Cite a Webpage in APA Format

Cite a webpage in APA format when it stands alone on a website and is not part of another source, such as a book, journal article, social media post, or forum entry.

There are two main ways to create an APA citation for a webpage:

Build the citation yourself.
Follow APA 7th edition rules to create the citation step by step.
Use a citation generator.
Enter the details, and the tool will create your APA-formatted webpage citation automatically. The citation is also saved in your library for reuse.

Learning to cite a webpage in APA format manually first helps you understand the rules. This makes it easier to spot and correct any occasional errors when using a citation generator.

The sections below show how to cite a webpage in APA format:

Manual Citation – Step-by-step instructions with screenshots
Common Mistakes – Typical APA citation errors and how to fix them
Quiz – Test your understanding of webpage citations
Citation Generator – See how Zotero creates APA-formatted webpage citations automatically
FAQs – Quick answers to common questions

Have a question or suggestion? Add it in the Comments section below.

Cite a Webpage in APA Format Yourself

This section shows you how to cite a webpage in APA format step by step, so you can follow APA rules with confidence.

Author

This is the first element in an APA citation. It shows who wrote the webpage—one or more people, or an organization.

Select the author(s) responsible for the content.

Authors:

One Author

When you cite a webpage in APA format with one author, use the year in the parenthetical or narrative in-text citation.

The full date appears only in the reference list.

Do not use the copyright date (often found at the bottom of webpages). Look for a “last updated” or “published” date instead.

If you cannot find a date, write "n.d." (which means no date).

Parenthetical In-text Citation
Present the citation in APA format within parentheses as follows:

Write the author's last name and the year (or "n.d.") inside parentheses.
Separate them with a comma and a space.

See Figures A1-1 and A1-2 for examples of parenthetical in-text citations.

Narrative In-text Citation
Present the citation in APA format as follows:

Write the author’s last name in the sentence.
Write the year (or "n.d.") in parentheses right after the name.

See Figures A1-3 and A1-4 for examples of narrative in-text citations.

Figure A1-1: Parenthetical In-text Citation	Figure A1-2: Parenthetical In-text Citation (No Date)
Figure A1-3: Narrative In-text Citation	Figure A1-4: Narrative In-text Citation (No Date)

Reference List Entry
Format the author section of the reference as follows:

Write the last name, followed by a comma and a space.
Write the first initial, followed by a period and space.
If there are more initials, write each one, followed by a period and space.

See Figure A1-5 for one author with one initial.
See Figure A1-6 for one author with two initials.

Example APA reference entry with author "Smith, P." and placeholders for date, title, and source

Figure A1-5: Author With One Initial

APA reference example with author "White, P. A." and placeholders for date, title, and source

Figure A1-6: Author With Two Initials

Two Authors

When you cite a webpage in APA format with two authors, include both author names and use the year in your parenthetical or narrative in-text citation.

The full date appears only in the reference list.

Do not use the copyright date (often shown at the bottom of webpages). Look for a “last updated” or “published” date instead.

If you cannot find a date, write "n.d." (which means no date).

Parenthetical In-text Citation
Present the citation in APA format within parentheses as follows:

Write the last names of the authors separated by a space, ampersand (&) and a space.
Add a comma and a space.
Write the year (or "n.d.").

See Figures A2-1 and A2-2 for examples of parenthetical in-text citations.

Narrative In-text Citation
Present the citation in APA format as follows:

Write the last names of both authors, joined by "and", within the sentence.
Write the year (or "n.d.") in parentheses right after the names.

See Figures A2-3 and A2-4 for examples of narrative in-text citations.

Figure A2-1: Parenthetical In-text Citation	Figure A2-2: Parenthetical In-text Citation (No Date)
Figure A2-3: Narrative In-text Citation	Figure A2-4: Narrative In-text Citation (No Date)

Reference List Entry
Format the author section of the reference as follows:

Write the last name of the first author, followed by a comma and a space.
Write the first author's initial(s) as follows:
- Each initial is followed by a period.
- If there is more than one initial, separate them with a space.
- After the last initial (and period), add a comma.
Add an ampersand (&) with a space before and after it.
Write the last name of the second author followed by a comma and a space.
Write the second author's initial(s), following the same rules.
After the last initial (and period), add a space.

See Figure A2-5 for an example.

Example “Li, R., & Ng, T. D.” showing an APA formatted reference list entry with two authors

Figure A2-5: Reference List Entry for Two Authors

Three to Twenty Authors

To cite a webpage with three to twenty authors in APA format:

Write only the first author’s last name, followed by "et al." and the year in in-text citations.
Do not use the copyright date (often shown at the bottom of webpages). Look for a “last updated” or “published” date instead.
If no date is available, write "n.d." (meaning “no date”).
The reference list includes all authors' names.

Parenthetical In-text Citation
Present the citation in APA format within parentheses as follows:

Write the last name of the first author, followed by a space.
Add "et al." followed by a comma and a space.
Write the year (or "n.d.").

See Figures A3-1 and A3-2 for examples of parenthetical in-text citations for three authors.

Narrative In-text Citation
Present the citation in APA format as follows:

Write the last name of the first author, followed by "et al." as part of the sentence.
Write the year (or "n.d.") in parentheses immediately after.

See Figures A3-3 and A3-4 for examples of narrative in-text citations for three authors.

Figure A3-1: Parenthetical In-text Citation	Figure A3-2: Parenthetical In-text Citation (No Date)
Figure A3-3: Narrative In-text Citation	Figure A3-4: Narrative In-text Citation (No Date)

Reference List Entry
Format the author section of the reference as follows:

For each author except the last:
- Write the last name, followed by a comma and a space.
- Write the initials of the author's given names as follows:
  - Each initial is followed by a period.
  - Separate multiple initials with a space.
  - After the last initial, add a comma and a space.
    Examples: "Li, R., " "Xi, A. B., " "Yi, D. O. K., "
Before the last author, add an ampersand (&) followed by a space.
Write the last name and initials of the last author except do not add a comma after the last initial. Only add a period followed by a space.

See Figure A3-5 for an example.

APA formatted reference entry example with three authors: Fox, J., Day, E., & Green, K. L. T. D., followed by placeholders for date, title, and source

Figure A3-5: Reference List Entry for Three Authors

Figures A3-6, A3-7, A3-8, and A3-9 show examples of in-text citations for twenty authors.

Figure A3-6: Parenthetical In-text Citation	Figure A3-7: Parenthetical In-text Citation (No Date)
Figure A3-8: Narrative In-text Citation	Figure A3-9: Narrative In-text Citation (No Date)

Figure A3-10 shows an example reference list entry for twenty authors.

APA reference list entry showing twenty authors followed by placeholders for date, title, and source

Figure A3-10: Twenty Authors

Use the same format for any number of authors from three to twenty. Just change how many names you include.

Group Author (Association, Company, Organization)

Use this format when no personal author is named and the organization itself is the author.

Use the year in parenthetical and narrative in-text citations (the full date appears in the reference list).

Do not use the copyright date (often shown at the bottom of webpages). Look for a “last updated” or “published” date instead.

If no date is available, write n.d. (which means “no date”).

Parenthetical In-text Citation

Present the citation in APA format within parentheses as follows:

Write the name of the organization.
Add a comma and a space.
Write the year (or "n.d.").

See Figures O-1 and O-2 for examples of parenthetical in-text citations for an organization.

Narrative In-text Citation
Present the citation in APA format as follows:

Write the organization's name in the sentence.
Add a space.
Write the year (or "n.d.") in parentheses.

See Figures O-3 and O-4 for examples of narrative in-text citations for an organization.

Figure O-1: In-text Parenthetical Citation	Figure O-2: In-text Parenthetical Citation (No Date)
Figure O-3: Narrative In-text Citation	Figure O-4: Narrative In-text Citation (No Date)

Reference List Entry
Format the author section of the reference as follows:

Write the organizational name in title case.
Add a period and space.

See Figure O-5 for an example of how the organization name appears in a reference list entry.

Figure G1-5: Group Author

Date

The date is the second element in an APA reference. It shows when the webpage was written or last updated.

Together with the author name(s), the date helps readers find the right entry in the reference list.

In parenthetical in-text citations and narrative in-text citations, include only the year, even if the full reference gives a month, day, or season.

The date in your citation is not the date you accessed the webpage or the copyright date (often shown at the bottom of webpages).
Use the date the content was written or last updated, usually shown at the top or bottom of the page as “last updated” or “published.”

If no date is shown, write n.d. (which means “no date”).

Date:

Year Only

Include a parenthetical or narrative in-text citation.

Parenthetical In-text Citation
Present the citation in APA format within parentheses as follows:

Write the author’s last name.
Add a comma and a space.
Write the year the webpage was written or updated.

Examples:
(Hay, 2023) (Kerr & Chin, 2024) (Lay et al., 2020)

See Figure Y-1 for an example of a parenthetical in-text citation.

Narrative In-text Citation
Present the citation in APA format as follows:

Write the author’s last name as part of the sentence.
Add a space.
Write the year the webpage was written in parentheses immediately after the name.

Examples:
Hay (2023)… Ker and Chin (2024)… Lay et al. (2020)…

See Figure Y-2 for an example of a narrative in-text citation.

Example (xxxx, 2020) showing an APA-formatted parenthetical in-text citation with year only

Figure Y-1: In-text Parenthetical Citation (Year Only)

Example showing a narrative APA-formatted in-text citation with year only

Figure Y-2: In-text Narrative Citation (Year Only)

Reference List Entry
Format the date section of the reference as follows:

Write the year in parentheses.
Add a period and space after the closing parenthesis.

See Figure Y-3 for an example of how the date appears in a reference list entry.

Example of an APA-formatted reference with a year only date, and placeholders for author, title, and source

Figure Y-3: Reference List Entry with Date (Year Only)

Year and Month

Include a parenthetical or narrative in-text citation.

Parenthetical In-text Citation

Present the citation in APA format within parentheses as follows:

Write the author’s last name.
Add a comma and a space.
Write the year the webpage was written or updated.

Note: The month is not shown in the in-text citation.
Examples:
(Beck, 2025) (Brie & Corn, 2024) (Rye et al., 2024)
See Figure YM-1 for an example of a parenthetical in-text citation.

Narrative In-text Citation
Present the citation in APA format as follows:

Write the author’s last name as part of the sentence.
Add a space.
Write the year the webpage was written in parentheses immediately after the name.

Note: The month is not shown in the in-text citation.
Examples:
Sky (2019)… Lim and Smith (2022)… Chee et al. (2020)…
See Figure YM-2 for an example of a narrative in-text citation.

Example showing an APA-formatted parenthetical in-text citation with a year and month date

Figure YM-1: Parenthetical In-text Citation (Year and Month)

Example showing an APA-formatted narrative in-text citation with a year and month date

Figure YM-2: Narrative In-text Citation (Year and Month)

Reference List Entry
Format the date section of the citation as follows:

Write the year and month, separated by a comma and space, within parentheses.
Write the month in full (do not abbreviate).
Add a period and space after the closing parenthesis.

See Figure YM-3 for an example of how the date appears in a reference list entry.

Example of a reference list entry with a year and month date after the author section

Figure YM-3: Reference List Entry with Date (Year and Month).

Year, Month, and Day

Include a parenthetical or narrative in-text citation.

Parenthetical In-text Citation
This citation shows the author(s) and the year when the webpage was written (see the author section above for how to format names).
Note: The month and day are not shown in the in-text citation.
Examples:
(Yeo, 2017) (Leo & Yeo, 2018) (Kao et al., 2022)
See Figure YMD-1 for an example of a parenthetical in-text citation.

Narrative In-text Citation
Write the author(s) as part of the sentence.
Write the year when the webpage was written in parentheses immediately after the name(s) (see the author section above for how to format names).
Note: The month and day are not shown in the in-text citation.
Examples:
Ekis (2022)… Omar and Olaf (2025)… Jack et al. (2024)…
See Figure YMD-2 for an example of a narrative in-text citation.

Example showing the year only in an APA-formatted parenthetical in-text citation

Figure YMD-1: Parenthetical In-text Citation (Year Only)

Example of a narrative in-text citation where the author(s) last name appears in the text, followed by the year when the webpage was written in parentheses.

Figure YMD-2: Narrative In-text Citation (Year Only)

Reference List Entry
Format the date section of the citation within parentheses as follows:

Write the year.
Add a comma followed by a space.
Write the month in full (do not abbreviate) followed by a space.
Write the day.

See Figure YMD-3 for an example of how the date appears in a reference list entry.

Example of a reference list entry with a year, month, and day date after the author section

Figure YMD-3: Reference List Entry with Date (Year, Month, and Day).

Year and Season

Include a parenthetical or narrative in-text citation.

Parenthetical In-text Citation
This citation shows the author(s) and the year when the webpage was written (see the author section above for how to format names).
Note: The season is not shown in the in-text citation.
Examples:
(Silk, 2015) (Song & Bing, 2023) (Leo et al., 2020)
See Figure YS-1 for an example of a parenthetical in-text citation.

Narrative In-text Citation
Write the author(s) as part of the sentence.
Write the year when the webpage was written in parentheses immediately after the name(s) (see the author section above for how to format names).
Note: The season is not shown in the in-text citation.
Examples:
Silk (2016)… Song and Bing (2021)… Leo et al. (2025)…See Figure YS-2 for an example of a narrative in-text citation.

Example of a parenthetical in-text citation where the year the webpage was written follows the author(s) last name, separated by a comma and space, within parentheses.

Figure YS-1: Parenthetical In-text Citation (Year Only)

Example of a narrative in-text citation where the author(s) last name(s) appears in the text, followed by the year the webpage was written in parentheses

Figure YS-2: Narrative In-text Citation (Year Only)

Reference List Entry
Format the date section of the citation within parentheses as follows:

Write the year.
Add a comma followed by a space.
Write the season.

See Figure YS3 for an example of how the date appears in a reference list entry.

Example of a reference list entry where the date (year and season) follows the author's section, separated by a comma and space.

Figure YS3: Reference List Entry with Date (Year and Season)

No Date Available

Include a parenthetical or narrative in-text citation.

Parenthetical In-text Citation
Write the author(s) last names, and n.d. for the date within parentheses (see the author section above for how to format names).
Examples:
(Bell, n.d.) (Bell & Sykes, n.d.) (Bell et al., n.d.)
See Figure YND-1 for an example of a parenthetical in-text citation.

Narrative In-text Citation
Include the author(s) last names as part of the sentence.
Write n.d. as the publication date in parentheses immediately after the name(s) (see the author section above for how to format names).
Example:
Bell (n.d.)… Bell and Sykes (n.d.)… Bett et al. (n.d.)…
See Figure YND-2 for an example of a narrative in-text citation.

Example of a parenthetical in-text citation with an unknown date that follows the author(s) last name(s), separated by a comma and space, within parentheses.

Figure YND-1: Parenthetical In-text Citation (Unknown Date)

Example of a narrative in-text citation where the author(s) last name(s) appear in the text, followed by n.d. (no date) in parentheses.

Figure YND-2: Narrative In-text Citation (Unknown Date)

Reference List Entry
Format the date section of the citation as follows:

Write n.d. within parentheses.
Add a period and space after the parentheses.

See Figure YND-3 for an example of how the date appears in a reference list entry.

Example of a reference list entry where n.d. is entered for the publication date after the author's section, separated by a comma and space.

Figure YND-3: Reference List Entry with No Date

Title

The title is the third element in an APA citation. It shows what the webpage is about.

Write the title in italics and in sentence case—capitalize only the first word and any proper nouns.

Title:

Title Only

Reference List Entry
Format the title of the webpage in the reference entry as follows:

Write the title in sentence case (capitalize only the first word and proper nouns).
Italicize the title.
Add a period and a space.

See Figure T-1 for an example of how the webpage title appears in the reference list.

Reference list entry for a webpage with a simple title (i.e., no subtitle) in sentence case

Figure T-1: Title Only Webpage

The full citation is

Olekalns, J. (n. d.). Title case rules. APAWORD. Retrieved October 10, 2025, from https://www.apaword.com/how-to-use-zotero.html

Title and Subtitle

Reference List Entry
Format the title section of the reference entry as follows:

Write the title in sentence case (capitalize only the first word and proper nouns).
Add a colon followed by a space.
Write the subtitle in sentence case.
Italicize the title and subtitle.
Add a period after the subtitle followed by a space.

See Figure TS-1 for an example of how the webpage title and subtitle appear in the reference list.

A webpage title and subtitle in sentence case in a reference list entry

Figure TS-1. Webpage Title and Subtitle

The full citation is
Olekalns, J. (n.d.). Different styles of learning: Discover how you learn best. APAWORD. Retrieved October 10, 2025, from https://www.apaword.com/different-styles-of-learning.html

Source

The source is the final element in an APA citation. It shows where to find the webpage.

Include the website name (omit if same as the author), the URL, and a retrieval date if the content may change.

Source:

With the Website Name

Include the website name only if it differs from the author.

Reference List Entry

Format the source section of the reference entry as follows:

Write the website name in title case.
Add a period followed by a space.
Write the URL.

See Figure SW-1 for an example of a website name included in the source.

A reference list entry for a webpage where the author is different from the website name

Figure SW-1: Source Including the Website Name

The complete reference is:
Mewburn, I. (2024, April 7). Writing like an artist. The Thesis Whisperer. https://thesiswhisperer.com/2024/04/07/using-obsidian-as-your-writing-work-bench/

Without the Website Name

Omit the website name if it is the same as the author.

Reference List Entry

Format the source section of the reference entry with the URL only.
See Figure SU-1 for an example where the author is the name of the website.

Figure SU-1: Source for a Webpage Article (Same Author and Website Name)

Bank of England. (2024, November 18). What is inflation? https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/explainers/what-is-inflation

With a Retrieval Date

Reference List Entry

Add a retrieval date if the content may change over time.
See Figure SR-1 for an example of a retrieved date.

Figure SR-1: Webpage with a Retrieval Date and a URL

The complete reference is:
Trading Economics. (n. d.). US 10 year treasury bond note yield. Retrieved October 16, 2025, from https://tinyurl.com/yjc3nx2p

Common Webpage Citation Errors

Here are common errors to watch for when you cite a webpage in APA format, and how to fix them:

Using title case instead of sentence case for the webpage title in the reference list
Incorrect: It All Depends!
Correct: It all depends!
Not italicizing the webpage title in the reference list
Incorrect: It all depends
Correct: It all depends
Leaving out the website name when different from the author
Incorrect: Mewburn, I. (2019, November 27). It all depends! https://thesiswhisperer.com/2019/11/27/13780/
Correct: Mewburn, I. (2019, November 27). It all depends! The Thesis Whisperer. https://thesiswhisperer.com/2019/11/27/13780/
Repeating the website name when it is the same as the author
Incorrect: Trading Economics. (n. d.). Shares. Trading Economics. Retrieved October 16, 2025, from https://tradingeconomics.com/shares
Correct: Trading Economics. (n. d.). Shares. Retrieved October 16, 2025, from https://tradingeconomics.com/shares
Omitting a retrieval date when the content is likely to change
Incorrect: Worldometer, (n. d.). Water used this year. https://www.worldometers.info/water/
Correct: Worldometer, (n. d.). Water used this year. Retrieved October 16, 2025, from https://www.worldometers.info/water/
Omitting a date even if unknown
Incorrect: Trading Economics. US 10 year treasury bond note yield. Retrieved October 16, 2025, from https://tinyurl.com/yjc3nx2p
Correct: Trading Economics. (n. d.). US 10 year treasury bond note yield. Retrieved October 16, 2025, from https://tinyurl.com/yjc3nx2p
Incorrect format for the date
Incorrect: Mewburn, I. (November 27, 2019). It all depends! The Thesis Whisperer. https://thesiswhisperer.com/2019/11/27/13780/
Correct: Mewburn, I. (2019, November 27). It all depends! The Thesis Whisperer. https://thesiswhisperer.com/2019/11/27/13780/
Adding a period after the URL in the reference list
Incorrect: https://tradingeconomics.com/shares.
Correct: https://tradingeconomics.com/shares
Incorrect format for retrieval date
Incorrect: Trading Economics. (n. d.). US 10 year treasury bond note yield. Retrieved 2025, October 16, from https://tinyurl.com/yjc3nx2p
Correct: Trading Economics. (n. d.). US 10 year treasury bond note yield. Retrieved October 16, 2025, from https://tinyurl.com/yjc3nx2p
Incorrect format for an author in a parenthetical in-text citation
Incorrect: (Mewburn, I, 2016)
Correct: (Mewburn, 2016)
Using "&" instead of "and" in a narrative in-text citation
Incorrect: As Young & Rudd (2016) note…
Correct: As Young and Rudd (2016) note…
Including three or more author names instead of "et al." in in-text citations
Incorrect: (Young, Green, & Brown, 2025)
Correct: (Young et al., 2025)
Incorrect: As Young, Green, and Brown (2025) noted
Correct: As Young et al. (2025) noted
Note: APA 6th edition used full author lists for up to five authors.
Not including the initial(s) in author name(s) in the reference list
Incorrect: Mewburn
Correct: Mewburn, I
Missing citations: Every parenthetical and narrative in-text citation must have a matching reference list entry.
Every reference list entry must have at least one in-text citation.

Quiz (15 Questions)

The quiz below helps you practise how to cite a webpage in APA format by checking your understanding of dates, authors, titles, and reference formatting.

Zotero - a Free Citation Generator

Zotero is useful when you need to cite a webpage in APA format quickly and accurately.

With Zotero, you can:

Enter the webpage's citation information into your Zotero library.
Add in-text citations straight into your Word document.
Create an APA-formatted reference list automatically in your Word document.

Learn how to use Zotero to easily cite a webpage in APA format.

Summary

You can cite a webpage in APA format by either:

creating the citation yourself
This helps you learn the APA 7th edition formatting rules.
You enter the author, date, title of the webpage, website name, and URL.
It is a good way to understand how APA formatting works.
using a citation generator like Zotero.
Zotero collects your sources and creates the reference automatically.
It is fast and useful for large assignments.
However, you need to check that the author, date, and title are correct, because citation tools are not perfect.

Both methods work well, but understanding how to cite a webpage in APA format manually gives you more confidence when you later use automated tools.

Frequently Asked Questions

What date do I use when I cite a webpage in APA format?

Use the date the content was written or last updated.
Do not use:

the date you accessed the webpage
the copyright date shown at the bottom of the site

If no date is shown, use (n.d.) in place of the year.
Example: (Smith, n.d.) or Smith (n.d.) noted…

Where do I find the correct date on a webpage?

Look at the top or bottom of the webpage for labels such as:

Published
Last updated
Reviewed

The correct date to use in your citation will be found there.

What if the webpage has no author?

If the person(s) or organisation cannot be determined, start the reference list entry with the title of the webpage.

Bird species. (2023, November 4). https://parks.tas.gov.au/bird_facts

In-text citation example: (Bird Species, 2023)

Do you italicise anything when you cite a webpage in APA format?

Yes. In APA format, the title of the webpage is italicised.

The name of the website (the parent site) is not italicised.

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Note: The version of Microsoft Word used is the latest Word for Microsoft 365. The functions should also work in the 2021, 2019, 2016 and 2013 versions.