Be careful! Just because you found something on the web, it doesn’t mean you are citing a website.
Look at the material closely – is it a journal article? A newspaper article? An encyclopedia? An eBook? Use the format that best describes the item. APA treats a source as a website only when it does not fit another category.
Citing source from websites can be challenging because they are not standardized in the same way as journal articles or books. This video from Valencia East Library walks you through the process with an example from the Centre for Disease Control website.
Author
It can sometimes be difficult to find out who the author of a website is. Remember that an author can be a corporation or group, not only a specific person. Author information can sometimes be found under an "About" section on a website.
If there is no known author, you can start the citation with the title of the website instead. However, APA tends to reserve this type of citation for a very small set of sources: for example, The Bible and some dictionaries and encyclopedias such as Wikipedia (which should not form a central part of your research).
Date
The best date to use for a website is the date that the content was last updated. Otherwise look for a copyright or original publication date. Unfortunately this information may not be provided or may be hard to find. Often date information is put on the bottom of the pages of a website.
If you do not know the complete date, put as much information as you can find. For example you may have a year but no month or day.
If there is no date provided, put the letters (n.d.) in round brackets where you'd normally put the date.
Title
Titles of websites should be in plain text but use italics for webpages, articles, etc.
Retrieval Date
Most website citations in APA 7th Edition do not require a retrieval date. Unfortunately, however, determining which situations require this date can be challenging. If you use a stable, archived version of a web page, no retrieval date is needed. But if you use a web page that is continually updated, providing a retrieval date can help clarify inconsistencies between the page when you viewed it and when it was viewed by your reader.
Long URLs
If a URL is too long to fit onto one line, try to break it at a slash (/).
Note: All citations should be double spaced and have a hanging indent in a Reference List.
A "hanging indent" means that each subsequent line after the first line of your citation should be indented by 0.5 inches.
Corporation/Group/Organization's Name. (Year webpage was last updated/published, Month Day if given). Title of page: Subtitle (if any). URL
| Example |
Government of British Columbia. (2022, December 8). Indigenous housing. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/housing-tenancy/indigenous-housing#HousingHub |
| In-Text Paraphrase |
(Corporation/Group's Name, Year) Example: (Government of British Columbia, 2022) |
| In-Text Quote |
(Corporation/Group's Name, year, Section Name section, para. Paragraph Number if more than one paragraph in section) Example: (Government of British Columbia, 2022, Indigenous Housing Fund section, para. 1) Note: When there are no visible page numbers or paragraph numbers, you may cite the section heading and the paragraph number to identify where your quote came from. |
Author's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial if Given. (Year webpage was last updated/published, Month Day if given). Title of page: Subtitle (if any). Website name. URL
| Example |
Barberstock, R. K. (2024, May 1). Reflecting on the future: The importance of generational stewardship in combating climate change. Indigenous Climate Hub. https://indigenousclimatehub.ca/2024/05/reflecting-on-the-future-the-importance-of-generational-stewardship-in-combating-climate-change/ |
| In-Text Paraphrase |
(Author Last Name, Year) Example: (Barberstock, 2024) |
| In-Text Quote |
(Author Last Name, Year, Section Name section, para. Paragraph Number if more than one paragraph in section) Example: (Barberstock, 2024, para. 3) Note: When there are no visible page numbers or paragraph numbers, you may cite the section heading and the paragraph number to identify where your quote came from. |
Title of page: Subtitle (if any). (Year webpage was last updated/published, Month Day if given). Name of Website. URL
| Example |
Timeline: Asia-Canada. (n.d.). The Canadian Encyclopedia. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/timeline/asia-canada Or, to emphasize that the page could be updated, include a retrieval date: Timeline: Asia-Canada. (n.d.). The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved August 26, 2024, from https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/timeline/asia-canada Note: For further explanation of retrieval dates, see the Tips section on this page. |
| In-Text Paraphrase |
(Shortened title, Year) Example: (Timeline, n.d.) |
| In-Text Quote |
(Shortened title, Year, Section Name section, para. Paragraph Number if more than one paragraph in section) Example: (Timeline, n.d., Southeast Asian Refugees section) Note: When there are no visible page numbers or paragraph numbers, you may cite the section heading and the number of the paragraph to identify where your quote came from. In this example, there is only one paragraph under the specific heading, so no paragraph number is needed. |
Corporation/Group/Organization's Name. (Year report was last updated/published, Month Day if given). Title of report: Subtitle if given (Pub. No. Publication Number if given). Website Name if different from author. URL
| Example |
Vancouver Police Department. (2024, January 1). Vancouver Police Department: Regulations & procedures manual. https://vpd.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/regulations-and-procedures-manual.pdf Note: If there was a chapter or section number instead of a publication number, it would be included after the title in the same place as the publication number: (Chapter xx) or (Section xx). |
| In-Text Paraphrase |
(Corporation/Group's Name, Year) Example: (Vancouver Police Department, 2024) |
| In-Text Quote |
(Corporation/Group's Name, Year, p. Page Number) Example: (Vancouver Police Department, 2024, p. 157) |
Name of Government Department, Agency or Committee. (Year of Publication, Month Day). Title of document: Subtitle if given (edition if given and is not first edition). Publisher if different from author. URL
| Example |
Health Canada. (2024, May). Human health effects of wildfire smoke. https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/publications/healthy-living/human-health-effects-wildfire-smoke.html |
| In-Text Paraphrase |
(Name of Government Department, Agency or Committee, Year) Example: (Health Canada, 2024) |
| In-Text Quote |
(Name of Government Department, Agency or Committee, Year, Section Name section, para. Paragraph Number if more than one paragraph in section) (Health Canada, 2024, Mental Health section) Note: When there are no visible page numbers or paragraph numbers, you may cite the section heading and the number of the paragraph to identify where your quote came from. |
Author's Last Name, First intial. Second Initial if Given or Username if real name not provided. (Year blog post was published, Month Day). Title of blog post. Title of Blog. URL
| Example |
Raemy, F. (2024, June 25). Engaged living: Guide to carpenter jobs in Canada. Green Building Canada Blog. https://greenbuildingcanada.ca/carpenter-jobs-canada/ Note: If the blog author's real name is not provided, use their username instead. |
| In-Text Paraphrase |
(Author's Last Name, Year) Example: (Raemy, 2024) |
| In-Text Quote |
(Author's Last Name, Year, Section Heading section if given) Example: (Raemy, 2024, Carpenter Job Requirements section, para. 1) |
Title of entry. (Year article was edited, Month Day). In Wikipedia. URL
Note: Cite the archived version of the page you used. To access this information on Wikipedia select "View history," choose the version you used, and copy its URL.
Wikipedia may not be considered an acceptable source for a college or university assignment. Be sure to evaluate the content carefully and check your assignment.
| Example |
Anthropocene. (2024, June 24). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Anthropocene&oldid=1230764027 |
| In-Text Paraphrase |
("Title of Entry," Year) Example: ("Anthropocene," 2024) |
| In-Text Quote |
("Title of Entry," Year, Section Name section, para. Paragraph Number) Example: ("Anthropocene," 2024, Anthropocene Working Group section, para. 3) Note: When used in an in-text citation, the title of the entry should be in quotation marks, with each word starting with a capital letter. When there are no visible page numbers or paragraph numbers, you may cite the section heading and the number of the paragraph in that section to identify where your quote came from. |