How to Cite a Website: APA, MLA, Chicago & Harvard (2026)
Learn how to cite a website in APA 7th, MLA 9, Chicago, and Harvard formats. Step-by-step guide with copy-paste examples for every scenario — no author, no date, organization, social media.
Website citation format depends on your style guide. APA: Author (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Site Name. URL. MLA: Author. 'Title.' Site Name, Date, URL. Chicago NB: Author, 'Title,' Site Name, Date, URL. Harvard: Author (Year) Title. Available at: URL (Accessed: Date). The trickiest part is handling missing authors and dates.
TL;DR: Website citation format depends on your style guide. The tricky part is handling missing info — no author, no date, organization as author. This guide gives you the exact format for every scenario across all four major styles.
Citing websites is the most common citation task — and the most error-prone. Unlike journal articles with standardized metadata, websites have inconsistent authorship, missing dates, and URLs that change. Each citation style handles these problems differently.
This guide covers every website citation scenario you'll encounter in APA 7th, MLA 9, Chicago 17th, and Harvard formats.
Smith, J. (2024, June 15). The impact of AI on academic research. Research Today. https://www.researchtoday.com/ai-impact
Read next
- Explore more on cite-a-website
- Explore more on how-to-cite-a-website
- Explore more on apa-website-citation
- Explore more on mla-website-citation
- Explore more on citation-guide
- Explore more on academic-writing
Related articles
Explore PapersFlow
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I cite a website in APA format?
- APA format: Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Site Name. URL. Example: World Health Organization. (2024, March 15). Mental health and COVID-19. WHO. https://www.who.int/mental-health. If the author is the same as the site name, omit the site name.
- How do I cite a website with no author?
- APA: Move the title to the author position. Title of page. (Year). Site Name. URL. MLA: 'Title of Page.' Site Name, Date, URL. Chicago: 'Title of Page,' Site Name, Date, URL. Use the organization or website name if there's an identifiable organization, even if no individual author is listed.
- How do I cite a website with no date?
- APA: Use (n.d.) for 'no date.' Author. (n.d.). Title. Site Name. URL. MLA: Omit the date and add 'Accessed Day Month Year' at the end. Harvard: Use '(no date)' in the author-date position.
- Do I need to include the access date when citing a website?
- APA 7: No, unless the content may change (like a wiki). MLA 9: Only for undated sources. Chicago NB: Yes, recommended for all web sources. Harvard: Yes, always required. When in doubt, include it — an unnecessary access date is better than a missing one.
- How do I cite a specific page on a website vs the whole website?
- To cite a specific page, create a full reference entry with that page's URL, title, and author. To reference an entire website (not a specific page), mention the URL in your text without a reference list entry. Example in APA: 'The CDC provides public health data (https://www.cdc.gov).'
- Can I use an AI tool to cite websites?
- Yes. PapersFlow's citation generator can format website citations in APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and 10,000+ other styles. Paste the URL and the tool extracts the title, author, date, and site name automatically. Always verify the output, especially for pages with unclear authorship.