Websites are among the trickiest sources to cite correctly, and they are also among the most commonly cited in student papers and research articles. The challenges are real: web pages frequently lack authors, publication dates are missing or ambiguous, URLs break, content changes over time, and the same piece of information might exist on a government site, a news outlet, and a personal blog simultaneously. Each citation style approaches these challenges differently, and getting the format wrong is one of the most common reasons for point deductions.
This guide gives you the exact format for citing websites in APA 7th edition, MLA 9th edition, and Chicago 17th edition. Every common scenario is covered: standard web pages, online news articles, social media posts, government and organisation websites, YouTube videos, and sources with no author or no date. Each section includes copy-ready examples you can adapt directly, plus an explanation of why each element is required so you can handle unusual cases with confidence.
Once you have your citations formatted, run them through an automated reference checker to verify URLs are active and formatting is consistent before submission.
Quick Reference: Basic Website Format by Style
APA 7th Edition
Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Site Name. URL
MLA 9th Edition
Author Last, First. "Title of Page." Website Name, Day Month Year, URL.
Chicago 17th (Bibliography)
Author Last, First. "Title of Page." Website Name. Month Day, Year. URL.
Key Differences Between Styles Before You Start
Website citations vary more between styles than book citations do. Understanding these differences upfront prevents the most common errors.
| Element | APA 7th | MLA 9th | Chicago 17th |
|---|---|---|---|
| Page title | Italics, sentence case | Quotation marks, title case | Quotation marks, title case |
| Website name | Plain text, after title | Italics, as container | Plain text |
| Date format | (Year, Month Day) | Day Month Year | Month Day, Year |
| Access date | Only for changing content | Optional | Recommended for all web sources |
| No author | Title moves to author position | Begin with title | Begin with title |
| No date | (n.d.) | Omit date element | n.d. or omit |
| URL period | No period after URL | Period after URL | No period after URL |
One rule that catches everyone: APA does not put a period after the URL at the end of a reference. MLA does. Chicago does not. This small difference is one of the most consistent formatting errors across all citation styles.
Citing a Website in APA 7th Edition
APA 7th edition (2020) is still current in 2026 — no APA 8th edition has been released
APA 7th Edition — Key website citation rules
- • Page title in italics, sentence case (only first word and proper nouns capitalised)
- • Website name in plain text (not italicised), after the title
- • Omit the website name if it is the same as the author (e.g., a CDC page — do not repeat "CDC")
- • No period after the URL — ever
- • Use (n.d.) when no publication date is available
- • Access dates only for content likely to change (wikis, social media profiles)
- • Retrieved from is not used — just the URL
Standard Web Page
The most common website citation scenario
Format
Example
In-text citation
No Author
When no individual or organisation author is identified — the title moves to the author position
Format
Example
In-text citation
Organisation as author: When an organisation is both the author and the website host, use the organisation as the author and omit the website name to avoid repetition. Example: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025, January 10). Influenza vaccination coverage. https://www.cdc.gov/flu/fluvaxview/
No Publication Date
Use (n.d.) — standing for "no date" — in place of the year
Format
Example
In-text citation
Government or Organisation Website
When the organisation is the author, it appears in the author position — do not repeat it as the website name
Example
In-text citation
Online News Article
Treat like a web page — the news outlet name is the website name
Example
In-text citation
Social Media Post
APA has specific formats for X (Twitter), Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and TikTok posts
Format (X/Twitter)
Example
Access dates for social media: APA recommends including a retrieval date for social media posts because the content can be deleted or changed. Add "Retrieved Month Day, Year, from" before the URL if the content is volatile.
YouTube Video
Format
Example
In-text citation
Citing a Website in MLA 9th Edition
MLA 9th edition (2021) is the current MLA Handbook as of 2026
MLA 9th Edition — Key website citation rules
- • Page title in quotation marks, title case
- • Website name (the container) in italics
- • First author inverted (Surname, First name); subsequent authors in normal order
- • Date format: Day Month Year (12 Jan. 2026) — months over four letters abbreviated
- • URL at the end, followed by a period
- • Access date optional — include only when content may have changed
- • When the website name and the organisation or author are the same, you may omit the website name
Standard Web Page
Format
Example
In-text citation
No Author
Format
Example
In-text citation
No Publication Date
Omit the date element — MLA does not use n.d.
Example
When to add an access date in MLA: Add "Accessed Day Month Year." at the end if the content is likely to change or if the source lacks a publication date. This helps readers find the version you consulted.
Government or Organisation Website
Example
Online News Article
Example
In-text citation
Social Media Post
Format
Example
YouTube Video
Format
Example
Citing a Website in Chicago 17th Edition
Chicago 17th edition (2017) remains current in 2026. Both Notes-Bibliography and Author-Date systems are covered below.
Chicago 17th Edition — Key website citation rules
- • Page title in quotation marks, headline-style capitalisation
- • Website name in plain text (not italicised in most cases)
- • Date format: Month Day, Year (January 12, 2026)
- • Access date recommended for all web sources: "Accessed Month Day, Year."
- • No period after the URL
- • Notes-Bibliography system is standard for humanities; Author-Date for sciences
- • First note: full citation; subsequent notes: shortened form
Standard Web Page — Notes-Bibliography
Footnote (first reference)
Footnote (subsequent references)
Bibliography entry
No Author — Notes-Bibliography
Footnote
Bibliography entry
Government or Organisation Website — Notes-Bibliography
Bibliography entry
Online News Article — Notes-Bibliography
Footnote
Bibliography entry
Chicago and news websites: News articles from major outlets are treated like newspaper articles. The newspaper/outlet name is italicised. For online-only news publications, the outlet name is also italicised.
Standard Web Page — Author-Date System
Used in sciences and social sciences — resembles APA but with Chicago-specific differences
In-text citation
Reference list entry
Social Media Post — Notes-Bibliography
Footnote
Bibliography entry
Same Website, All Three Styles
The following examples all cite the same source — Claire Gibson's article on the science of sleep, published August 14, 2023, on the National Sleep Foundation website — formatted correctly in each style.
APA 7th Edition
Gibson, C. (2023, August 14). The science of sleep: What happens when you close your eyes. National Sleep Foundation. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/science-of-sleep
In-text: (Gibson, 2023)
MLA 9th Edition
Gibson, Claire. "The Science of Sleep: What Happens When You Close Your Eyes." National Sleep Foundation, 14 Aug. 2023, www.sleepfoundation.org/science-of-sleep.
In-text: (Gibson)
Chicago 17th — Bibliography
Gibson, Claire. "The Science of Sleep: What Happens When You Close Your Eyes." National Sleep Foundation. August 14, 2023. Accessed March 1, 2026. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/science-of-sleep
Footnote: Claire Gibson, "The Science of Sleep," National Sleep Foundation, August 14, 2023, accessed March 1, 2026, https://www.sleepfoundation.org/science-of-sleep.
Most Common Website Citation Mistakes
Adding a period after the URL in APA
APA does not put a period after URLs. MLA does. Chicago does not. This is the single most common website citation error across all three styles.
Wrong title capitalisation
APA uses sentence case for page titles (only first word and proper nouns). MLA and Chicago use title case (all major words). Never copy the capitalisation from the web page itself — it will rarely match academic style requirements.
Repeating the author name as the website name in APA
When an organisation is both the author and the website host (e.g., a CDC page), APA omits the website name to avoid repetition. Writing "Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025). Title. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. URL" is wrong — drop the second instance.
Using "Retrieved from" in APA 7th edition
APA 7th edition removed the "Retrieved from" phrase before URLs. It was required in APA 6th edition but must be omitted now. Many online examples and citation generators still include it — verify you are using 7th edition rules.
Including unnecessary access dates in APA
APA only requires access dates for sources whose content is likely to change — social media profiles, wikis, and similar dynamic content. For stable web pages (government reports, news articles, institutional pages), an access date is not required and adds unnecessary clutter.
Citing a web page when a better source exists
If the information on a web page originates from a published report, journal article, or book, cite the primary source rather than the web page. A government page summarising a study is weaker evidence than the study itself. Use web pages for information that is genuinely web-native or for which no primary source is available.
Frequently Asked Questions
What if the web page has no author, no date, and no clear organisation?
This is a signal to reconsider whether the source is reliable enough to cite. Credible web sources — government sites, established news outlets, professional organisations, educational institutions — almost always have at least an organisation name and a publication or update date. If you cannot identify any of these, the source may not meet academic standards. If you must cite it, in APA use the title in author position and (n.d.) for the date; in MLA and Chicago begin with the title and omit the date.
The URL is very long and breaks across lines — what should I do?
For APA, you can break a long URL before a slash or after a hyphen, but do not add a hyphen at the break point. Most word processors handle this automatically. If the page has a DOI, use that instead — it is shorter and more stable. For web pages without DOIs, include the full URL even if it is long. Some style guides for student papers allow hyperlinking the URL as an alternative to displaying it in full — check your institution's guidelines.
How do I cite a PDF found on a website?
Cite the PDF document itself, not the web page from which you downloaded it. If the PDF is a report or document with a clear author and title, cite it as a report. If it is a journal article, cite it as a journal article using the DOI rather than the PDF URL. If it is a standalone document without a clear source type, treat it as a web page but note the format: in APA add [PDF] after the title; in MLA and Chicago you can add the file format in square brackets if clarity requires it.
Can I cite Wikipedia?
Most academic institutions and journals advise against citing Wikipedia as a primary source because its content can be edited by anyone and may change. Wikipedia is best used as a starting point to find primary sources, which you then cite instead. If you must cite a Wikipedia article — for example, to document what the article said at a specific point in time — note the exact date and time of the version you accessed, since Wikipedia articles change frequently. Each style has a format for wikis: in APA, include a retrieved date; in MLA, treat it as a web page with an access date.
What is the website name vs the page title, and how do I distinguish them?
The page title is the specific article or document you are citing — typically found in the browser tab, the H1 heading on the page, or the HTML title tag. The website name is the broader site that hosts the page — typically the publication, organisation, or platform name shown in the site header or footer (e.g., "National Sleep Foundation," "The Guardian," "YouTube"). If you are looking at the URL structure: the domain name (sleepfoundation.org, theguardian.com) usually indicates the website name; the path after it (/articles/sleep-science) often reflects the specific page.
Conclusion
Citing websites correctly requires paying attention to a handful of style-specific rules that differ significantly between APA, MLA, and Chicago. The most impactful differences — whether the URL ends in a period, whether the page title is italicised or in quotation marks, whether access dates are required, how no-author and no-date situations are handled — are all manageable once you know them.
The most common errors in website citations are not complex formatting mistakes — they are simple carryover habits from other styles (adding "Retrieved from" in APA 7th, forgetting to italicise the website name in MLA, omitting the access date in Chicago) or copying formatting from the web page itself rather than applying style guide rules. Keeping the quick reference table at the top of this guide open while you work eliminates most of these.
Before you submit, click every URL in your reference list to confirm it still works. Web pages move and disappear; a broken URL in a reference list signals to reviewers and instructors that your sources were not properly verified. If a URL has changed, find the new location or locate a stable archived version through the Wayback Machine before submitting.
Verify Your Website Citations Before Submission
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