How to cite a website in APA Style

Published on November 5, 2020 by Jack Caulfield. Revised on April 1, 2021.

This article reflects theAPA 7th edition guidelines. Click here for APA 6th edition guidelines.

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.

Citing an entire website

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.

How to cite online articles

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.

Format Last name, Initials. (Year, Month Day). Article title. Publication Name . URL
Reference entry Greenhouse, S. (2020, July 30). The coronavirus pandemic has intensified systemic economic racism against black Americans. The New Yorker. https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-pandemic-has-intensified-systemic-economic-racism-against-black-americans
In-text citation (Greenhouse, 2020)

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.

Format Last name, Initials. (Year, Month Day). Article title. Blog Name . URL
Reference entry Lee, C. (2020, February 19). A tale of two reference formats. APA Style Blog. https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/two-reference-formats
In-text citation (Lee, 2020)

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 andnotthe name of the site.

Format Last name, Initials. (Year, Month Day). Article title . Site Name. URL
Reference entry Rowlatt, J. (2020, October 19). Could cold water hold a clue to a dementia cure? BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/health-54531075
In-text citation (Rowlatt, 2020)

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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.

Format Organization Name. (Year, Month Day). Page title . Site Name. URL
Reference entry Scribbr. (n.d.). Academic proofreading & editing service. https://www.scribbr.com/proofreading-editing/
In-text citation (Scribbr, n.d.)

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.

Format Page title . (Year, Month Day). Site Name. URL
Reference entry The countdown: A prophecy, crowds and a TikTok takedown. (2020, October 19). BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-54596667
In-text citation (The Countdown, 2019)

Websites with no date

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.

Format Last name, Initials. (n.d.). Page title . Site Name. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from URL
Reference entry 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.html
In-text citation (University of Amsterdam, n.d.)

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.

Format Last name, Initials. (Year, Month Day). First 20 words of post [Description of multimedia aspects] [Type of post]. Site Name. URL
Reference entry American Psychological Association. (2020, October 14). When adjusted for inflation, the largest median salary increase between 2014 and 2018 was for psychology doctorate recipients who expected [Link with thumbnail attached] [Status update]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/AmericanPsychologicalAssociation/posts/10158794205682579
In-text citation (American Psychological Association, 2020)

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 citations

What does an APA in-text citation for a website look like?

When citing a web page or online article in APA Style, the 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)
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 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 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.

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