

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 One Author
- Journal Article with 2 Authors
- Journal Article with 3-7 Authors
- Journal Article 7 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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APA Citation Guide, 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
- 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.

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APA Style (7th Edition)

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- How To Cite A Website With No Author In APA 7: Tips And Examples
How to Cite a Website With No Author in APA 7: Tips and Examples
Websites have become popular sources of information for students and researchers by considering the rule of the APA 7th edition format. In this case, websites carry tons of data, including texts, images, and videos that writers can use as evidence. According to academic writing standards, when students gather evidence from websites, they must cite it appropriately not only in the References page but also within in-text citations by considering their essays and research papers. However, some sites lack essential credentials for citation entries for the APA format. In summary, when citing a website with no author in APA 7, a student should write the name of the site and the URL. Moreover, when a site lacks a publication date, scholars should use n.d., and, when there is no known author, they should use a shortened version of the title and enclose it within quotation marks. In turn, if there is no title, authors should use a short description of the article and enclose it within square brackets.
General Guidelines of Citing a Website With No Author in APA 7
The Internet is a platform that allows individuals and organizations to display texts, images, and videos, all of which are popularly known as content. However, to do so, they have to create a website that serves as their online shops. In other words, websites help individuals and organizations to inform others, such as customers and researchers, about what they offer (products, services, and knowledge). For organizations, a website is an online face – the platform that fosters interaction with the entity. Ideally, a website has several online pages known as webpages that carry essential information about an individual or organization. Therefore, a website can be defined as a central, online platform composed of web pages. In turn, a web browser enables an individual to navigate through this platform.

Types of Websites
Given that individuals and organizations use websites to facilitate interaction with the world, the Internet is home to billions of websites today. As a result, these websites fall into different categories, such as:
- E-commerce website.
- Gaming website.
- Business/corporate website.
- Content website.
- Dating website.
- Government websites.
Finding the Needed Citation Information
When writing academic texts in APA 7, such as theses and dissertations, students cite websites in this format to find evidence to back their claims and arguments. Occasionally, it is challenging to find the information they need to enter reference citations in some websites. Basically, one of the reasons for this challenge is that anyone can post content on a website without needing to indicate the date, their name, or even the title of their content. In turn, this information is necessary for an APA website reference citation.
How to Cite a Website Without a Date of Publication
One of the features of citing a website in APA 7 for any web-based content is the date of publication. Basically, the time when it is published allows readers to know how old the content is and whether it passes the test of being the most recent information. In academic writing , instructors insist on using the most recent information as the basis of a writer’s argument. Therefore, if web-based content lacks a date of publication, students should substitute the year with the initials n.d., which indicates “no date.”
An example of such a website citation in APA 7 is as follows:
- Culbertson, H. (n.d.). Conflict management strategies and styles . Southern Nazarene University. Retrieved from http://home.snu.edu/~hculbert/conflict.htm
The APA in-text citation for a website without a date of publication should be:
- (Culbertson, n.d.), or
- Culbertson (n.d.) states that conflict management is an essential skill of effective leadership.
How to Cite a Website Without Known Author in APA 7
Sometimes, web-based content may lack an author, whether an individual or corporation. For example, when there is no individual author, a writer uses the name of the organization instead. By considering the APA citation , when both are missing, students should use the title of the content – book, article, or document – as the author.
An example of the APA citation of a web-based article without a known individual author is as follows:
- Science, social science, and sociology . (2015). Open Textbooks for Hong Kong. Retrieved from http://www.opentextbooks.org.hk/ditatopic/28717
The in-text citation for the APA citation of a website with no author should be:
- (“Science, Social Science, and Sociology,” 2015), or
- According to the article “Science, Social Science, and Sociology” (2015), social science…
If there is no known date, the APA citation of a website article with no author should be:
- Bachelor of science in nursing . (n.d.). College of Nursing. Retrieved from https://sc.edu/study/colleges_schools/nursing/academic_programs/bs_nursing/
Examples of the APA in-text citation with no author and no date are:
- (“Bachelor of Science in Nursing,” n.d.), or
- According to the article “Bachelor of Science in Nursing” (n.d.), pursuing a nursing graduate degree is …
How to Cite a Website Without a Title of an Article
When students cite web-based content as a source of evidence in APA 7, they should use a description of the content – book or article – as the title in italics.
The scheme of an APA reference citation for a website with no title of an article should be:
- Author’s Last Name, First and Middle Names’ initials. (Publication Year, Month Day). Description of document . Website Title. Retrieved from URL.
An example is as follows:
- Worland, J. (2015, July 27). Flood risk in the US . Times. Retrieved from http://time.com/3973256/flooding-risk-coastal-cities/
The APA in-text citation should be:
- The US is experiencing severe weather in recent times, with floods estimated to have cost the country billions in infrastructural damage (Worland, 2015), or
- In a Times news article, Worland (2015) calls on the federal government…
How to Cite a Website Without a Date of Publication and Known Author in APA 7
When a writer uses web-based content with no known author or publication date in APA 7, they should use the format described above for content without a known author and content without a publication date. In short, they should use the title as the author and the initials n.d. for the date.
Scheme sample for the APA website citation with no date and no author:
- Article title . (n.d.). Website Title. Retrieved from URL
An example of citing an organization in the APA website citation is as follows:
APA in-text citation samples of a website with no date and no author are:
- Nursing education is fundamental to quality health care delivery (“Bachelor of Science in Nursing,” n.d.), or
- The article “Bachelor of Science in Nursing” (n.d.) describes nursing education…
How to Cite a Website Without a Date of Publication and Title in APA 7
When students cite web-based content without publication date and title in APA 7, they should use the format of the content without publication date and content without a title, as described above.
Format of the reference citation should is:
- Organization Title/Author names. (n.d.). Description of the article . Website Title. Retrieved from URL.
- US Congress. (n.d.). Health insurance tax relief act of 2018 . TrackBill. Retrieved from https://trackbill.com/bill/us-congress-senate-bill-3063-health-insurance-tax-relief-act-of-2018/1595041/
Example of APA in-text citations for a website with no date and no title should be:
- The 2018 Health Insurance Tax Relief Act has undergone critical stages, indicating that Congress may pass it before the year closes (“US Congress,” n.d.), or
- The article by “US Congress” (n.d.) highlights the progress made in the enactment of a seemingly controversial law.
How to Cite a Website Without a Title and Known Author
When students cite a website content without a known author or title in APA 7, the APA reference citation should capture the content without any author and content without a title.
Structure of the reference citation for APA 7 should be:
- Shortened title . (Year, Month Day). Website Title. Retrieved from URL
Example of a website reference with no title and no author is:
- Legislation . (2019). Gardner Senate. Retrieved from https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-shaheen-barrasso-jones-scott-sinema-introduce-legislation-to-delay-obamacare-tax-for-two-years
Examples of in-text should with no title and no author are:
- The political class considers delaying the Obamacare Tax to pave the way for bipartisan consultation (“Legislation,” 2019), or
- In the article “Legislation” (2019), the US Senate…
How to Cite a Website Without a Title, Date of Publication, and Known Author
When scholars cite web-based content without a known author, date of publication, and title in APA 7, they should use entries described above.
The APA reference citation sample for a website with no title, no date, and no author should be:
- Shortened title . (n.d.). Website Title. Retrieved from URL
An example would be:
- Legislation . (n.d.). Garnder Senate. Retrieved from https://www.gardner.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/gardner-shaheen-barrasso-jones-scott-sinema-introduce-legislation-to-delay-obamacare-tax-for-two-years
Note: The above example assumes the content had no date of publication.
The in-text citation should be:
- A lack of bipartisanship in the Senate threatens to derail Obamacare Tax (“Legislation,” n.d.), or
- The article “Legislation” (n.d.) provides the dynamics surrounding the passage of Obamacare Tax.
Summing Up on How to Cite a Website With No Author in APA 7
When writing academic texts, students and researchers rely on web-based content to back up their arguments. Basically, this content includes articles, books, and videos, among others. Hence, some essential tips that students and researchers must master include:
- Put the title of the article in italics.
- Indicate the website name (without italics).
- Put a period after the website name, followed by the phrase “Retrieved from” and URL.
- When there is no date of publication, use the initials “n.d.”
- If there is no known author, use the title of the online article as the author in italics.
- If there is no title, use a short description of the article as the title in italics.

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Website or Webpage?
A website is a collection of webpages that are under one domain. One website will have several webpages like Home, About Us, Contact Us, Services, Products, etc. All of these pages together make up a website. In other words, a webpage is an independent page of a website.
If you simply mention a whole website it is not necessary to create a reference list entry. Name the website in the text of your paper and provide the URL in parentheses.
- Use the webpage and website category for your source only if there is no better category for it . Do not use it if a source is simply available online, e.g., if a journal article is available from an online database, use a journal article format for your reference.
- Some information, (e.g., author, date), might not always be obvious on websites or webpages. Sometimes it may be necessary to check places such as the "About Us", the "Copyright" or the "Acknowledgements" page(s).
- Do not use any punctuation at the end of URLs as punctuation could interfere with the link.
- If the author of the website is the same as the name of the website, omit the website name.
- Retrieval date is normally not necessary unless the content is likely to change and the page is not archived, e.g., a Wikipedia entry. The format is: Retrieved February 1, 2020 from https://xxxxxxx
Webpage on a Website with an Individual Author
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Date). Title of work . Site Name. URL
Picheta, R. (2020, July 1). This new high-tech glove translates sign language into speech in real time . CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/30/health/sign-langage-glove-ucla-scn-scli-intl/index.html

Webpage on a Website with a Group Author
Name of Corporation/Group/Organization. (Date). Title of work . Site Name. URL
World Health Organization. (2020, June 29). Timeline of WHO's response to COVID-19 . https://www.who.int/news-room/detail/29-06-2020-covidtimeline
Note : When the author and site name are the same, omit the site name from the source element.
Webpage on a Website with No Date
Author or Group Name. (n.d.). Title of page . Site name. URL
National Alliance on Mental Illness. (n.d.). Mental health conditions . https://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Mental-Health-Conditions
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How to Cite a Website in APA Style | Format & Examples
Published on November 5, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on June 17, 2022.
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.
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Table of contents, citing an entire website, how to cite online articles, websites with no author, websites with no date, how to cite from social media, frequently asked questions about apa style citations.
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.
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.
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.
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 and not the name of the site.
Prevent plagiarism. Run a free check.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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:
When citing a webpage or online article , the APA 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:Â ( CDC, 2020, “Key Facts” section)
When you quote or paraphrase a specific passage from a source, you need to indicate the location of the passage in your APA 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.
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 APA 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.
APA Style usually does not require an access date. You never need to include one when citing journal articles , e-books , or other stable online sources.
However, if you are citing a website or online article that’s designed to change over time, it’s a good idea to include an access date. In this case, write it in the following format at the end of the reference: Retrieved October 19, 2020, from https://www.uva.nl/en/about-the-uva/about-the-university/about-the-university.html
Instead of the author’s name, include the first few words of the work’s title in the in-text citation. Enclose the title in double quotation marks when citing an article, web page or book chapter. Italicize the title of periodicals, books, and reports.
No publication date
If the publication date is unknown , use “n.d.” (no date) instead. For example: (Johnson, n.d.).
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How do you cite website material that has no author, no year, and no page numbers?

- Go to 7th Edition Missing Reference Information This page includes guidelines on creating references for a work with no author.
- Go to 7th Edition Webpage Reference Examples The author of a webpage is often the company or organization that created the page (known as a group author). This page includes examples of references for webpages with a group author.
Because the material does not include page numbers, you can include any of the following in the text to cite the quotation (from pp. 170–171 of the Publication Manual ):
- A paragraph number, if provided; alternatively, you could count paragraphs down from the beginning of the document.
- An overarching heading plus a paragraph number within that section.
- A short title in quotation marks, in cases in which the heading is too unwieldy to cite in full.
Because there is no date and no author, your text citation would include the title (or short title) "n.d." for no date, and paragraph number (e.g., "Heuristic," n.d., para. 1). The entry in the reference list might look something like this:
Heuristic. (n.d.). In Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary (11th ed.). Retrieved from http://www.m-w.com/dictionary/heuristic
(adapted from the sixth edition of the APA Publication Manual , © 2010)
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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.
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Citation Examples
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- 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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APA Citation Style, 7th Edition: No Author
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Book with No Author
- If books have no author or editor, they should be alphabetized by the first significant word of the title in your reference list.
- For in-text citation, use a shortened version of the title, or the whole title if it is short, in place of the author's last name.
- Be consistent with your in-text citations through your entire paper.
Example:
Reference:
The Torah: The five books of Moses (3rd ed.). 2015. The Jewish Publication Society. (Original work published 1962)
In-Text Citation (Paraphrase):
( The Torah , 1962/2015)
In Text Citation (Direct Quote):
( The Torah , 1962/2015, p. 746)
Carrie Forbes, MLS

Page References
Citation information has been adapted from the APA Manual (6th Edition). Please refer to page 264-265, 284, 289, and 325 of the APA Manual (7th Edition) for more information.
Helpful Tips
-Be mindful of hyphenated names, particularly hyphenated first names in your reference list. If an author or editor has a hyphenated first name, include first initials for both separated by a hyphen. For example: Lamour, J.-B. for Jean-Baptiste Lamour.
-If your reference list includes publications by two or more authors with the same last name, you should include the first initial in all in-text citations in order to help the reader avoid confusion.
-Suffixes like "Jr." or "III" are not included in in-text citations but are included in the reference list.
- Electronic books and books from electronic databases are cited exactly the same way print books are, there is no difference. The only time you differentiate is if you use an audio version of the book.
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APA Format & Citation Style, 7th edition
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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 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 7th Edition Citation Style
No author / no date.
- APA 7th Edition Guide
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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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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. General Format In-Text Citation (Paraphrase): (Title of specific document, Year)
APA Formatting and Style Guide (7th Edition) General Format In-Text Citations: The Basics In-Text Citations: Author/Authors Reference List: Basic Rules Reference List: Author/Authors Reference List: Articles in Periodicals Reference List: Books Reference List: Other Print Sources Reference List: Electronic Sources Reference List: Audiovisual Media
Webpage citations in APA Style consist of five components: author, publication date, title, website name, and URL. Unfortunately, some of these components are sometimes missing. For instance, there may be no author or publication date. This article explains how to handle different kinds and combinations of missing information.
APA Citation Guide, 7th edition: Web Page with No Author Document from a Web site with no Author (p. 264-265; 350-352) Helpful Tip 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).
Graduate Writing. Subject-Specific Writing. Job Search Writing. Multilingual. OWL Exercises 🡽. Purdue OWL. Research and Citation. APA Style (7th Edition) APA Style (7th Edition)
Go to 7th Edition Missing Reference Information This page includes guidelines on creating references for a work with no author. Go to 7th Edition Webpage Reference Examples The author of a webpage is often the company or organization that created the page (known as a group author).
When a writer uses web-based content with no known author or publication date in APA 7, they should use the format described above for content without a known author and content without a publication date. In short, they should use the title as the author and the initials n.d. for the date.
If the author of the website is the same as the name of the website, omit the website name. Retrieval date is normally not necessary unless the content is likely to change and the page is not archived, e.g., a Wikipedia entry. The format is: Retrieved February 1, 2020 from https://xxxxxxx Webpage on a Website with an Individual Author Format
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.
How do you cite website material that has no author, no year, and no page numbers? (6th edition) This page has been archived and is no longer being updated regularly. Last updated: August 2020 Date created: May 2009 The content I just read: Is Helpful Is Not Helpful APA Style Contacts Cite this
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.
No Author - APA Citation Style, 7th Edition - Research Guides at East Carolina University Libraries APA Citation Style, 7th Edition: No Author Book with No Author If books have no author or editor, they should be alphabetized by the first significant word of the title in your reference list.
APA Format & Citation Style, 7th edition Document from a Web site with no Author Helpful Tips 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.
No Author. 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 ...
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) Alternatively, you can integrate the citation into the sentence by means of narrative. There must be a total match between the reference list and ...
APA 7th Edition ; Citing Websites; Search this Guide Search. APA 7th Edition . This guide provides information about creating APA 7 Reference List and In-Text Citations. ... Note: If the author and website name are the same, omit the website name entry. Blog Post Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of blog post. Blog ...