To cite a website, you give the author, the date, the page title, the site name and the URL, arranged in the order your citation style requires. The in-text citation usually shows the author and year, or just the author in MLA.
Web pages are among the most cited and most mis-formatted sources. This guide shows the standard format in four styles and then handles the tricky cases.
What Every Website Citation Needs
| Element | Where to find it |
|---|---|
| Author | A byline, or the organization responsible for the page |
| Date | Publication or last updated date, often near the title or at the foot |
| Title | The heading of the specific page, not the whole site |
| Site name | The name of the website, often in the logo |
| URL | The full address of the page |
The Standard Format in Four Styles
All four examples cite the same illustrative page: an article by Sam Grant called "How sleep affects memory", published on 4 May 2023 on a site called Study Health Hub.
APA 7th
Grant, S. (2023, May 4). How sleep affects memory. Study Health Hub. https://www.example.org/sleep-memory
In text: (Grant, 2023) or Grant (2023)
MLA 9th
Grant, Sam. "How Sleep Affects Memory." Study Health Hub, 4 May 2023, www.example.org/sleep-memory.
In text: (Grant)
Harvard
Grant, S. (2023) How sleep affects memory. Available at: https://www.example.org/sleep-memory (Accessed: 10 April 2024).
In text: (Grant, 2023)
Chicago Notes and Bibliography
Note: 1. Sam Grant, "How Sleep Affects Memory," Study Health Hub, May 4, 2023, https://www.example.org/sleep-memory.
Bibliography: Grant, Sam. "How Sleep Affects Memory." Study Health Hub, May 4, 2023. https://www.example.org/sleep-memory.
Harvard has many local versions. The example follows a widely used UK format; check your university's guide for punctuation and the access date.
Key Differences at a Glance
| Feature | APA 7th | MLA 9th | Harvard | Chicago |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Page title | Italic, sentence case | In quotation marks, title case | Italic, sentence case | In quotation marks, title case |
| Site name | Plain text | Italic | Often omitted | Plain text |
| URL | Full, with https:// | Usually without https:// | After "Available at:" | Full |
| Access date | Only for pages designed to change | Optional; useful when undated | Usually required | Only when there is no date |
No Author, or an Organization as Author
Many pages have no named person. If an organization is responsible, it becomes the author.
APA 7th, organization as author and site. National Sleep Council. (2023, March 31). Sleep and young adults. https://www.example.org/sleep
APA 7th, no author at all. Sleep and young adults. (2023, March 31). Study Health Hub. https://www.example.org/sleep
In text: ("Sleep and Young Adults," 2023)
In APA, when the author and site name are the same, leave out the site name. In MLA, when an organization is both author and publisher, start the entry with the page title and list the organization as publisher.
No Date
- APA 7th: use "n.d." in place of the date: Grant, S. (n.d.).
- MLA 9th: leave out the date and add an access date at the end: Accessed 10 Apr. 2024.
- Harvard: usually "(no date)" in place of the year, with the access date.
- Chicago: add an access date before the URL.
A copyright year in the footer is not always the publication date of the page. Use it only if no more specific date appears.
News Sites, Changing Pages and Missing Pages
- Online newspapers in APA 7th: the newspaper name is italic and the article title is not.
- Pages designed to change, such as live dashboards: APA adds a retrieval date, as in "Retrieved April 10, 2024, from".
- Wikipedia: many tutors discourage citing it. If allowed, cite the archived version of the page.
- Pages that have disappeared: look for an archived copy and cite that, or replace the source.
Check the Website Before You Cite It
A perfectly formatted citation cannot rescue a weak source. Before citing a web page, take a minute to check it.
- Who is responsible? Government bodies, universities, professional organizations and established publishers are usually safest.
- Is it current? Look for a publication or review date.
- Is it evidenced? Good pages cite their sources or data.
- Why does it exist? Be cautious with pages selling a product or pushing a cause.
If a web page reports a study, find and cite the study itself where you can. Tutors generally prefer the original research to a summary of it.
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Citing the home page instead of the specific page | Use the exact page URL and title |
| Missing an organization as author | Use the organization when no person is named |
| "Retrieved from" before every APA URL | Leave it out unless the page is designed to change |
| Using a URL in the in-text citation | Use the author and year, or title if no author |
| Citing unreliable websites | Prefer official, academic or reputable sources |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Author. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Site Name. URL. In text, use (Author, Year).
Author. "Title of Page." Website Name, Day Month Year, URL. In text, use (Author).
Use the organization responsible as the author. If there is none, begin with the page title.
Use "n.d." in APA, "(no date)" in many Harvard guides, and an access date in MLA and Chicago.
It depends on the style. Harvard usually requires one; MLA and Chicago use one mainly for undated pages; APA only for pages designed to change.
Yes in APA, Harvard and Chicago. MLA usually leaves it out.
Check with your tutor. Many prefer you to cite the sources Wikipedia relies on instead.