, the first word after a colon, and proper nouns are capitalized.

Important caveat: If the page is part of a larger work (like a sub-page within a website), APA 7th edition recommends treating it as part of a bigger source rather than creating a standalone reference. When in doubt, check whether the page you’re citing stands alone or is one section of a broader website structure.

Scenario 4: Website With No Date

Sometimes you can’t find a publication date on the webpage. This is especially common with government reports, organizational resources, and archived content.

Format:

Author, A. A. (n.d.). Title of webpage in sentence case. Site Name. URL

Example:

National Alliance on Mental Illness. (n.d.). Mental health conditions. https://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-Health-Conditions

How to cite it in-text:

• Parenthetical: (National Alliance on Mental Illness, n.d.)
• Narrative: National Alliance on Mental Illness (n.d.)

What “n.d.” means: “n.d.” stands for “no date.” It’s not a placeholder you can guess or estimate. If no date appears on the page, you use n.d. — even if you have a hunch the content is recent.

Scenario 5: Website With a Retrieval Date

APA 7th edition added a specific rule for retrieval dates: you only include them when the content is designed to change over time and is not archived.

Format:

Author, A. A. (n.d.). Title of webpage in sentence case. Site Name. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from URL

Example:

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Braggadocio. In Merriam-Webster.com dictionary. Retrieved January 13, 2020, from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/braggadocio

When to use a retrieval date:

• Wikis (like Wikipedia)
• Live databases that update continuously
• Content that may change without notice

When not to use a retrieval date:

• Most webpages and articles
• News articles
• Blog posts
• Government reports
• Organizational pages

The rule in practice: If you’re citing a page where the information you pulled could be different the next time someone visits it, include the retrieval date. If the page is a stable, published document, do not include it.

Quick Reference Table

Here’s a summary you can reference quickly when writing your paper:

Common Student Mistakes (And How to Fix Them)

Mistake 1: Adding a Period After the URL

A period at the end of a URL breaks the hyperlink. Always leave the URL at the end of the reference entry with no punctuation after it.

Wrong: https://www.example.com/page/.
Right: https://www.example.com/page

Mistake 2: Capitalizing the Title in Title Case

APA uses sentence case for webpage titles. Only the first word, the first word after a colon, and proper nouns are capitalized.

Wrong: _How to Write a Research Paper_
Right: _How to write a research paper_

Mistake 3: Using the URL as the Author

When there’s no individual author, the title moves to the front — not the URL. The URL belongs at the very end of the entry.

Wrong: https://www.example.com/page. (2024). _Title of webpage_
Right: _Title of webpage_. (2024). Site Name. https://www.example.com/page

Mistake 4: Including “Retrieved from” for Every Citation

Students who learned APA 6th edition often carry over the old habit of adding a retrieval date for every source. APA 7th edition removed this requirement for most webpages. Only add it when the content is designed to change over time.

Mistake 5: Not Matching In-Text and Reference Entries

Every in-text citation must match a corresponding reference list entry. If you cite a source in your body, you can’t omit it from the references — and vice versa.

What About Other Citation Styles?

Different academic disciplines use different citation formats. APA is most common in the social sciences, education, psychology, and related fields. Here’s how website citations differ across the three most common styles:

For a deeper comparison of citation styles across disciplines, see our guide on academic citation styles.

The Bottom Line: What to Remember

Citing a website in APA style boils down to a simple sequence:

1. Find the author — individual name, organization, or none
2. Find the date — year, month, and day if available; otherwise use n.d.
3. Find the title — italicized, sentence case
4. Find the site name — omit it if it’s the same as the author
5. Find the URL — no period after it

If you remember that sequence, you’ll get 95% of website citations right. The remaining 5% is the retrieval date rule, which only applies when the content changes over time.

The single biggest reason students lose points on citations is not knowing the rules at all. When you know them, it becomes mechanical. And when it becomes mechanical, you can focus on the actual ideas and evidence — not on whether your commas are in the right place.

Need Help With Your Citations?

Getting citations right matters — not just for meeting a professor’s formatting requirements, but for avoiding plagiarism and building academic trust. If you’re overwhelmed by reference formatting, use the free tools available through the official APA Style website or the Purdue OWL APA guide for authoritative examples.

When you’re ready to check your work against plagiarism detection tools, our guide on best plagiarism checkers for students covers the most reliable options available.

Related Guides

• Academic Citation Styles: APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard
• How to Properly Attribute Sources: Avoiding Plagiarism
• Best Plagiarism Checkers for Students
• How to Cite a YouTube Video: Complete APA, MLA, Chicago Guide

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Use the title in place of the author, and use (n.d.) for “no date.” The reference looks like this: Title of webpage. (n.d.). Site Name. URL. In-text: ("Title of page," n.d.).

Can I use the site name instead of the title when there’s no author?

No. APA 7th edition requires the title to move to the author position when no individual author is listed. The site name goes at the end of the reference entry.

What does “n.d.” stand for in APA citations?

“n.d.” stands for “no date.” It’s used when a publication date cannot be found on the webpage. Never guess or estimate a date — use n.d. if the date is unavailable.

Should I italicize the title in an in-text citation?

No. In the reference list, the webpage title is italicized. In the in-text citation, it’s placed in quotation marks without italics.

When should I use a retrieval date in APA?

Only when the content is designed to change over time and is not archived — such as a live database, a wiki, or a continuously updated resource. For most webpages and articles, a retrieval date is not required.

What We Recommend

When you’re unsure how to format a website citation, always default to the official APA Style examples page and the Purdue OWL guide. These sources are authoritative, regularly updated, and free. If you’re citing a source for a class, check whether your professor has additional formatting requirements beyond standard APA — some instructors ask for retrieval dates on all webpages regardless of content type.

The most practical advice we can give: copy one of the official examples from the APA Style website, paste your details into that template, and verify that your in-text citation matches the reference entry. This workflow catches 99% of errors before they become problems.

Final Thoughts

Citing websites in APA style feels intimidating until you understand the five scenarios and the single sequence that covers them all. The rules aren’t arbitrary — they’re designed so that anyone reading your paper can find exactly the source you used. That’s the real point of a citation: attribution, transparency, and academic honesty.

Master these rules and you’ll never second-guess your references again. And more importantly, you’ll build the kind of academic credibility that matters long after the paper is submitted.