To cite a website, you record who wrote the page, when it was published, its title, the site it belongs to and its URL, then arrange those details in your style's order. The style changes the punctuation, not the information.
This page shows what to collect, how to handle pages with no author or date, and correct examples in APA 7, MLA 9, Harvard, Chicago and Vancouver.
The Details Every Website Citation Needs
Collect five details: the author (a person or an organization), the publication or update date, the title of the specific page, the name of the website and the URL. Some styles also need the date you accessed the page.
Cite the specific page you used, not the home page, and copy the URL from the address bar.
What to Collect Before You Cite
| Detail | Where to find it | If it is missing |
|---|---|---|
| Author | Byline at the top or bottom of the page | Use the organization; if none, start with the title |
| Date | Near the title or in the footer; use "updated" if given | Use "n.d." (no date) and, where required, the access date |
| Page title | The main heading of the page | Describe the page briefly in square brackets |
| Website name | The site's logo or header | Omit in APA if it is the same as the author |
| URL | Browser address bar | Always include for web sources |
Copyright dates in a site footer usually refer to the whole site, not the page. Use them only as a last resort, and only if your style allows it.
APA 7th Edition
Format: Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Site Name. URL
Person as author: Okafor, N. (2024, March 12). How sleep affects revision. Study Health Hub. https://www.example.org/sleep-revision
Organization as author: National Health Data Office. (2023, May 4). Hospital readmissions explained. https://www.example.org/readmissions
In text: (Okafor, 2024) or Okafor (2024)
- Italicize the page title, not the website name.
- Leave out the site name when it matches the author.
- No date: (n.d.). Add "Retrieved Month Day, Year, from" only for pages designed to change, such as live data.
- No author: move the title to the author position, and cite a shortened title in the text.
MLA 9th Edition
Format: Author. "Title of Page." Website Name, Day Month Year, URL.
Example: Okafor, Nia. "How Sleep Affects Revision." Study Health Hub, 12 Mar. 2024, www.example.org/sleep-revision.
In text: (Okafor)
- Put the page title in quotation marks and italicize the website name.
- Abbreviate months longer than four letters: Jan., Feb., Mar., Apr., Aug., Sept., Oct., Nov., Dec.
- MLA recommends leaving out "https://" from URLs.
- An access date is optional, but add one ("Accessed 2 Oct. 2026.") when the page has no date.
Harvard
Harvard has many local versions. The format below follows the widely taught Cite Them Right style; check your university's guide for small differences.
Format: Author (Year) Title of page. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).
Example: Okafor, N. (2024) How sleep affects revision. Available at: https://www.example.org/sleep-revision (Accessed: 2 October 2026).
In text: (Okafor, 2024)
Harvard almost always requires the access date. With no date, write "(no date)" in place of the year.
Chicago Notes-Bibliography
Note: 1. Nia Okafor, "How Sleep Affects Revision," Study Health Hub, March 12, 2024, https://www.example.org/sleep-revision.
Bibliography: Okafor, Nia. "How Sleep Affects Revision." Study Health Hub, March 12, 2024. https://www.example.org/sleep-revision.
Website names in Chicago are usually set in roman type, without italics, unless the site is also a publication such as a newspaper. If there is no publication date, use "last modified" or an access date.
Vancouver
Format: Author. Title of page [Internet]. Place: Publisher; Year [cited Year Month Day]. Available from: URL
Example: National Health Data Office. Hospital readmissions explained [Internet]. London: National Health Data Office; 2023 [cited 2026 Oct 2]. Available from: https://www.example.org/readmissions
In text: a number in brackets or superscript, such as [3].
Vancouver entries are numbered in the order of first citation. Many universities publish their own version, so follow your local guide on brackets and punctuation.
Government Pages and Social Media
Government and organizational pages usually have no named author. Use the department or organization as the author, giving the full name rather than an abbreviation.
For social media in APA 7, give the author and handle, the date, the first 20 words of the post in italics, a description in square brackets, the platform and the URL.
National Health Data Office [@NHDataOffice]. (2024, January 9). Readmission figures for 2023 are now available [Post]. X. https://x.com/example/status/123
Common Mistakes When Citing Websites
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|---|
| Citing the home page | Cite the specific page you used |
| Giving only a URL | Add the author, date and title |
| Using the footer copyright year as the date | Look for a page date; otherwise use "n.d." |
| Website name as author when a person wrote it | Use the named author |
| Missing access date in Harvard | Add "(Accessed: Day Month Year)" |
| Citing a search results page | Open the source and cite it directly |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Start the reference with the page title in most styles. If an organization is responsible for the page, use it as the author instead.
Use "n.d." in APA and Chicago author-date, "(no date)" in Harvard, and add an access date where your style allows or requires it.
Harvard and Vancouver usually require one. MLA makes it optional. APA uses a retrieval date only for pages designed to change.
APA, Harvard, Chicago and Vancouver keep it. MLA 9 recommends leaving it out.
Most tutors discourage it as a source. Use it to find the original sources it cites, then cite those.
Cite it as a report or document, with author, date, title and URL, rather than as a webpage.
In MLA, yes. In APA, the page title is italicized instead. In Chicago, website names are usually not italicized.
Use the most recent update date as the publication date.