Generate accurate APA citations for free How to Cite a Website | MLA, APA & Chicago Examples Published on March 5, 2021 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on November 6, 2024. To cite a page from a website, you need a short in-text citation and a corresponding reference stating the author’s name, the date of publication, the title of the page, the website name, and the URL. This information is presented differently in different citation styles. APA , MLA , and Chicago are the most commonly used styles. Use the interactive example generator below to explore APA and MLA website citations. You can also try Scribbr’s plagiarism checker to ensure your writing is free of accidental plagiarism. Note that the format is slightly different for citing YouTube and other online video platforms, or for citing an image . QuillBot’s Notepad can help you keep track of source information and take notes . Instantly correct all language mistakes in your text Upload your document to correct all your mistakes in minutes Table of contents Citing a website in MLA Style Citing a website in APA Style Citing a website in Chicago Style Frequently asked questions about citations Instantly correct all language mistakes in your text Upload your document to correct all your mistakes in minutes Table of contents Citing a website in MLA Style Citing a website in APA Style Citing a website in Chicago Style Frequently asked questions about citations Citing a website in MLA Style An MLA Works Cited entry for a webpage lists the author’s name , the title of the page (in quotation marks), the name of the site (in italics), the date of publication, and the URL. The in-text citation usually just lists the author’s name. For a long page, you may specify a (shortened) section heading to locate the specific passage. Don’t use paragraph numbers unless they’re specifically numbered on the page. The same format is used for blog posts and online articles from newspapers and magazines. You can also use our free MLA Citation Generator to generate your website citations. Citing a whole website When you cite an entire website rather than a specific page, include the author if one can be identified for the whole site (e.g. for a single-authored blog). Otherwise, just start with the site name. List the copyright date displayed on the site; if there isn’t one, provide an access date after the URL. Webpages with no author or date When no author is listed, cite the organization as author only if it differs from the website name. If the organization name is also the website name, start the Works Cited entry with the title instead, and use a shortened version of the title in the in-text citation. When no publication date is listed, leave it out and include an access date at the end instead. Here's why students love Scribbr's proofreading services Discover proofreading & editing Citing a website in APA Style An APA reference for a webpage lists the author’s last name and initials, the full date of publication, the title of the page (in italics), the website name (in plain text), and the URL. The in-text citation lists the author’s last name and the year. If it’s a long page, you may include a locator to identify the quote or paraphrase (e.g. a paragraph number and/or section title). Note that a general reference to an entire website doesn’t require a citation in APA Style; just include the URL in parentheses after you mention the site. You can also use our free APA Citation Generator to create your webpage citations. Search for a URL to retrieve the details. Blog posts and online articles Blog posts follow a slightly different format: the title of the post is not italicized, and the name of the blog is. The same format is used for online newspaper and magazine articles—but not for articles from news sites like Reuters and BBC News (see the previous example). Webpages with no author or date When a page has no author specified, list the name of the organization that created it instead (and omit it later if it’s the same as the website name).

When it doesn’t list a date of publication, use “n.d.” in place of the date. You can also include an access date if the page seems likely to change over time. Citing a website in Chicago Style In Chicago notes and bibliography style, footnotes are used to cite sources. They refer to a bibliography at the end that lists all your sources in full. A Chicago bibliography entry for a website lists the author’s name, the page title (in quotation marks), the website name, the publication date, and the URL. 2. Brice, “Coronavirus Package.” Chicago also has an alternative author-date citation style . Examples of website citations in this style can be found here . Blog posts and online articles For blog posts and online articles from newspapers, the name of the publication is italicized. For a blog post, you should also add the word “blog” in parentheses, unless it’s already part of the blog’s name. 2. McKenna, “Assisted Reproduction.” Webpages with no author or date When a web source doesn’t list an author , you can usually begin your bibliography entry and short note with the name of the organization responsible. Don’t repeat it later if it’s also the name of the website. A full note should begin with the title instead. When no publication or revision date is shown, include an access date instead in your bibliography entry. 2. Scribbr, “Citing Sources.” Frequently asked questions about citations The main elements included in website citations across APA , MLA , and Chicago style are the author, the date of publication, the page title, the website name, and the URL. The information is presented differently in each style. In APA , MLA , and Chicago style citations for sources that don’t list a specific author (e.g. many websites ), you can usually list the organization responsible for the source as the author. If the organization is the same as the website or publisher, you shouldn’t repeat it twice in your reference: In APA and Chicago, omit the website or publisher name later in the reference. In MLA, omit the author element at the start of the reference, and cite the source title instead. If there’s no appropriate organization to list as author, you will usually have to begin the citation and reference entry with the title of the source instead. When you want to cite a specific passage in a source without page numbers (e.g. an e-book or website ), all the main citation styles recommend using an alternate locator in your in-text citation . You might use a heading or chapter number, e.g. (Smith, 2016, ch. 1) In APA Style , you can count the paragraph numbers in a text to identify a location by paragraph number. MLA and Chicago recommend that you only use paragraph numbers if they’re explicitly marked in the text. For audiovisual sources (e.g. videos ), all styles recommend using a timestamp to show a specific point in the video when relevant. Check if your university or course guidelines specify which citation style to use. If the choice is left up to you, consider which style is most commonly used in your field. APA Style is the most popular citation style, widely used in the social and behavioral sciences. MLA style is the second most popular, used mainly in the humanities. Chicago notes and bibliography style is also popular in the humanities, especially history. Chicago author-date style tends to be used in the sciences. Other more specialized styles exist for certain fields, such as Bluebook and OSCOLA for law. The most important thing is to choose one style and use it consistently throughout your text. Cite this Scribbr article If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the “Cite this Scribbr article” button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator. Caulfield, J. (2024, November 06). How to Cite a Website | MLA, APA & Chicago Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved September 14, 2026, from https://www.scribbr.com/citing-sources/cite-a-website/ Other students also liked How to Cite an Image | Photographs, Figures, Diagrams How to Cite a Lecture | APA, MLA & Chicago Examples How to Cite a YouTube Video | MLA, APA & Chicago Scribbr APA Citation Checker An innovative new tool that checks your APA citations with AI software. Say goodbye to inaccurate citations!