Cite a Web Site in APA With No Author, Date, or Page Number
There are plenty of general instructions on how to cite a Web site in APA style 6th edition, but what format do you use when most of the required information is missing from the Web page? This is a very common situation. This tutorial will show how to handle a reference-list entry and parenthetical citation for a Web site missing a date, author, and page numbers, using the following Web page as an example:
Steps
- Start with the references list entry. When there is no author, put the title of the article in the author's position. These will be the first words in your reference-list entry. The example from the screen shot above shows a title and subtitle, as follows: Ecuador: History and culture.
- Use (n.d.) when there is no date. So now our reference looks like this: Ecuador: History and culture. (n.d.).
- Add the general name (not the URL) for the organization that owns the Web site, like this: Ecuador: History and culture. (n.d.). Select Latin America website. (Note that even though APA follows Merriam-Webster for spelling, the guide deviates from M-W's spelling of "Web site" and uses "website" in the references; see chapter 7 in the manual for examples).
- Add the retrieval Web site, like this: Ecuador: History and culture. (n.d.). Select Latin America website. Retrieved from [insert full web address here, not in brackets]
- Use a retrieval date only if the information on the Web site might change in the future: Ecuador: History and culture. (n.d.). Select Latin America website. Retrieved May 6, 2012, from [insert full web address here, not in brackets]
- Create your parenthetical citation by using the first two or three words of the article title, in quotes, and adding a short section title (if available) and a paragraph number. Here is an example: Fourteen indigenous groups reside in Ecuador ("Ecuador," n.d., Culture section, para. 2).
Tips
- A detailed video walk through of these steps is available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEQ0wuf54qM
Sources and Citations
- http://www.seriousscholar.com/how-to-cite-a-web-page-with-no-date-no-author-no-page-number/ - Research source.
