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APA Citation Guide (APA 7th Edition): Websites (including documents/PDFs posted on websites)

Websites

Page/Article from a Website by a Group Author

Use this template if you are citing a page or article from website that is authored by a group. Group authors include associations, businesses, organizations, and government agencies. When citing a group author, use the full name of the group in your References List citation.

Reference List Citation

Full Name of Group Author. (Year webpage was posted or last updated, Month Day). Title of webpage or article: Subtitle if any. Name of website if different from author name. http://webpageURL


Example

Diabetes Canada. (n.d.). Preventing diabetes. https://www.diabetes.ca/signs,-risks---prevention/preventing-diabetes

Note: Use n.d., if you are unable to find the exact date the webpage or article was posted or last updated. Do not use the copyright date of the website.
In-Text Citation: Quote

Required elements: Group name, year, location of quote


Parenthetical style example

(Diabetes Canada, n.d., Move More section, para. 2)


Narrative style example

Diabetes Canada (n.d.) states that "insert quote here" (Move More section, para. 2).


Note: When quoting information from a webpage, include the location where you found the information. This includes the name of section/heading (if available) and paragraph number where you found the information.
In-Text Citation: Paraphrase

Required elements: Group name, year


Parenthetical style example

(Diabetes Canada, n.d.)


Narrative style example

Diabetes Canada (n.d.) finds that...

Page/Article from a Website by Individual Authors

Reference List Citation

Author's Last Name, First Initial. Second Initial, if given. (Year webpage was last updated, Month Day). Title of webpage or article: Subtitle if any. Name of Website if Different from Author Name. http://webpageURL


Example

Button, G. (2019, November 11). Augmentative AI and the future of work. Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence. https://hai.stanford.edu/news/augmentative-ai-and-future-work
In-Text Citation: Quote

Required elements: Author last name, year, location of quote


Parenthetical style example

(Button, 2019, para. 3)

 

Narrative style example

Button (2019) states that "insert quote here" (para. 3).


Note: When quoting information from a webpage, include the location where you found the information. This includes the name of section/heading (if available) and paragraph number where your found the information.
In-Text Citation: Paraphrase

Required elements: Author's last name, year


Parenthetical style example

(Button, 2019)

 

Narrative style example

Button (2019) finds that...
Note: If you are citing a document or report authored by a government department (e.g., Ontario Ministry of Education) or professional organization (e.g., College of Nurses of Ontario), see citation examples for Government & Professional Organization Documents.

 

Document Posted on a Website (e.g., PDF, infographic)

Reference List Citation

Author's Last Name, First Initial. or Group Name. (Year, Month Day). Title of document: Subtitle if given. Name of website if different from author name. http://documentURL


Example: PDF download

Autor, D., Mindell, D., & Reynolds, E. (2020, November 7). The work of the future: Building better jobs in an age of intelligent machines. MIT work of the future. https://workofthefuture.mit.edu/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/2020-Final-Report4.pdf

 

Example: Infographic posted on a website

World Resources Institute. (2019, March). Greenhouse gas emissions over 165 years: Top ten emitters from 1850 to 2016 [Infographic]. https://www.wri.org/resources/data-visualizations/greenhouse-gas-emissions-over-165-years
In-Text Citation: Quote

Required elements: Author last name or Group name, year, page number


Parenthetical style examples

(Autor et al., 2020, p. 3)

(World Resources Institute, 2019, para. 1)

 

Narrative style examples

Autor et al. (2020) state that "insert quote here" (p. 3).

World Resources Institute (2019) find that "insert quote here" (para. 1).

Note: If there no page numbers, include the paragraph number.
In-Text Citation: Paraphrase

Required elements: Author last name or Group name, year


Parenthetical style examples

(Autor et al., 2020)

(World Resources Institute, 2019)

 

Narrative style examples

Autor et al. (2020) find that... 

World Resources Institute (2019) finds that...

Blog Post

Reference List Citation

Author's Last Name, First Initial. (Year of Post, Month Day). Title of blog post: Subtitle if any. Name of Blog. http://blogpostURL


Example

Godin, S. (2019, December 3). Attention vs. the chasm. Seth's Blog. https://seths.blog/2019/12/attention-vs-the-chasm/ 
In-Text Citation: Quote

Required elements: Last name, year, paragraph number


Parenthetical style example

(Godin, 2019, para. 5)

 

Narrative style example

Godin (2019) states that "insert quote here" (para. 5).
In-Text Citation: Paraphrase

 

Required elements: Last name, year


Parenthetical style example

(Godin, 2019)

 

Narrative style example

Godin, 2019 find that...

Notes on citing websites & webpages

  • If you are citing multiple webpages on a website, create a Reference List citation for each webpage. 
  • If you are only mentioning a website in your paragraphs, include the URL in parentheses. You don't have to create a Reference List citation or in-text citation.
  • Not sure about the author? Check the website's footer or "About Us" page to help determine the author information.
  • For the date, use the date when the webpage or article was posted or last updated. Do not use the copyright date of the website. If there is no date, use n.d. instead.
  • The retrieval date is not needed for any websites (Seneca recommendation). 
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