how to cite a website apa
To cite a website in APA (7th edition), include: author, date, page title, website name, and URL.
Basic APA website format
Reference list format
- Author last name, Initials. (Year, Month Day). Title of page in sentence case. Website Name. URL.
Example
- Rowlatt, J. (2020, October 19). Could cold water hold a clue to a dementia cure? BBC News. [https://www.bbc.com/news/health-545310751]
In‑text citation
- Paraphrase: (Rowlatt, 2020)
- Narrative: Rowlatt (2020) explains that …
If the author is an organization
Use the organization as the author. Format
- Organization Name. (Year, Month Day). Page title. Website Name (if different from author). URL.
Example
- Scribbr. (n.d.). Academic proofreading & editing service. Scribbr. [https://www.scribbr.com/proofreading-editing/1]
In‑text: (Scribbr, n.d.)
If there is no individual or group author
Start with the title. Format
- Page title. (Year, Month Day). Website Name. URL.
Example
- The countdown: A prophecy, crowds and a TikTok takedown. (2020, October 19). BBC News. [https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-545966671]
In‑text (shortened title): (“The countdown,” 2020)
If there is no date
Use “n.d.” (no date) and, if the content is likely to change, add a retrieval date. Format (no date, with retrieval date)
- Author, A. A. (n.d.). Page title. Website Name. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from URL.
Example
- University of Amsterdam. (n.d.). About the UvA. Retrieved October 19, 2020, from [https://www.uva.nl/en/about-the-uva/about-the-university/about-the-university.html1]
In‑text: (University of Amsterdam, n.d.)
Quick HTML table of patterns
| Situation | Reference format | In-text example |
|---|---|---|
| Normal webpage with person as author | Last name, Initials. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Website Name. URL | [5][1](Last name, Year) | [1]
| Organization as author | Organization Name. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Website Name. URL | [1](Organization Name, Year) | [1]
| No author | Title of page. (Year, Month Day). Website Name. URL | [9][1](Shortened title, Year) | [9][1]
| No date | Author, A. A. (n.d.). Title of page. Website Name. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from URL | [3][1](Author, n.d.) | [1]
Tiny example story to remember it
Imagine you’re telling a friend where you found a fact online: you naturally say who wrote it, when it was written, what the page was called, where it appeared (site name), and how to get there (URL). That’s exactly what APA wants in your website citation.
TL;DR: For most websites in APA 7, use:
Author. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Website Name. URL — and tweak it
only if you’re missing the author or date.
Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.