How to Cite a Website in APA, MLA, Harvard and Chicago
Websites are among the most-cited sources and the most-miscited. Pages lack authors, dates move, addresses change, and different styles ask for different details. The good news is that the method is the same for all of them: find the basic facts, check them and arrange them in your style's order.
This guide gives a five-step method and examples in APA 7, MLA 9, Harvard and Chicago. The examples use invented sources to show the format.
The steps
Check that the site is a suitable source
Decide whether the page is credible enough for your assignment, looking at who runs it, whether it names an author and date, and whether claims are supported.
Find the author or organization
Look at the byline, the About page or the footer. If no person is named, use the organization that publishes the page.
Find the date
Use the publication or last updated date on the page. If there is none, use the style's wording for no date.
Record the title, site name and URL
Copy the exact page title, the name of the website and the full address, and note the date you accessed it if your style asks for one.
Format the citation in your style
Arrange the elements in the order your style requires, and add the matching in-text citation.
The sections below take each step in turn.
Step 1: Is it a good source?
Before you worry about format, decide whether the page belongs in an academic paper. Ask:
- Who runs the site? A university, a government body, a professional organization or a news outlet is usually more reliable than an anonymous blog.
- Is there an author, and are credentials given?
- Is there a date, and is the information current enough for your topic?
- Are claims supported with evidence or links to sources?
- Is there a clear purpose, or is the page trying to sell something?
If a better source exists, such as a journal article or an official report, use that. Websites are best for official data, policies, news and organization statements.
Step 2: Find the author
Look in these places.
- A byline under the title or at the end.
- An About page or author profile.
- The footer or copyright line, which often names the organization.
If no person is named, treat the organization as the author, for example the World Health Organization or a university department. If neither exists, start the entry with the title.
Step 3: Find the date
Look for "published", "posted", "updated" or "last reviewed". Use the publication date if both appear, unless your style says otherwise. If there is no date, use the style's wording: n.d. in APA and Harvard, and nothing or an access date in MLA.
Step 4: Record title, site and URL
Copy the exact title of the page and the name of the website, which is not always the same as the organization. Copy the full URL of the specific page. Note today's date in case you need an access date, and save a copy or a screenshot if the page might change.
Step 5: Format it
APA 7
Format: Author. (Year, Month Day). Title of page in sentence case. Site Name. URL
World Health Organization. (2021, May 5). Hand hygiene in health care. https://www.example.org/hand-hygiene
If the author and the site name are the same, leave out the site name. In the text: (World Health Organization, 2021).
MLA 9
Format: Author. "Title of Page." Title of Website, Publisher, Day Month Year, URL.
World Health Organization. "Hand Hygiene in Health Care." WHO, 5 May 2021, www.example.org/hand-hygiene.
In the text: (World Health Organization). With no page numbers, cite the author alone. MLA leaves off the https:// part of the address.
Harvard (common pattern)
Format: Author (Year) Title of page. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).
World Health Organization (2021) Hand hygiene in health care. Available at: https://www.example.org/hand-hygiene (Accessed: 12 March 2025).
In the text: (World Health Organization 2021). Check your university's version for punctuation.
Chicago notes-bibliography
Note: 1. Author, "Title of Page," Website Name, Month Day, Year, URL.
- World Health Organization, "Hand Hygiene in Health Care," WHO, May 5, 2021, https://www.example.org/hand-hygiene.
Bibliography: Author. "Title of Page." Website Name. Month Day, Year. URL.
World Health Organization. "Hand Hygiene in Health Care." WHO. May 5, 2021. https://www.example.org/hand-hygiene.
When details are missing
| Missing | APA 7 | MLA 9 | Harvard |
|---|---|---|---|
| Author | Use the organization, or the title in the author position | Use the organization, or start with the title | Use the organization or the title |
| Date | (n.d.) | Omit, or add an access date | (no date) or (n.d.) |
| Title | Describe the page in square brackets | Describe the page, without italics or quotation marks | Describe the page in square brackets |
| Page numbers | Use a paragraph number or a heading in the text citation | Cite the author only | Use a heading or paragraph number |
When you must describe a page that has no title, use a short neutral description in the title position, and keep it as plain as possible.
Quotations and locators
Web pages rarely have page numbers. For direct quotations, use a paragraph number if the page numbers its paragraphs, or the heading of the section, shortened if long. In APA: (World Health Organization, 2021, Handwashing section). Another approach is to paraphrase instead of quote.
Pages that change
Some pages are updated often, such as statistics dashboards and news live blogs. If the content may change, add an access date, and save a copy or screenshot. Where an archived version exists, citing it can make your source more stable. Check your style's guidance for versions and updates.
Social media, PDFs and other web content
Not everything on the web is a webpage.
- PDFs and reports hosted online are cited as reports, not as webpages.
- News articles are cited as newspaper or magazine articles with a URL.
- Social media posts follow patterns for posts, with the account name and platform.
- Videos follow video patterns. See our guide to how to cite a YouTube video.
- Online journal articles are cited as articles with a DOI or URL.
Using the right source type matters, because each has its own format.
Tools and checking
Citation generators can fetch details from a URL, and you can use them as a starting point. Bibloq's free citation generator is one option. Always check the output, because tools often misread authors, dates and site names, and miss the exact title. Compare each entry with the examples above or your course guide.
Keeping a source log
The easiest time to capture a website's details is the moment you find it. A short log, in a document or a reference manager, saves hours later. For each page, record the author or organization, the date, the exact title, the site name, the full address and the date you visited, plus one line on why the page is useful. If the page might change or vanish, save a PDF or a screenshot. Some institutions also ask you to keep evidence of sources you used, so a saved copy protects you if a link breaks before your work is marked.
Common mistakes
- Citing the home page instead of the specific page.
- Using the website's name as the author when an organization or person is named.
- Forgetting the date, or using the access date as the publication date.
- Copying a long tracking URL.
- Leaving out the site name when it differs from the author.
- Using the wrong style's punctuation.
- Relying on poor-quality sites.
A quick checklist
- Is the site credible and the page relevant?
- Have I found the author or organization?
- Have I found the date, or used the style's no-date wording?
- Is the title exact, with the site name included?
- Is the URL specific and clean?
- Does the in-text citation match the list entry?
Final thoughts
Citing a website is a matter of five facts: who, when, what, where and in what order. Collect them as soon as you find the page, check the source's credibility and format them in your style. Save a copy of anything you plan to quote, since pages move and disappear.
Frequently asked questions
How do I cite a website with no author?
Use the organization that publishes it as the author. If there is no organization, begin the entry with the title of the page, and use a shortened title in the text citation.
What if there is no date?
Use n.d. in APA and Harvard, and omit the date in MLA, or give an access date. Check the pattern in your style guide.
Do I need an access date?
APA 7 does not usually require one unless the content changes over time. MLA treats it as optional, and many Harvard versions require one. Chicago asks for one when there is no publication date. Follow your course guide.
Should I include the full URL?
Yes, the full address of the specific page, not just the home page. Avoid long tracking strings after a question mark when a shorter clean address works.
Is it acceptable to cite Wikipedia?
Many instructors discourage it as a source for academic work. Use it to find primary sources, then cite those. If you must cite it, give the page title and the date you accessed it, since content changes.