How Do You Cite a Website? APA, MLA & Chicago Examples

Websites are some of the most common sources students use in college papers, but they can also be tricky to cite.

A webpage may have an individual author, an organization, a publication date, or no clear date at all.

The correct citation depends on the style your instructor requires. This guide explains how to cite a website in APA, MLA, and Chicago style, with examples you can adapt for your own assignment.

Quick Answer to How Do You Cite a Website

To cite a website, collect the author, page title, website name, publication date, URL, and access date if your citation style requires one. Then format those details according to the style assigned for your paper.

Basic APA website format:

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Website Name. URL

Basic MLA website format:

Author Last Name, First Name. “Title of Page.” Website Name, Publisher, Date, URL.

Basic Chicago bibliography format:

Author Last Name, First Name. “Title of Page.” Website Name. Month Day, Year. URL.

The most important rule is to cite the exact webpage you used, not just the website homepage.

What Information Do You Need to Cite a Website?

Before formatting the citation, open the webpage and gather the source details. Do not rely only on a Google search result, browser tab title, or social media preview.

Citation Element	What to Look For
Author	Individual writer, organization, agency, or company responsible for the page
Page title	Title of the specific webpage or article
Website name	Name of the overall website
Publisher	Organization that publishes the website, if required by the style
Date	Publication date, update date, or no date if none is listed
URL	Direct link to the exact webpage
Access date	Date you viewed the page, if required or useful

For official APA examples, students can check the APA Style webpage reference guidance.

How to Cite a Website in APA 7

APA style is common in psychology, education, nursing, business, communication, and social sciences. APA website citations usually include the author, date, page title, website name, and URL.

APA format:

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Website Name. URL

APA example:

National Institute of Mental Health. (2024, February 15). Understanding anxiety disorders. https://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders

APA in-text citation:

(National Institute of Mental Health, 2024)

In APA, the title of the webpage is usually written in sentence case. That means only the first word, proper nouns, and the first word after a colon are capitalized. If the author and website name are the same, APA often omits the website name to avoid repetition.

APA Website With No Author

If a webpage has no author, move the title to the author position.

Format:

Title of page. (Year, Month Day). Website Name. URL

Example:

How to prepare for a college research paper. (2024, March 14). Student Writing Center. https://www.example.edu/research-paper

In-text citation:

(How to Prepare, 2024)

Use a shortened version of the title in the in-text citation if the full title is long.

APA Website With No Date

If no publication or update date is listed, use n.d. for “no date.”

Example:

University Writing Center. (n.d.). Avoiding plagiarism in research papers. https://www.example.edu/avoiding-plagiarism

In-text citation:

(University Writing Center, n.d.)

Do not use the copyright date in the website footer unless it clearly applies to the specific page you are citing.

How to Cite a Website in MLA

MLA style is common in English, literature, rhetoric, language, and humanities courses. MLA website citations usually appear on a Works Cited page.

MLA format:

Author Last Name, First Name. “Title of Page.” Website Name, Publisher, Date, URL.

MLA example:

Torres, Elena. “How Students Can Evaluate Online Sources.” University Writing Center, 12 Mar. 2024, https://www.example.edu/evaluate-online-sources.

MLA in-text citation:

(Torres)

If the webpage has page numbers, include the page number in the parenthetical citation. Most webpages do not have stable page numbers, so the author’s last name is often enough.

MLA Website With No Author

If there is no author, begin with the page title.

Example:

“How Students Can Evaluate Online Sources.” University Writing Center, 12 Mar. 2024, https://www.example.edu/evaluate-online-sources.

In-text citation:

(“How Students”)

MLA uses quotation marks around webpage titles and italicizes the website name. MLA may also require an access date if the webpage is likely to change or if your instructor asks for one.

How to Cite a Website in Chicago Style

Chicago style is often used in history, humanities, and publishing. Chicago has two main systems: notes-bibliography and author-date. For many student papers in history courses, the notes-bibliography system is common.

Chicago bibliography format:

Author Last Name, First Name. “Title of Page.” Website Name. Month Day, Year. URL.

Chicago bibliography example:

Torres, Elena. “How Students Can Evaluate Online Sources.” University Writing Center. March 12, 2024. https://www.example.edu/evaluate-online-sources.

Chicago footnote example:

Elena Torres, “How Students Can Evaluate Online Sources,” University Writing Center, March 12, 2024, https://www.example.edu/evaluate-online-sources.

If there is no individual author, Chicago may begin with the page title or organization name, depending on the source.

Complete Website Citation Example

Here is one webpage shown in APA, MLA, and Chicago style.

Source information:

Author: Elena Torres
Page title: How Students Can Evaluate Online Sources
Website name: University Writing Center
Date: March 12, 2024
URL: https://www.example.edu/evaluate-online-sources

Style	Website Citation
APA	Torres, E. (2024, March 12). How students can evaluate online sources. University Writing Center. https://www.example.edu/evaluate-online-sources
MLA	Torres, Elena. “How Students Can Evaluate Online Sources.” University Writing Center, 12 Mar. 2024, https://www.example.edu/evaluate-online-sources.
Chicago	Torres, Elena. “How Students Can Evaluate Online Sources.” University Writing Center. March 12, 2024. https://www.example.edu/evaluate-online-sources.

These examples show why citation style matters. APA places the year right after the author and uses sentence case for the page title. MLA places the date later and uses title case. Chicago uses a bibliography format that looks similar to MLA but has different punctuation and date formatting.

Common Website Citation Mistakes

Mistake	Correct Approach
Citing the homepage instead of the exact page	Use the direct URL for the webpage you used.
Citing the search result	Open the actual webpage and cite that source.
Missing the webpage title	Include the title of the specific page or article.
Confusing the website name with the page title	The page title is the specific article; the website name is the larger site.
Inventing a publication date	Use only a date listed on the webpage, or use “n.d.” in APA.
Using the wrong capitalization style	APA often uses sentence case; MLA usually uses title case.
Forgetting the access date when required	Add it if your style or instructor requires it.

Tips Before Submitting Your Website Citation

Before turning in your paper, check the citation against the webpage one more time. Make sure the author’s name is spelled correctly and that the title matches the page you actually used. If the webpage was written by an organization, use the organization as the author when appropriate.

Also check that your in-text citation matches the first element of the final citation. If your APA reference begins with Torres, your in-text citation should begin with Torres. If your MLA Works Cited entry begins with the title because there is no author, your in-text citation should use a shortened version of that title.

Finally, make sure your citation style is consistent across the whole paper. Do not use APA for one website and MLA for another unless your instructor specifically asks you to compare styles.

FAQ About Citing a Website

How do you cite a website in APA?

Use the author, date, page title, website name, and URL. The basic format is: Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Website Name. URL.

How do you cite a website in MLA?

Use the author, page title in quotation marks, website name in italics, publisher if needed, date, and URL. Most MLA website citations appear on a Works Cited page.

What if a website has no author?

If there is no author, start the citation with the page title. In the in-text citation, use a shortened version of the title.

What if a website has no date?

In APA, use n.d. when no date is available. In MLA and Chicago, you may omit the date if none is listed, but include an access date if your instructor requires one.

Do I need to include the full URL?

Yes, in most website citations, include the direct URL for the webpage. Use the exact page URL, not the homepage.

Do I need an access date for a website?

APA usually does not require an access date unless the content is designed to change over time. MLA and Chicago may use access dates for online sources, especially when no publication date is available or the page may change.

Conclusion

To cite a website correctly, start by collecting the author, page title, website name, date, and URL. Then format those details in the citation style your instructor requires. APA, MLA, and Chicago all cite websites differently, but they share the same goal: helping readers find the source you used. Before submitting your paper, check that every website citation is complete, accurate, and matched to the correct in-text citation.