Sign In
How to Cite a Website in APA Style: In-Text Citations and Reference List Examples
Knowing how to cite a website in APA style is one of the most practical citation skills an academic writer can develop. Websites, blog posts, online lecture materials, and other digital sources appear frequently in academic papers across every discipline, and the American Psychological Association has specific formatting requirements for each type. This guide covers everything you need to know: how to format an APA style citation for a website in text, how to format the corresponding reference list entry, and how the rules vary across different types of online sources.
What Is APA Style and Why Does It Matter?
APA style is a set of formatting and citation guidelines established by the American Psychological Association and used primarily in the social sciences, education, psychology, and related fields. It provides a standardized framework for referencing sources so that readers can locate and verify the information cited in an academic paper. For a broader overview of the major citation styles used in academic writing, read our article on an overview of citation styles.
APA citations appear in two places in an academic paper: as in-text citations within the body of the paper, and as full reference list entries at the end of the paper. Both are required. Every in-text citation must have a corresponding reference list entry, and every reference list entry must be cited somewhere in the body of the paper.
APA Style Website Citation: In-Text Format
In-text citations for websites follow the same basic format as in-text citations for other source types in APA style. There are two ways to include an in-text citation: within the sentence itself, or in parentheses at the end of the sentence.
One Author
When mentioning a single author within the sentence, include the author's last name followed immediately by the publication year in parentheses:
- Within the sentence: "Etton (2004) found that..."
- At the end of the sentence: "One study found that... (Etton, 2004)."
Two Authors
When a source has two authors, include both last names every time the source is cited. Use "and" between names when they appear within the sentence, and "&" when they appear in parentheses:
- Within the sentence: "Etton and Sillfon (2004) demonstrated that..."
- At the end of the sentence: "One study demonstrated that... (Etton & Sillfon, 2004)."
Three or More Authors
When a source has three or more authors, include only the first author's last name followed by "et al." (meaning "and others") every time the source is cited, from the first citation onward in APA 7th edition:
- Within the sentence: "Etton et al. (2004) found that..." or "Etton and colleagues (2004) found that..."
- At the end of the sentence: "One study found that... (Etton et al., 2004)."
No Author
If a website has no identifiable author, use a shortened version of the page title in place of the author name. Place the title in quotation marks for a webpage, or italicize it for a standalone document:
- Within the sentence: "According to 'How to Format a Reference List' (2022)..."
- At the end of the sentence: "...("How to Format a Reference List," 2022)."
No Date
If no publication date is available, use "n.d." (meaning "no date") in place of the year:
- Within the sentence: "Etton (n.d.) states that..."
- At the end of the sentence: "...according to recent guidance (Etton, n.d.)."
APA Website Citation: Reference List Format
The reference list appears at the end of the paper. Entries are organized in alphabetical order by the first author's last name. The first line of each entry is flush with the left margin. Any continuation lines are indented by 0.5 inches, which is the standard hanging indent format required by APA style.
The general format for a website reference list entry in APA style is:
AuthorLastName, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of webpage in sentence case. Site Name. URL
Using the example names from the in-text section:
Etton, K., & Sillfon, M. (2004, March 27). Title of the article on the website. Publisher Name. https://www.examplepublisher.com/article-url
Key formatting rules for APA website reference list entries:
- Author names: last name first, followed by initials. For two authors, separate with a comma and an ampersand (&).
- Date: year first, then month and day in parentheses. If no date is available, use (n.d.).
- Title: italicized, written in sentence case (capitalize only the first word and proper nouns).
- Site name: not italicized, followed by a period.
- URL: no period at the end of the URL.
- No retrieval date is needed for most webpages unless the content changes frequently, such as a live database or wiki.
How to Cite Different Types of Online Sources in APA Style
Academic Journal Articles
For academic journal articles, APA requires listing up to 20 authors. If there are more than 20, list the first 19, insert an ellipsis, and then add the final author's name. The format is:
LastName, A. A., & LastName, B. B. (Year). Title of the article in sentence case. Title of the Journal in Title Case, Volume(Issue), page range. https://doi.org/xxxxx
Example:
Etton, K., & Sillfon, M. (2004). The association between variable X and variable Y. Nature Neuroscience, 11(4), 233–240. https://doi.org/10.1234/5555
Include the DOI as a hyperlink where available. If no DOI is available, include the URL of the journal homepage.
Blog Posts
Blog posts follow a similar format to standard webpages but require the month and day of publication alongside the year. The blog name is italicized in place of the site name:
LastName, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of the blog post in sentence case. Name of the Blog. URL
Example:
Etton, K. (2004, March 20). The association between variable X and variable Y in clinical populations. Nature Neuroscience Blog. https://www.natureneuroscience.blog/variable-x-variable-y
Online Lecture Material
For lecture slides, PowerPoint presentations, or other online course materials, include the type of material in square brackets after the title. The platform or institution that hosts the material serves as the publisher:
LastName, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of the lecture or presentation [Type of material]. Publisher or Institution. URL
Example:
Etton, K. (2004, March 20). The association between variable X and variable Y across clinical populations [PowerPoint slides]. GitHub. https://github.com/associationx
APA Website Citation: Quick Reference Summary
| Source Type | In-Text Format | Reference List Format |
|---|---|---|
| Webpage (1 author) | Etton (2004) or (Etton, 2004) | LastName, A. (Year, Month Day). Title. Site. URL |
| Webpage (2 authors) | Etton and Sillfon (2004) or (Etton & Sillfon, 2004) | LastName, A., & LastName, B. (Year, Month Day). Title. Site. URL |
| Webpage (3+ authors) | Etton et al. (2004) or (Etton et al., 2004) | List all authors up to 20. LastName, A., LastName, B., & LastName, C. (Year). Title. Site. URL |
| Webpage (no author) | ("Title of Page," Year) or Title of Page (Year) | Title of page. (Year, Month Day). Site. URL |
| Webpage (no date) | Etton (n.d.) or (Etton, n.d.) | LastName, A. (n.d.). Title. Site. URL |
| Blog post | Etton (2004) or (Etton, 2004) | LastName, A. (Year, Month Day). Title. Blog Name. URL |
| Online lecture slides | Etton (2004) or (Etton, 2004) | LastName, A. (Year, Month Day). Title [PowerPoint slides]. Institution. URL |
| Journal article with DOI | Etton and Sillfon (2004) or (Etton & Sillfon, 2004) | LastName, A., & LastName, B. (Year). Title. Journal, Vol(Issue), pp. DOI |
Common APA Website Citation Mistakes to Avoid
- Using the wrong case for titles. Webpage and article titles in APA reference lists use sentence case, not title case. Only the first word of the title, the first word after a colon, and proper nouns are capitalized. Journal titles use title case.
- Italicizing the wrong element. In a webpage citation, the page title is italicized. In a blog post citation, the blog name is italicized. In a journal article citation, the journal title and volume number are italicized. The article title is not italicized.
- Omitting the date from blog posts and lecture materials. Standard webpages may have only a year, but blog posts and lecture materials require the full date including month and day where available.
- Adding a period after the URL. URLs in APA reference list entries do not end with a period. Adding one can make the URL non-functional if a reader tries to click or type it.
- Including a retrieval date when it is not needed. Retrieval dates are only required when the content of the page is likely to change over time, such as a wiki or a live dataset. For standard webpages and blog posts, no retrieval date is needed.
- Using "et al." incorrectly in the reference list. "Et al." is used in in-text citations for three or more authors, but in the reference list you must list all authors up to 20. Only use et al. in the reference list if there are more than 20 authors.
Citation Managers That Format APA Automatically
While knowing how to cite a website in APA style is essential for checking and correcting automated citations, several reference management tools can format citations automatically. The most widely used include Zotero, Mendeley, and EndNote. These tools allow you to save sources, generate citations, and insert references directly into a word processor. However, automated citations frequently contain errors and should always be checked against the current APA guidelines before submission. For a comprehensive guide to APA citation rules beyond website citations, read our article on a basic guide to APA style citation.
About Editor World: Editing Services | Proofreading Services
Editor World has a panel of academic writers and editors who are native English speakers from the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada to help you perfect academic manuscripts. Our academic editing and proofreading services are available 24/7, 365 days a year. Whether you need help with citation formatting, language editing, or a full copy edit of your manuscript before submission, Editor World's verified professional editors are here to help.