reference page website apa no author

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

• General Style Guidelines
• One Author or Editor
• Two Authors or Editors
• Three to Five Authors or Editors
• Article or Chapter in an Edited Book
• Article in a Reference Book
• Edition other than the First
• Translation
• Government Publication
• Journal Article with 1 Author
• Journal Article with 2 Authors
• Journal Article with 3–20 Authors
• Journal Article 21 or more Authors
• Magazine Article
• Newspaper Article
• Basic Web Page
• Web page from a University site
• Web Page with No Author
• Entry in a Reference Work
• Government Document
• Film and Television
• Youtube Video
• Audio Podcast
• Electronic Image
• Twitter/Instagram
• Lecture/PPT
• Conferences
• Secondary Sources
• Citation Support
• Avoiding Plagiarism
• Formatting Your Paper

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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Home / Guides / Citation Guides / APA Format / How to cite in APA when there are no authors

How to cite in APA when there are no authors

This article covers how to cite in APA Style (7th ed.) when there are no known authors for a reference or when the author is unknown or cannot be reasonably determined. Before treating a reference as though it has no author, consider whether a group or organization (such as a government agency, association, nonprofit organization, business, hospital, task force, or study group) could be the author by checking the cover or title page.

Citing in-text when there are no authors

APA 7th ed. uses the author-date citation system for citing references in-text. In parenthetical citations, this structure includes the author’s last name and the publication year (with a comma separating them) in parentheses. In narrative citations, the author’s last name is incorporated into the sentence. This formatting applies if your source has one author or if you are citing a source with multiple authors in APA .

Parenthetical citation for source with author:

(Author Last Name, Year Published)

(Cheung, 2013)

Narrative citation for source with author:

Author Last Name (Year Published)

Cheung (2013)

If a reference has an unknown author, the title of the work substitutes as the author name in the in-text citation.

• The title should have each significant word capitalized (basically sentence case).
• This means it is part of a larger work (like when citing a journal article from a journal in APA ).
• If the source title is italicized in the reference list entry, italicize the title in the in-text citation (example: books when cited in APA ).

No author, source title italicized:

(Source Title , year published)

( Park Avenue Summer , 2019)

No author, source title in quotes:

(“Source Title,” year published)

(“22 New Apple Varieties,” 1997)

Author designated as “Anonymous”

Only use the capitalized word “Anonymous” in place of the author’s name when it’s overtly designated, not as a general substitute for a reference with an unknown author.

“Anonymous” as author name:

(Anonymous, year published)

(Anonymous, 2020)

Citing in the reference list when there are no authors

To add a reference with no author to the reference list, first move the title of the reference to the author position in your citation . For further information on creating reference list citations, see this guide on APA citations.

Reference list examples:

Park avenue summer. (2019). Penguin Random House.

22 new apple varieties. (1997). Food Magazine . https://foodmag.com/article/1997/22-new-apple-varietites

If the reference is overtly signed “Anonymous,” then you can add the entry to the reference list as if “Anonymous” were the author’s last name.

Anonymous. (2020). Navigating the high seas. Sea Life. https://sealife.gov

Alphabetizing the reference list for sources with no known author

Reference list entries without an author are alphabetized by the first significant word of the title.

• Ignore the words “A,” “An,” and “The” when putting your reference list in order.
• Begin the entry with the word “Anonymous” only if the work is signed “Anonymous.”
• If the reference has no author and is not signed “Anonymous,” then you can alphabetize it in the reference list based on the work’s title.
• If the title begins with a number, alphabetize the reference as though the number were spelled out. For example, you would alphabetize the number 22 as though it were written as the word “twenty-two.”

Alphabetical order of reference list example:

22 new apple varieties. (1997). Food Magazine . https://foodmag.com/article/1997/11/new-apple-varietites

Published October 28, 2020.

APA Formatting Guide

APA Formatting

• Annotated Bibliography
• Block Quotes
• et al Usage
• In-text Citations
• Multiple Authors
• Paraphrasing
• Page Numbers
• Parenthetical Citations
• Reference Page
• Sample Paper
• APA 7 Updates
• View APA Guide

Citation Examples

• Book Chapter
• Journal Article
• Magazine Article
• Newspaper Article
• Website (no author)
• View all APA Examples

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To cite a source with no author or no date in APA style, it is important that you know some basic information such as the title of the work, publisher if it is a book reference or volume and page details if it is a journal reference, and/or URL (uniform resource locator). The templates and examples for in-text citation and reference list entry of a book with no author and a book with no date are given below.

Book with no author

In-text citation template and example:

Books with no author in general, but not always, are given as parenthetical citations. If the book does not have an author, cite it by its title. If the title is too long, shorten the title in the in-text citation. Italicize the title in the in-text citation. Follow title case in the in-text citation even though the book title is in sentence case in the reference list entry. A parenthetical citation might look like this:

( Title of the Book , Publication Year)

( The Cultural Politics of Emotion , 2014)

Reference list entry template and example:

Title of the book . (Publication Year). Publisher.

The cultural politics of emotion . (2014). Edinburgh University Press

The title of the book is in italics and sentence case. While arranging the reference entry alphabetically in the reference list, arrange the entry by treating the title as author name. Remember that articles (A, An, and The), if present at the beginning of the title, should not be considered for alphabetization. When you have a numeral used in the title, consider it to be in the spelled-out form and arrange it accordingly in the reference list.

  Book with no date

If you cite a book without a date, use “n.d.” in place of the year.

Author Surname (Publication Year)

Cohen (n.d.)

Parenthetical:

(Cohen, n.d.)

Cohen, J. (n.d.). Statistical power analysis for the behavioural sciences (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

To cite a book with no author in APA style, it is important that you know some basic information such as the title of the book, publisher, and/or URL (uniform resource locator). The templates for in-text citation and reference list entry of a book along with examples are given below:

In-text citation template and examples:

Books with no author in general, but not always, are given as parenthetical citations. If the book does not have an author, cite it by its title. If the title is too long, shorten the title in the in-text citation. Italicize the title in the in-text citation. Follow title case in the in-text citation even though the book title is set in sentence case in the reference list entry. A parenthetical citation might look like this:

( Addressing Uncertainty in Oil and Natural Gas Industry , 2009)

Title of the book . (Publication Year). Publisher. URL

Addressing uncertainty in oil and natural gas industry greenhouse gas inventories: Technical considerations and calculation methods . (2009). American Petroleum Institute. http://www.api.org/~/media/Files/EHS/climate-change/Addressing_Uncertainty.pdf

You need to set the title of the book in italics and sentence case. While arranging the reference entry alphabetically in the reference list, arrange the entry by treating the title as author name. Remember that articles (A, An, and The), if present at the beginning of the title, should not be considered for alphabetization. When you have a numeral used in the title, consider it to be in the spelled-out form and arrange it accordingly in the reference list.

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Creating APA Citations for Websites With No Author

Do you want to include a website in your APA 7 style paper, but it has no author? How you cite a website in APA with no author is to use the article’s title instead. Although it is acceptable to include information from sources with no author listed in your APA website citation, make sure it at least comes from a reliable website, such as a government entity, university, or reputable organization.

How To Reference a Website With No Author Name Listed – APA 7th Edition

Online citations in APA style have four different components: the author, date, title, publisher, and URL. Many times, especially in local newspapers, articles are printed as staff articles or without any author’s name listed. If you do not know the author’s name or the article’s date, you can still cite a webpage in your APA 7 style  reference list by using the title of the article.

Title of the article. (year, Month day). News Organization. URL (no period after the URL)

APA News Website With No Author – Reference List Example

Concert raises thousands for earthquake victims. (2019, August 9). The News Review. http://www.news-ridgecrest.com/news/story.pl?id=0000010343

500,000 Oregon residents evacuate statewide due to wildfires . (2020, September 10). HuffPost. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/oregon-residents-evacuations-wildfire

APA Journal Website With No Author – Reference List Example

Language learning with the unique language used today . (2019, August 20). Psychological Review , 1-15. http://www.psychologyreview.org/language_learning_as_language_us

APA Magazine Website With No Author – Reference List Example

Stars who battled eating disorders . (2020, August 20). Us Weekly .  https://www.usmagazine.com/celebrity-body/pictures/stars-who-battled-eating-disorders

Citing a Website With No Author & No Date – APA

When making an APA website citation with no author and date, you use n.d., which means no date, in the place of the year.

Title of the publication. (n.d.). Website. URL

APA Website No Author, No Date – Reference List Example

FREE MLA & APA citation generator (n.d.). Bibliography.com. http://bibliography.com

How to Cite a Website With an Anonymous Author – APA

Another situation you might encounter in your APA research paper citations is an anonymous author of a website. Rather than listing the title as you would for no author, you use “anonymous” as your author.

Anonymous. (Date). Title. Publication. URL

APA Citation for a Website Anonymous Author – Reference List Example

Anonymous. (n.d.). Understanding the human brain. Psychology Today . https://www.psychologytoday.com/understanding_the_human_brain/

How to In-Text Cite a Website With No Author – APA

When creating an in-text citation in APA without an author, you use the title. For the in-text citation, use only the first few words if it’s a long title. Use the full title if it’s a shorter title.

In-Text Citation Example for APA No Author

( Concert Raises Thousands , 2019)

(“Language Learning,” 2019)

In-Text Citation Example for Anonymous

(Anonymous, 2020)

APA Citations for Online Articles With Organization Author

For some websites, the organization is the author of the article. In this case, you’ll include the organization’s name for the author in your APA citations.

Reference List Example for Organization Author

Experis. (2019, August 1). 20 Tips for great job interviews. https://www.experisjobs.us/exp_us/en/career-advice/20-tips-job-interviews.htm

If there is no date available, use n.d. in place of the year.

Experis. (n.d.). 20 Tips for great job interviews.  https://www.experisjobs.us/exp_us/en/career-advice/20-tips-job-interviews.htm

In-Text Citation Examples for Organization Authors

(Experis, 2019) (Experis, n.d.)

Tips for Evaluating Online Articles

It doesn’t matter if you’re writing a short essay or a long research paper; you can use online articles with no authors as sources. Just be sure to include reliable  primary and secondary sources to back up your research. Therefore, your research should focus on finding authoritative sources .

• One way to establish authority is to inspect the author’s name and professional background. For example, if an article describes how to treat a medical condition, you would undoubtedly want to know the author’s credentials before following any advice.
• Although you may find articles with no author listed on reputable sites, it is better to establish the authority of your article by using sources written by established authors. If you find a random article that seems “formula” created with no listed author or references, bypass that source and choose a better one for your  APA format  paper.

No Author, No Problem

When it comes to creating a website citation in your reference list or in-text without an author, it’s not as hard as you think. You need to make sure you follow APA rules for citations and include the title first. When it comes to citations, APA has every situation covered. And if you need more information about your APA reference page, check out the APA reference page guide .

Finding Public Domain Sources for Your Class Essay

FAQ Creating APA Citations for Websites With No Author

How do you reference a website with no author.

To reference a website without an author in APA, the title of the article moves up to the first position in the citation. An example of a no author citation looks like: Title of the article. (year, Month day). Website. URL (no period after the URL)

How do you cite a website in APA 7th edition no author?

When you have a website in APA 7 with no author, you use the title, date, publisher, and URL. There is no period after the URL in the citation. Additionally, a website title is in italics.

How do I cite websites in APA format?

To cite a website in APA format, you need the author, date, title of the article, name of website, and URL. You will not place a period after the URL and the website article title is in italics. A web citation example looks like: Betts, J. (n.d.) How to Cite a Website. Bibliography.com. https://www.bibliography.com/how-to-cite-a-website/

How do you cite an organization in APA with no author?

When an article is authored by an organization in APA, then you use the name of the author in place of the author. You write the organization's full name with no acronyms. An organization example citation in APA looks like: Organization. (Date). Title of the article. URL

How do you reference a website in APA with no author or date?

When an article reference in APA has no author and no date, you start with the title of the article then you follow it with (n.d.) which stands for no date. An example of a citation with no author and no date looks like: Title of the article. (n.d.). Organization. URL

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APA Format Guidelines for an A+ Paper

Apa citations for a thesis or dissertation, apa style citations for quotes, paraphrasing, and references, apa in-text citations and references for multiple authors.

APA 7 Citation & Style

• Why Cite Sources?
• How Citations Work in APA
• Database Sources (Journal Articles)
• Textbook or Book Source
• Website with an Author
• Website with No Author Listed
• In-Text Citations
• Writing Style
• Page Numbering
• Checklist (putting it all together)
• Need Help with APA?

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!
• << Previous: Website with an Author
• Next: In-Text Citations >>
• Last Updated: Dec 21, 2023 9:43 AM
• URL: https://westerntc.libguides.com/APA7

Welcome to the Wayne G. Basler Library at Northeast State Community College

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

• General Guidelines
• One Author or Editor
• Two Authors or Editors
• Three to Five Authors or Editors
• Article or Chapter in an Edited Book
• Article in a Reference Book
• E-Books, not from a Database
• Edition other than the First
• Translation
• Government Publication
• Journal Article with One Author
• Journal Article with 2 Authors
• Journal Article with 3-20 Authors
• Journal Article 21 or more Authors
• Magazine Article
• Newspaper Article
• Basic Web Page
• Web page from a University site
• Web Page with No Author
• Entry in a Reference Work
• Government Document
• Online Press Release
• Motion Picture
• Youtube Video
• Audio Podcast Episode
• Music Recording
• TikTok Video
• Electronic Image
• Lecture/PPT
• Classical Works
• Secondary Sources
• Avoiding Plagiarism

Document from a Web site with no Author (p. 264-265; 350-352)

• 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 (p. 290).  If you reference an article from a site that may experience continuous updates, you would then need to include a retrieval date.

• << Previous: Web page from a University site
• Next: Blog post >>
• Last Updated: Mar 6, 2024 6:15 PM
• URL: https://library.northeaststate.edu/APA

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How to Cite a Web Site in APA With No Author, Date, or Page Number

Last Updated: December 7, 2022 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Diane Stubbs and by wikiHow staff writer, Danielle Blinka, MA, MPA . Diane Stubbs is a Secondary English Teacher with over 22 years of experience teaching all high school grade levels and AP courses. She specializes in secondary education, classroom management, and educational technology. Diane earned a Bachelor of Arts in English from the University of Delaware and a Master of Education from Wesley College. There are 11 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 281,432 times.

Citing a website that doesn't list an author, date, or page number can be tricky. However, it's easier to do than you might think! You can cite a website using the title name, organization that published the page, or "anonymous," depending on the information available. For the date, you can include "n.d." for "no date." This allows you to create in-text citations and an entry on your References page.

Creating In-Text Citations

• "According to “Robotics for Beginners" (2018), titanium parts will create a sturdier robot."
• "Titanium parts are the best option for building a sturdy robot (“Robotics,” 2018)."

• "According to the American Cancer Society (2018), people undergoing chemotherapy benefit from having complimentary head wraps or wigs available."
• "People who are undergoing chemotherapy treatments have a better experience if complimentary head wraps and wigs are provided to them (American Cancer Society, 2018)."

• For an anonymous author, your citation will look like this: "(Anonymous, 2018)"

• A citation using a title for an author looks like this: "(“Robotics,” n.d.)"
• If you're using an organization name, your citation looks like this: "(National Robotics Society, n.d.)"
• For an anonymous author, your citation would look like this: "(Anonymous, n.d.)"

• For example, let's say you're citing the 4th paragraph of an article called, “Building a Healthy Relationship,” which has no author, page number, or date.
• "According to “Building a Healthy Relationship" (n.d., para. 4), communication is essential for a healthy partnership."
• "Partners must communicate if they want to have a healthy relationship (“Building,” n.d., para. 4)."

• You may have found valuable information on a web page titled “Reducing Congestion in Large Cities,” which has section headings titled “Improving Transit Networks,” “Increasing Highway Capacity,” “Collecting Tolls,” “HOV Lanes,” and “Metered Ramps.” However, there's no date or page number.
• Your citation might look like this: "(“Reducing,” n.d., “HOV”)"

Preparing Your References Page

• Let's say the name of the article you want to cite is “Ecuador: History and Culture.” The beginning of your entry would look like this: "Ecuador: History and culture."
• If the article includes an organization name or an anonymous author, you'll use that instead of the title.

• Your entry would now look like this: "Ecuador: History and culture. (n.d.)."

• This is what your entry should look like now: "Ecuador: History and culture. (n.d.). Select Latin America ."

• Here's how your final entry might look: "Ecuador: History and culture. (n.d.). Select Latin America . Retrieved from http://www.sla.com/ecuador.html/"

• If the website name is the same as the organization name, don't write it again after the page title. You can skip that part of the references entry and go straight to "Retrieved from."
• For example, let's say you're citing an article called “Relaxing with Deep Breathing,” which was published by the American Psychological Foundation. No date is provided.
• Here's what your entry would look like: "American Psychological Foundation. (n.d.). Relaxing with deep breathing. Retrieved from http://www.apf.com/Relaxing_and_deep_breathing/"

• You might be citing a web page titled “Being Mindful During a Dog Walk,” written by an anonymous author. It's posted on a website called Bark Bark Friends, but there isn't a date.
• Here how your entry would look: "Anonymous. (n.d.) Being Mindful During a Dog Walk. Bark Bark Friends . Retrieved from http://www.barkbarkfriends.com/mindful_dog_walks/"

Expert Q&A

• You don't have to include a retrieval or access date in your reference entry anymore. In prior editions of the APA style guide, you needed to include the date you accessed the website. [13] X Research source Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0
• If you're in doubt about how to cite your source, talk to your instructor or your school's writing center. They can help you decide the best way to write your citation. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

• Citing your sources can be frustrating, but don't give up! If you don't cite your source, you'll be plagiarizing the site where you got the information. This can cost you credit for the assignment and can result in other academic consequences. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/in_text_citations_author_authors.html
• ↑ https://aus.libguides.com/apa/apa-no-author-date
• ↑ https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/references/missing-information
• ↑ https://guides.libraries.psu.edu/apaquickguide/intext
• ↑ https://bowvalleycollege.libguides.com/c.php?g=714519&p=5093747
• ↑ https://columbiacollege-ca.libguides.com/apa/booksandebooks
• ↑ https://libguides.jcu.edu.au/apa/dates
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/reference_list_basic_rules.html
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/apa_style/apa_formatting_and_style_guide/reference_list_electronic_sources.html
• ↑ https://writingcenter.uagc.edu/format-your-reference-list
• ↑ https://libguides.ggc.edu/apastyle_7th/Authors/MissingorAnonymous

About This Article

Citing information from a website without an author, date, or page number isn’t as complicated as you might think. Try using the title in place of an author for an in-text citation. For example, for a page entitled “Robotics for Beginners,” you could write (“Robotics,” 2018). Alternatively, list the name of the organization that owns the website in your in-text citation, like “According to the American Cancer Society (2018).” If you don’t have a date, add “n.d.” instead. Replace page numbers by mentioning the paragraph your citation comes from. For instance, if it came from the fourth paragraph, add “para 4” to the end of an in-text citation. If you put all of this together, an in-text reference could look like, “According to Robotics for Beginners (n.d., para 4). For tips on how to write a citation for your reference page that doesn’t have an author, date, or page number, read on! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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APA Citation Guide (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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APA Format & Citation Style, 7th edition

• Web Page with No Author
• General Style Guidelines
• One Author or Editor
• Two Authors or Editors
• Three or More Authors or Editors
• Article or Chapter in an Edited Book
• Article in a Reference Book
• Edition other than the First
• Translation
• Government Publication
• Journal Article with One Author
• Journal Article with 2 Authors
• Journal Article with 3 or More Authors
• Magazine Article
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• Basic Web Page
• Web page from a University site
• Entry in a Reference Work
• Government Document
• Film and Television
• Youtube Video
• Audio Podcast
• Electronic Image
• Lecture/PPT
• Conferences
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• Formatting Your Paper
• APA Handouts & Guides This link opens in a new window

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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APA 6th Edition Citation Style

No author / no date.

• APA 6th Edition Guide
• Annual Report
• Article, Journal
• Article, Journal (with DOI)
• Article, Journal (without DOI)
• Book, Chapter in edited work
• Book, Electronic
• Dissertation / Thesis
• Dissertation / Thesis (Database)
• Email/Interviews
• Events, Live
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• Newspaper Article (Database)
• Newspaper Article (Website)
• Podcast, Audio
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• Reference Work (Database)
• Website Document
• Video, Online

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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Generate accurate APA citations for free

• Knowledge Base
• APA Style 7th edition
• Setting Up the APA Reference Page | Formatting & References (Examples)

Setting Up the APA Reference Page | Formatting & References (Examples)

Published on November 4, 2020 by Raimo Streefkerk . Revised on January 17, 2024.

On the APA reference page, you list all the sources that you’ve cited in your paper. The list starts on a new page right after the body text.

Follow these instructions to set up your APA reference page:

• Place the section label “References” in bold at the top of the page (centered).
• Order the references alphabetically .
• Double-space all text.
• Apply a hanging indent of 0.5 inches.

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Table of contents

Setting up the apa reference page, apa alphabetization guidelines, which sources to include on the reference page, annotated bibliography, creating apa references.

Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.

References are ordered alphabetically by the first author’s last name. If the author is unknown, order the reference entry by the first meaningful word of the title (ignoring articles: “the”, “a”, or “an”).

Word processors like Word or Google Docs and citation generators can usually order the reference list automatically. However, ordering becomes challenging when citing multiple works by the same author or works by authors with the same last name.

Our in-depth article on ordering references in APA Style explains what to do in these situations.

Only include references for sources cited in the body text (with an APA in-text citation ). Don’t include references for:

• Sources that you only consulted;
• Personal communications (e.g., emails or phone calls);
• General mentions of websites or periodicals ;
• Common knowledge .

For some student papers, it’s common to describe or evaluate the source in an annotation . These annotations are placed on a new line below the corresponding reference entry. The entire annotation is indented 0.5 inches.

If an annotation consists of multiple paragraphs, the first line of the second and any subsequent paragraphs is indented an additional 0.5 inches.

The format of an APA reference differs depending on the source type. Play around with the options in the Scribbr Example Generator to get familiar with APA Style.

Scribbr Citation Generator

With Scribbr’s free APA citation generator you can easily cite your sources according to the new 7th edition guidelines. It’s accurate, fast, and easy to use. Give it a try!

APA Citation Generator

APA citation examples

Check out Scribbr’s citation examples to learn more about citing each type of source, ranging from books and journals to podcasts and tweets !

Periodicals

• Journal article
• Newspaper article

Reports and gray literature

• Press release
• Dissertation or thesis
• Conference paper

Books and reference works

• Dictionary entry
• Encyclopedia entry

Audiovisual works

• Movie or documentary
• YouTube video

Online media

• Personal communication
• Tables and figures

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.

Streefkerk, R. (2024, January 17). Setting Up the APA Reference Page | Formatting & References (Examples). Scribbr. Retrieved April 10, 2024, from https://www.scribbr.com/apa-style/apa-reference-page/

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Research Guides

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APA Style 7th Edition Tutorials for Students in Psychology and Social Work

What is apa style.

• The Importance of Citing

Why is APA Style needed?

How do i get started with apa style, let us practice what we have learned, attribution and acknowledgement.

• Basics of APA Style Tutorial
• Reference Entry Elements
• Reference Examples
• Reference List
• In-Text Citations
• Student Paper Format
• Managing References - Zotero

Origination of APA Style

• Where did APA Style come from?

Commonly Used APA Related Terms

Abstract : Abstract is a brief synopses of article. It provides a brief but comprehensive summary of the article. 

Citing : In the context of academic writing, citing is the act of acknowledging the sources of information you have used when writing your work.

Citation:  A citation gives credit to a source, and contains publication information such as author(s), title and date.

DOI (digital object identifier): It is a unique alphanumeric string assigned to a digital object, mainly a scholarly article, to provide a persistent link to its location on the internet. 

In-Text Citation : It is a brief note that appears within the body of the paper and briefly identifies the cited work by its author and date of publication. An in-text citation should always match the corresponding entry in the reference list at the end of paper.

Paraphrasing : A paraphrase restates another’s idea (or your own previously published idea) in your own words. 

Plagiarism : It is the act of presenting the words, ideas, or images of another as your own; it denies creators of content the credit they are due. 

Quoting : It is the act of reproducing the exact wording used by the original author. Direct quotations appear within quotation marks and end with a citation.

Reference : It contains details about one cited work, generally including four elements:  author, date, title, and source.  

Reference List : It identifies all the sources you cited in the text of your paper. It generally is at the end of the paper and definitely on a new page after the text of your paper. 

APA Style is the most common writing style used in college and career. Its purpose is to promote excellence in communication by helping writers create clear, precise, and inclusive sentences with a straightforward scholarly tone. It addresses areas of writing such as how to

• format a paper so it looks professional;
• credit other people’s words and ideas via citations and references to avoid plagiarism; and
• describe other people with dignity and respect using inclusive, bias-free language.

APA Style is primarily used in the behavioral sciences, which are subjects related to people, such as psychology, education, and nursing. It is also used by students in business, engineering, communications, and other classes. Students use it to write academic essays and research papers in college, and professionals use it to conduct, report, and publish scientific research.

In addition, APA Style provides you with a powerful tool that will hep you avoid deliberate or unintentional plagiarism. Please review the Avoiding Plagiarism Guide created by the APA experts to understand what two common types of plagiarism are and how to avoid them. 

Why is learning citations important? Citations help readers understand where the information used in your paper comes from, enabling them to trace the path of that information. When readers wish to explore a specific point or reference cited in the text, citations make it easier by providing information about your sources in a standardized format.

Besides showing readers where you obtained information, using citations also has a strong ethical purpose. In academic writing, it is important to credit ideas that are not your own. Citations allow you to integrate the ideas of others with your own thoughts in a fair and honest way.

The reference formats for APA Style manuals are as follows:

APA Style provides a foundation for effective scholarly communication because it helps authors present their ideas in a clear and concise, and organized manner.  Uniformity and consistency enable readers to (a) focus on the ideas being presented rather than formatting and (b) scan works quickly for key points, findings, and sources. When style works best, ideas flow logically, sources are credited appropriately, and papers are organized predictably and consistently. 

Students are encouraged to first learn about APA Style by reading works written in APA Style. A couple of guides created by APA experts from the American Psychological Association can help you with that:

Anatomy of a Journal Article   https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/anatomy-journal-article.pdf

Scholarly journal articles share a common anatomy or structure. Each part of an article serves a specific purpose. The handout of  Anatomy of a Journal Article explains how journal articles are structured and how to become more efficient at reading and understanding them. Understanding the structure of a scholarly article and the purpose of each part helps you grasp a strategy called targeted reading. Targeted reading means to read specific sections of research articles first to determine if the article seems useful for your research topic. This way you will save time, find useful article faster, and choose which articles to read in full.

Reading and Understanding Abstracts https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/reading-abstracts.pdf

Abstracts are short summaries of scientific research articles. The handout of Reading & Understanding Abstracts explains the definition and purpose of abstracts and the benefits of reading them, including analysis of a sample abstract. The skill of reading and understanding abstracts of scholarly articles not only saves time but also helps you conduct better research and write more effectively.

APA Style Writing Principles https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/writing-principles.pdf

The poster created by APA experts shows the three main principles of APA Style: clarity, precision, and inclusion and lists steps on how to achieve them. As a student writer, you always should write your academic paper with clarity, precision, and inclusion. 

Research Article Activity https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/apa-style-research-activity.pdf

Reading research articles is not an easy task for you as a student. The Research Article Activity designed by APA Style experts aims to make it easy to read and understand a scholarly article. This activity worksheet helps you find, cite, analyze, and summarize a research article. Completing this activity breaks down a lengthy research article into easily understandable chunks. This way helps you better understand the study in the article before you write about it. 

The information in this Guide   is courtesy of   the official APA Style website by the American Psychological Association.

Source Credit: Information on this LibGuide comes from APA Style website https://apastyle.apa.org/ This website has a wealth of free and authoritative resources designed to help anyone new to APA Style.

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• Last Updated: Apr 6, 2024 12:06 PM
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Purdue Online Writing Lab Purdue OWL® College of Liberal Arts

In-Text Citations: Author/Authors

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Though the APA's author-date system for citations is fairly straightforward, author categories can vary significantly from the standard "one author, one source" configuration. There are also additional rules for citing authors of indirect sources, electronic sources, and sources without page numbers.

A Work by One Author 

The APA manual recommends the use of the author-date citation structure for in-text citation references. This structure requires that any in-text citation (i.e., within the body of the text) be accompanied by a corresponding reference list entry. In the in-text citation provide the surname of the author but do not include suffixes such as "Jr.". 

Citing Non-Standard Author Categories

A work by two authors.

Name both authors in the signal phrase or in parentheses each time you cite the work. Use the word "and" between the authors' names within the text and use the ampersand in parentheses.

A Work by Three or More Authors

List only the first author’s name followed by “et al.” in every citation, even the first, unless doing so would create ambiguity between different sources.

In  et al. , et  should not be followed by a period. Only "al" should be followed by a period.

If you’re citing multiple works with similar groups of authors, and the shortened “et al” citation form of each source would be the same, you’ll need to avoid ambiguity by writing out more names. If you cited works with these authors:

They would be cited in-text as follows to avoid ambiguity:

Since et al. is plural, it should always be a substitute for more than one name. In the case that et al. would stand in for just one author, write the author’s name instead.

Unknown Author

If the work does not have an author, cite the source by its title in the signal phrase or use the first word or two in the parentheses. Titles of books and reports are italicized; titles of articles, chapters, and web pages are in quotation marks. APA style calls for capitalizing important words in titles when they are written in the text (but not when they are written in reference lists).

Note : In the rare case that "Anonymous" is used for the author, treat it as the author's name (Anonymous, 2001). In the reference list, use the name Anonymous as the author.

Organization as an Author

If the author is an organization or a government agency, mention the organization in the signal phrase or in the parenthetical citation the first time you cite the source, just as you would an individual person.

If the organization has a well-known abbreviation, you may include the abbreviation in brackets the first time the source is cited and then use only the abbreviation in later citations. However, if you cite work from multiple organizations whose abbreviations are the same, do not use abbreviations (to avoid ambiguity).

Two or More Works in the Same Parentheses

When your parenthetical citation includes two or more works, order them the same way they appear in the reference list (viz., alphabetically), separated by a semi-colon.

If you cite multiple works by the same author in the same parenthetical citation, give the author’s name only once and follow with dates. No date citations go first, then years, then in-press citations.

Authors with the Same Last Name

To prevent confusion, use first initials with the last names.

Two or More Works by the Same Author in the Same Year

If you have two sources by the same author in the same year, use lower-case letters (a, b, c) with the year to order the entries in the reference list. Use the lower-case letters with the year in the in-text citation.

Introductions, Prefaces, Forewords, and Afterwords

When citing an Introduction, Preface, Foreword, or Afterword in-text, cite the appropriate author and year as usual.

Personal Communication

For interviews, letters, e-mails, and other person-to-person communication, cite the communicator's name, the fact that it was personal communication, and the date of the communication. Do not include personal communication in the reference list.

If using a footnote to reference personal communication, handle citations the same way.

Traditional Knowledge of Indigenous Peoples

When citing information you learned from a conversation with an Indigenous person who was not your research participant, use a variation of the personal communication citation above. Include the person’s full name, nation or Indigenous group, location, and any other relevant details before the “personal communication, date” part of the citation.

Citing Indirect Sources

Generally, writers should endeavor to read primary sources (original sources) and cite those rather than secondary sources (works that report on original sources). Sometimes, however, this is impossible. If you use a source that was cited in another source, name the original source in your signal phrase. List the secondary source in your reference list and include the secondary source in the parentheses. If you know the year of the original source, include it in the citation.

Electronic Sources

If possible, cite an electronic document the same as any other document by using the author-date style.

Unknown Author and Unknown Date

If no author or date is given, use the title in your signal phrase or the first word or two of the title in the parentheses and use the abbreviation "n.d." (for "no date").

Sources Without Page Numbers

When an electronic source lacks page numbers, you should try to include information that will help readers find the passage being cited. Use the heading or section name, an abbreviated heading or section name, a paragraph number (para. 1), or a combination of these.

Note:  Never use the page numbers of webpages you print out; different computers print webpages with different pagination. Do not use Kindle location numbers; instead, use the page number (available in many Kindle books) or the method above. 

Other Sources

The  APA Publication Manual  describes how to cite many different kinds of authors and content creators. However, you may occasionally encounter a source or author category that the manual does not describe, making the best way to proceed unclear.

In these cases, it's typically acceptable to apply the general principles of APA citation to the new kind of source in a way that's consistent and sensible. A good way to do this is to simply use the standard APA directions for a type of source that resembles the source you want to cite. For example, a sensible way to cite a virtual reality program would be to mimic the APA's guidelines for computer software.

You may also want to investigate whether a third-party organization has provided directions for how to cite this kind of source.