APA Website Citations

    Complete guide to citing websites, web pages, and online sources in APA format

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    Published: September 15, 2025
    By heypaperhero Team

    Basic Website Citation

    Website citations in APA format include the author (if available), date, title, website name, and URL. The format varies depending on whether the page has an author and specific publication date.

    Basic Format

    Author, A. A. (Year, Month Date). Page title. Website Name. URL

    Web Pages with Author and Date

    When the web page has a clearly identified author and publication date:

    Example:

    Smith, J. (2023, March 15). The impact of artificial intelligence on education.
    Educational Technology Today. https://www.edtech-today.com/ai-education

    Format Notes

    • • Include full date when available (Year, Month Date)
    • • Page title in sentence case
    • • Website name in italics and title case
    • • Include complete URL

    Web Pages Without Author

    When no individual author is identified, start with the page title. If there's an organizational author, use that instead:

    No Individual Author:

    How to improve study habits. (2023, January 10). Study Skills Central.
    https://www.studyskills.com/improve-habits

    Organizational Author:

    American Psychological Association. (2023, February 20). Mental health
    resources for students. APA.org. https://www.apa.org/student-resources

    Web Pages Without Date

    When no publication date is available, use "n.d." (no date) in place of the year:

    Example:

    Brown, M. (n.d.). Effective research strategies. Academic Success Hub.
    https://www.academicsuccess.com/research-strategies

    When to Include Retrieval Date

    Only include retrieval date if the content is likely to change over time (e.g., wikis, social media profiles, live blogs). Most website citations do not require retrieval dates.

    Retrieved March 15, 2023, from https://www.example.com

    News Articles and Blog Posts

    Online News Article:

    Johnson, L. (2023, April 5). Universities adapt to post-pandemic learning.
    Higher Education News. https://www.highereducation.com/post-pandemic

    Blog Post:

    Davis, K. (2023, March 22). Five tips for online learning success [Blog post].
    Student Life Blog. https://www.studentlife.com/blog/online-learning-tips

    Comment on Blog Post:

    Wilson, R. (2023, March 23). Great tips! I especially found #3 helpful
    [Comment on the blog post "Five tips for online learning success"].
    Student Life Blog. https://www.studentlife.com/blog/online-learning-tips#comment-456

    Organization and Government Websites

    Government Agency:

    U.S. Department of Education. (2023, January 12). Student loan forgiveness
    programs. https://www.ed.gov/loan-forgiveness

    Professional Organization:

    National Association of Secondary School Principals. (2022, November 8).
    Digital citizenship guidelines. NASSP.org.
    https://www.nassp.org/digital-citizenship

    University Website:

    Stanford University. (2023). Academic integrity policy. Stanford University.
    https://www.stanford.edu/academic-integrity

    In-Text Citation Examples

    With Author:

    Recent studies support this approach (Smith, 2023).

    No Author (by Title):

    Effective study habits are essential for academic success ("How to Improve Study Habits," 2023).

    No Date:

    The guidelines provide comprehensive information (Brown, n.d.).

    Organizational Author:

    Mental health resources are widely available (American Psychological Association, 2023).

    Common Website Citation Mistakes

    ❌ Incorrect

    Smith, J. "The Impact of AI on Education." Educational Technology Today. Web. 15 Mar. 2023.

    ✅ Correct

    Smith, J. (2023, March 15). The impact of AI on education. Educational Technology Today. https://www.edtech-today.com/ai-education
    • Don't use "Web" or "Retrieved from" unless content changes frequently
    • Don't include access dates for stable content
    • Include the full URL, not just the website name
    • Use sentence case for page titles
    • Put website names in italics