Websites & Webpages

When citing information from a website or webpage, it's crucial to provide enough information for readers to locate the specific content you used. Here's a breakdown of the essential elements:

Author (or Group Author): The person or organization that created the webpage. If no author is identified, start with the title of the webpage.
Date: The date the webpage was published or last updated. If no date is available, use "n.d." (for "no date").
Title of the Webpage: Capitalize only the first word of the title and subtitle, and proper nouns.
Source: The name of the website.
URL: The full URL of the webpage.
General Format:
Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of webpage. Site Name. URL
Example:
American Psychological Association. (2020, June 3). Helping others in a crisis. American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/topics/crisis/helping-others

More Detailed Breakdown

Author:
  • If the author is a person, use their last name and initials (e.g., Smith, J. D.).
  • If the author is a group or organization, use the full name of the group (e.g., American Psychological Association).
  • If the webpage has no identified author, start the citation with the title of the webpage.
  • For group authors, spell out the full name of the organization. If the organization has a well-known abbreviation, you can include it in square brackets in the in-text citation, but use the full name in the reference list.
Date:
  • Provide the most specific date available. This could be the publication date, the date the webpage was last updated, or the copyright date.
  • If a specific date is given (year, month, and day), include all of them (e.g., 2020, June 3).
  • If only the year is available, provide only the year (e.g., 2020).
  • If no date is available, use "n.d." (e.g., American Psychological Association, n.d.).
  • If you are citing content that is designed to change over time (e.g., a wiki), you may need to include a retrieval date. The format for this is: Retrieved Month Day, Year, from URL
Title of the Webpage:
  • Capitalize only the first word of the title and subtitle, and any proper nouns (e.g., Helping others in a crisis).
  • Italicize the title of the webpage.
Source:
  • The name of the website is the broader website where the page is located (e.g., American Psychological Association).
  • If the author and the website name are the same, omit the website name from the reference to avoid repetition. For example, if the American Psychological Association publishes a webpage, you would not include "American Psychological Association" as the source again.
URL:
  • Provide the complete and exact URL of the webpage.
  • Do not put a period at the end of the URL.
  • Ensure the URL is a direct link to the specific page you are citing, not just the website's homepage.
  • Use the full URL, including the protocol (https://).

Examples with Different Scenarios

Nunez, K. (2020, September 29). How to listen with empathy in a world that doesn't care. Mindful. https://www.mindful.org/how-to-listen-with-empathy/

Important Notes

  • Accuracy: Double-check the accuracy of all information, especially the URL.
  • Specificity: Provide the URL for the specific webpage you are citing, not just the website's main page.
  • Missing Information: If any element is missing (e.g., date), follow the guidelines above for handling missing information (e.g., use "n.d." if no date is available).
  • Retrieval Dates: In most cases, retrieval dates are not required for websites or webpages. However, if the content is designed to change over time (e.g., a wiki), you may need to include a retrieval date.
  • Archived Webpages: If you are citing an archived version of a webpage (e.g., from the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine), include the retrieval date and the URL of the archived version. The original date of publication should be included as well.
  • Long URLs: If a URL is very long, you can use a URL shortening service (like bit.ly) to create a shorter, more manageable URL. However, it's generally preferred to use the full URL if possible.
  • Website vs. Webpage: A website is a collection of related webpages. When you are citing specific information, cite the specific webpage, not the entire website. If you are citing information about the website as a whole, cite the entire website.