APA 7th Edition - Websites

Free APA Website Citation Generator

Generate accurate APA citations for websites, web pages, online articles, and blogs. Handles missing authors, dates, and tricky URL formatting automatically.

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How to cite a website in APA

Search for the website

Paste a DOI, URL, ISBN, title, or author name to find the exact source record.

Check the APA formatting fields

Verify author, year, title, container, and publication details before copying the final citation.

Copy the formatted result

Get the complete APA citation plus the matching in-text citation or footnote format.

APA Website Citation Format

Basic Format:

Author. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Site Name. URL

With Author:

Last name, Initials. (Date). Title. Site. URL

Organization Author:

Organization Name. (Date). Title. URL

APA Website Citation Examples

Web Page with Author

Smith, J. D. (2024, January 15). Understanding climate change impacts. Environmental Science Today. https://www.envscitoday.com/climate-change

In-text: (Smith, 2024)

Web Page with Organization as Author

World Health Organization. (2024). Mental health guidelines. https://www.who.int/mental-health/guidelines

In-text: (World Health Organization, 2024)

Web Page with No Author

Understanding renewable energy sources. (2023, June 10). Energy Education. https://energyeducation.ca/renewable

In-text: ("Understanding Renewable," 2023)

Web Page with No Date

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Diabetes prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/prevention

In-text: (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.)

Examples formatted in APA style

Handling Special Cases

No Author Move the title to the author position: Title of page. (2024). Site. URL
No Date Use "n.d." (no date): Author. (n.d.). Title. URL
No Author AND No Date Combine both rules: Title of page. (n.d.). Site. URL
Same Author & Site Name Omit the site name: CDC. (2024). Title. URL

Use the generator for this source type

Need a complete APA reference from a website? Use the dedicated APA generator, or start with the URL citation tool when the page metadata is incomplete.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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

When there is no author, move the title to the author position. Use the first few words of the title in the in-text citation. Example: (Article Title, 2024). For the reference, start with the title followed by the date.

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

Use "n.d." (no date) in place of the year. Example: World Health Organization. (n.d.). Mental health guidelines. https://www.who.int/mental-health

Do I need to include a retrieval date for websites?

Only include a retrieval date if the content is likely to change over time (like wikis or social media). For most stable web pages, just include the URL without a retrieval date.

How do I format URLs in APA 7th edition?

Include the full URL without "Retrieved from" before it. Do not put a period after the URL. Use https:// format. If the URL is very long, it is acceptable to use a shortened or permalink version.

How do I cite a news article from a website?

Treat online news articles like other web pages. Include author, date, title in italics, site name, and URL. Example: Smith, J. (2024, March 15). Article title. CNN. https://cnn.com/article

APA Formatting Rules for Websites

APA website citations include the author (or group author), date of publication or last update, page title in italics, site name, and the full URL. If the author and site name are the same, omit the site name. Include a retrieval date only for pages likely to change over time (e.g., social media profiles, wikis).

MLA includes the access date for all web sources and does not italicize the page title. APA only includes a retrieval date for content that changes frequently.