How to Cite a Website in APA Style | Format & Examples

Published on November 5, 2020 by Jack Caulfield. Revised on June 17, 2022.

This article reflects the APA 7th edition guidelines. Click here for APA 6th edition guidelines.
APA website citations usually include the author, the publication date, the title of the page or
article, the website name, and the URL. If there is no author, start the citation with the title of the
article. If the page is likely to change over time, add a retrieval date.

If you are citing an online version of a print publication (e.g. a newspaper, magazine,

or dictionary), use the same format as you would for print, with a URL added at the end. Formats
differ for online videos (e.g. TED Talks), images, and dissertations.

Use the buttons below to explore the format.

When you refer to a website in your text without quoting or paraphrasing from a specific part of it,
you don’t need a formal citation. Instead, you can just include the URL in parentheses after the
name of the site:

One of the most popular social media sites, Instagram (http://instagram.com), allows users to
share images and videos.

For this kind of citation, you don’t need to include the website on the reference page. However, if
you’re citing a specific page or article from a website, you will need a formal in-text citation and
reference list entry.

How to cite online articles

Various kinds of articles appear online, and how you cite them depends on where the article
appears.

Online articles from newspapers, magazines, and blogs

Articles appearing in online versions of print publications (e.g. newspapers and magazines) are
cited like their print versions, but with an added URL.

APA Last name, Initials. (Year, Month Day). Article title. Publication Name. URL

format

Greenhouse, S. (2020, July 30). The coronavirus pandemic has intensified systemic
APA
economic racism against black Americans. The New Yorker.
reference
https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/the-pandemic-has-intensified-systemic-
entry
economic-racism-against-black-americans

APA in-text (Greenhouse, 2020)

citation

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.

APA format Last name, Initials. (Year, Month Day). Article title. Blog Name. URL

APA reference Lee, C. (2020, February 19). A tale of two reference formats. APA Style Blog.
entry https://apastyle.apa.org/blog/two-reference-formats

APA in-text (Lee, 2020)

citation

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.

APA format Last name, Initials. (Year, Month Day). Article title. Site Name. URL

APA Rowlatt, J. (2020, October 19). Could cold water hold a clue to a dementia
reference cure? BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/health-54531075
entry

APA in-text (Rowlatt, 2020)

citation

Websites with no author

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.

APA format Organization Name. (Year, Month Day). Page title. Site Name. URL

APA reference Scribbr. (n.d.). Academic proofreading & editing service.

entry https://www.scribbr.com/proofreading-editing/

APA in-text (Scribbr, n.d.)

citation

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.

APA format Page title. (Year, Month Day). Site Name. URL

APA The countdown: A prophecy, crowds and a TikTok takedown. (2020, October 19).
reference BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-54596667
entry

APA in-text (The Countdown, 2019)

citation

Websites with no date

When a web page or article does not list a publication or revision date, replace the date with “n.d.”
(“no date”) in all citations.

If an online source is likely to change over time, it is recommended to include the date on which
you accessed it.

Last name, Initials. (n.d.). Page title. Site Name. Retrieved Month Day, Year,

APA format
from URL

APA University of Amsterdam. (n.d.). About the UvA. Retrieved October 19, 2020, from
reference https://www.uva.nl/en/about-the-uva/about-the-university/about-the-university.html
entry

APA in-text (University of Amsterdam, n.d.)

citation

How to cite from social media

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.

APA Last name, Initials. (Year, Month Day). First 20 words of post [Description of multimedia

format aspects] [Type of post]. Site Name. URL

American Psychological Association. (2020, October 14). When adjusted for inflation,

the largest median salary increase between 2014 and 2018 was for psychology
APA
doctorate recipients who expected [Link with thumbnail attached] [Status update].
referenc
Facebook.
e entry
https://www.facebook.com/AmericanPsychologicalAssociation/posts/101587942056825
79

APA in- (American Psychological Association, 2020)

text
citation

On some social media sites (such as Twitter), users go by usernames instead of or in addition to
their real names. Where the author’s real name is known, include it, along with their username in
square brackets:

Obama, B. [@BarackObama]. (2020, September 7). This Labor Day, let’s thank all those who’ve
kept our country going this year—nurses, teachers, delivery drivers, food service [Tweet]. Twitter.
https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/1303015313320050688