How to Cite a Website in APA 7th Edition
This guide explains how to cite a website in APA 7th Edition so your references and in-text citations are correct and consistent. APA 7 is used widely in the social sciences, education, nursing, and many other disciplines where clear attribution of online sources is essential.
If you want to generate citations quickly, try Rephrasely's free citation generator: Rephrasely Citation Generator. You can also check finished work with Rephrasely's plagiarism checker, polish wording with the AI writer, or test AI-origin with the AI detector.
What this format covers
When we say "how to cite a website APA 7th Edition," we mean the rules for attributing web pages, news articles, blogs, and other online content in both the reference list and in-text citations. This guide focuses on step-by-step examples and common situations you’ll encounter.
General Rules
Before specific examples, learn these core APA 7 rules that apply to web sources.
- Author: Use the person or group author. If there is no author, begin with the title.
- Date: Use the year in parentheses. If no date, use
(n.d.). - Title: Use sentence case for page titles (capitalize only first word and proper nouns).
- Source: Include the full URL. Do not add "Retrieved from" unless content is likely to change (e.g., a constantly updated page).
- DOIs/Permalinks: Include DOIs for articles when available, formatted as URLs (e.g.,
https://doi.org/10.xxxx). - Accessibility: Do not include login requirements. If an item is behind a paywall, cite as usual and note the source type if needed.
How to Cite by Source Type
Below are step-by-step templates and examples for common source types. Use the templates to construct correct citations quickly.
1. Website page (single web page)
Template:
Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Site Name. URL
Example with person author:
Smith, J. (2020, August 5). How to plan remote team meetings. Remote Work Today. https://www.remoteworktoday.com/remote-meetings
Example with organization author:
World Health Organization. (2021, March 15). Mental health and COVID-19. https://www.who.int/mental-health-covid
If no author:
Title of page. (Year, Month Day). Site Name. URL
2. Online news article
Template:
Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of article. Newspaper Name. URL
Example:
Garcia, L. (2022, July 1). New policies shape urban transportation. The City Times. https://www.citytimes.com/transportation-policies
3. Journal article (online with DOI)
Journal articles often appear online with a DOI. APA 7 prefers DOI as a URL.
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Journal Title, volume(issue), page–page. https://doi.org/xx.xxxx/xxxxx
Example:
Khan, R., & Lee, S. (2019). Social media use and well-being. Journal of Digital Studies, 12(3), 45–60. https://doi.org/10.1234/jds.2019.0123
4. Book (electronic or print)
Template:
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book (italicized). Publisher. DOI or URL (if e-book)
Example:
Brown, T. (2018). Research methods in psychology. Academic Press.
5. Government report or PDF from a website
Template:
Government Agency. (Year). Title of report (Report No. xxx if available). URL
Example:
U.S. Department of Education. (2020). Digital learning in K–12 (Report No. ED-2020-04). https://www.ed.gov/digital-learning-report
6. Video or YouTube
Template:
Author or Creator. (Year, Month Day). Title of video [Video]. Site Name. URL
Example:
Khan Academy. (2018, May 12). Understanding p-values [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/example
In-Text Citations
APA 7 uses author-date in-text citations. Use either parenthetical or narrative format depending on sentence structure.
- Parenthetical: Place author and year in parentheses:
(Author, Year). - Narrative: Incorporate the author into the sentence with the year in parentheses:
Author (Year).
Examples:
(Smith, 2020)
Smith (2020) argues that remote meetings require clear agendas.
If no author, use a shortened title in quotation marks for in-text citations:
("Title of Page," Year)
Example:
("How to Plan Remote Team Meetings," 2020)
For direct quotes include a page or paragraph number when available: (Author, Year, p. 12) or (Author, Year, para. 4).
Reference List — Formatting Rules and Example
Reference list rules:
- Begin the reference list on a new page with the heading "References" (centered, not bold).
- Double-space entries and use hanging indent (0.5 inches) for lines after the first.
- List entries alphabetically by the first author's last name or by title if no author.
- Capitalize only the first word of titles and subtitles and proper nouns (sentence case).
Sample reference list (showing common entry types):
References
Brown, T. (2018). Research methods in psychology. Academic Press.
Garcia, L. (2022, July 1). New policies shape urban transportation. The City Times. https://www.citytimes.com/transportation-policies
Khan, R., & Lee, S. (2019). Social media use and well-being. Journal of Digital Studies, 12(3), 45–60. https://doi.org/10.1234/jds.2019.0123
Smith, J. (2020, August 5). How to plan remote team meetings. Remote Work Today. https://www.remoteworktoday.com/remote-meetings
U.S. Department of Education. (2020). Digital learning in K–12 (Report No. ED-2020-04). https://www.ed.gov/digital-learning-report
Note: In your document, apply hanging indent and double spacing. The inline sample is condensed here for readability.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Even experienced writers make APA errors. Watch for these common mistakes:
-
Incorrect author format.
Using a website's corporate logo or footer text as the author can be wrong. Verify the byline or organization responsible for the content. If unclear, treat title as author.
-
Wrong date usage.
Don’t omit dates when they’re available. If a page lists a last-updated date, use it. Use
(n.d.)only when there is truly no date. -
Forgetting DOIs or broken URLs.
When a DOI exists, include it as a URL. Avoid linking to dynamic query strings that expire; prefer stable permalinks.
-
Mixing styles.
Don’t mix MLA or Chicago formats with APA. Follow APA 7 capitalization, punctuation, and order for each entry consistently.
Actionable Quick Checklist
- Identify the author (person, group, or title if none).
- Find the publication/update date; use
(n.d.)if absent. - Write the page title in sentence case.
- Include site name (omit if same as author) and full URL.
- Use parenthetical or narrative in-text citations consistent with the reference list.
If you want to automate these steps, paste the URL into Rephrasely's citation generator and get an APA 7 citation you can copy into your reference list.
Tips for Reliability and Plagiarism Safety
Always verify automated citations against the official APA Publication Manual or your institution’s style guide. Use Rephrasely’s plagiarism checker to confirm proper attribution and the AI writer to draft summaries that you then cite. If you suspect AI-generated content in your sources, run the text through Rephrasely’s AI detector.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I cite a web page with no author in APA 7th Edition?
If a web page has no author, begin the reference with the title, followed by the date, site name, and URL. In-text, use a shortened title in quotation marks. Example reference: Title of page. (2020). Site Name. https://www.example.com. In-text: ("Title of page," 2020).
Do I include “Retrieved from” before URLs in APA 7?
No. APA 7 generally does not require "Retrieved from" before a URL. Use "Retrieved from" only when the content is designed to change over time and the retrieval date is important (e.g., a live streaming page or a wiki).
Can I use a citation generator and still be correct?
Yes—citation generators like Rephrasely's citation generator can save time, but always double-check generated citations for author names, dates, and DOI formatting against APA 7 rules. Use the generator as a starting point, then verify accuracy manually.