Including site addresses and DOIs are an absolute necessity. Addresses and DOIs (which stand for direct object identifiers) are usually the last item in an APA website citation. For sites, include “Retrieved from” before the web address. After adding the full URL to the APA citation for a web page, do not end it with a period. Next, state the publication date of the webpage. In works-cited list entries, use only the day-month-year style. Month names should be abbreviated, except for May, June, and July, and followed by a period. In some cases, a specific date might not be available, and the date published may only be specific to a month or even year.

Footnote or endnote

To cite a website or blog, list the author, title of the page or post, title or owner of the site, and the date it was posted, in that order. (If you can’t find one of those, leave it out.) After that, put the date you saw the item and its web address (URL). (Don’t worry about page numbers for online sources—normally there aren’t any.)

1. Stephanie, “How to Make Edible Water Bottles!” DIY for Teens, December 1, 2015, accessed June 13, 2016, http://diyprojectsforteens.com/how-to-make-edible-water-bottles-video-tutorial/.

2. Bambi Turner, “The Ultimate Space Race Quiz,” How Stuff Works, accessed June 13, 2016, http://science.howstuffworks.com/space-race-quiz.htm.

3. “27 Things I Learned about Money by 27,” Broke Millennial (blog), May 27, 2016, accessed June 13, 2016, http://brokemillennial.com/2016/05/27/27-things-learned-money-27/.

Website title: Capitalize a website title in roman type: DIY for Teens. Add the domain ending (.com, .org, .net, etc.) if the website refers to itself that way: e.ggtime.com, Easel.ly.

Blog title: Capitalize a blog title in italics: Broke Millennial. If a blog title doesn’t include the word blog, add it in parentheses: Broke Millennial (blog).

It’s OK to tweak the caps in a title or address to make it easier to read: WizIQ instead of wiziq.

Bibliography

It usually isn’t necessary to put a blog or website into your bibliography, but you should do it (1) if it’s one of your important sources, (2) if you cite it frequently, or (3) if your instructor tells you to put all your note sources into the bibliography.

Notice that there are periods (rather than commas) between the elements in bibliography citations, and that when there is an author name, the last name comes first.

Can't Find Date On Website

Stephanie. “How To Make Edible Water Bottles!” DIY for Teens, December 1, 2015. Accessed June 13, 2016. http://diyprojectsforteens.com/how-to-make-edible-water-bottles-video-tutorial/.

Turner, Bambi. “The Ultimate Space Race Quiz.” How Stuff Works. Accessed June 13, 2016. http://science.howstuffworks.com/space-race-quiz.htm.

Broke Millennial (blog). “27 Things I Learned about Money by 27.” May 27, 2016. Accessed June 13, 2016. http://brokemillennial.com/2016/05/27/27-things-learned-money-27/.

Author-date citation

It’s often better to refer to a website in the text of your paper instead of trying to squash it into author-date format (“As of July 19, 2008, the McDonald’s Corporation listed on its website . . .”). But if you really want to make an author-date citation, follow the examples below. And remember that websites change, so include the date you saw it (or, if available, a date that the site was last modified). For the year of publication, use the access date or last-modified date.

But what if . . .

There’s no author? No date? If part of a citation simply isn’t there, you’ll have to leave it out. For a note: if the writer’s name isn’t listed, begin with the title of the post or page (as in note 3 above). For a bibliography entry: if there’s no writer, start with the name of the website or blog (as in the third bibliography entry above). If there’s no posting date, you can still list the date you saw it.

The author’s name looks fake? Give the name of the writer the way it’s shown, even if it looks fake; if you can find out the writer’s real name, add it in brackets: Tattooed Talker [Jennie Samuel].

The website disappeared after you saw it? It’s not your fault it went away. Just give the URL where you saw it and the date you saw it. (It is your fault, however, if you didn’t write down the URL and the date you saw it!)

You can’t tell if it’s a blog or a website? It might not be important; just make your best guess. Bloggers usually write in the first person (I did this; I did that), and their posts are often like personal journal entries in a roll with new posts at the top of the screen. Websites usually have multiple pages; the content might not change very often; the articles might not show the name of the writer. In general, individuals tend to have blogs, and businesses have websites.

The blog is part of a website? If a blog is part of a larger website, give the name of the website after the title of the blog: The Chicago Blog, University of Chicago Press.

More help with citations

Men Not To Date Website

Quick guide to Turabian-style citations (for student papers, theses, and dissertations)
Quick guide to Chicago-style citations (for professional publishing)

Photo: Lucie Bluebird-Lexington, Blogging

Who Not To Date Website

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