In academic writing, it’s important to properly cite sources. The American Psychological Association (APA) has established a standard for citing website sources in the reference page of a research paper. It’s important to ensure that all sources are properly credited so that readers can track down the original source of your research. Here, we’ll explain how to cite a website in APA and provide some helpful examples.
Formatting Rules for APA Website Citations
When citing a website in APA, you must always include the author, date, title, and source. The author is the author of the website or the name of the organization responsible for the website. The date is the date that the content was last updated. The title is the title of the webpage or website, and the source is the URL. Here are some formatting rules for citing a website in APA:
- Include the author’s name, the date, the title of the website, and the URL.
- If the author is unknown, begin the citation with the title of the website.
- If the date is unknown, use the abbreviation “n.d.”
- If the website has no page numbers, use the paragraph numbers.
For example, if you were citing the website “Wikipedia,” you would use the following format:
Wikipedia. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.wikipedia.org
Citing a Specific Page on a Website
If you are citing a specific page on a website, you will need to include the page number in your citation. The page number can be found in the URL of the page. For example, if you were citing the page “Citing Sources” on the website “EasyBib,” the URL would be: https://www.easybib.com/guides/citation-guides/apa-format/citing-sources/. The page number in the URL is “citing-sources,” so you would include this in your citation. Your citation would look like this:
EasyBib. (n.d.). Citing sources. Retrieved from https://www.easybib.com/guides/citation-guides/apa-format/citing-sources/
Citing a Website With No Author or Date
If the website you are citing has no author or date, you can use the title of the website as the author in your citation. You can use the abbreviation “n.d.” for the date. For example, if you were citing the website “About.com,” your citation would look like this:
About.com. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.about.com/
Citing a Website With Multiple Authors
If a website has multiple authors, you will need to include all of the authors in your citation. Separate each author with a comma and list them in the order that they appear on the website. For example, if you were citing the website “TechSmith,” which has two authors, your citation would look like this:
TechSmith. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.techsmith.com/ Authors: Smith, J., & Jones, A.
Citing a Website With No Page Numbers
If the website you are citing does not have page numbers, you can use the paragraph numbers instead. For example, if you were citing the website “EasyBib,” which does not have page numbers, you would cite it like this:
EasyBib. (n.d.). Citing sources. Retrieved from https://www.easybib.com/guides/citation-guides/apa-format/citing-sources/ Paragraphs 2-4.
Citing a Website With an Unknown Date
If the date of a website is unknown, you can use the abbreviation “n.d.” to indicate that the date is not known. For example, if you were citing the website “Vimeo,” which does not have a date, you would cite it like this:
Vimeo. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.vimeo.com/
Citing a Website With an Unknown Author
If the author of a website is unknown, you can begin the citation with the title of the website. For example, if you were citing the website “GitHub,” which does not have an author, you would cite it like this:
GitHub. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.github.com/
Conclusion
Citing a website in APA is a simple process, but it’s important to make sure that all of the required information is included. Start with the author, date, title, and source and you should be able to create a complete and accurate citation. If any of the information is missing, use the available information or the abbreviation “n.d.” to indicate that the information is not known. Following these guidelines should ensure that you create a complete and accurate APA website citation.