How to Cite a Website with the Author and Date in APA Format

The author-date format is the American Psychological Association's (APA) method of documenting sources in the text of your research paper. There are times when you know the author of the material you are borrowing and times when you do not. Electronic sources, such as websites, are no different than print sources. Both usually require a reference list entry that corresponds to your in-text citation. The inclusion of a URL differentiates websites from other types of sources.

Instructions

    • 1

      Treat articles and documents from websites as you would a traditional source when you know the author. Since your in-text citation corresponds to your reference list entry, you must employ APA's author-date format.

    • 2

      List the author's last name followed by the author's initials and the date of publication in the text of your document as close to the information you are borrowing as possible. APA offers two ways to do this, as shown below.

      McKenzie (2010) recorded each runner's heart rate at the end of the Boston Marathon. Twenty percent of runners were happy with the researcher's approach
      (McKenzie, 2010).

    • 3

      Include a corresponding reference in your APA style reference list (bibliography). Follow the example below, adapted from Purdue University's Online Writing Lab for a document that is part of a website. Be sure to italicize the title of the document.

      McKenzie, B. (2010, April 15). Tracking post-race recovery at the Boston Marathon. Retrieved from http://www.allaboutboston.com/includefullurl

    • 4

      Use the organization's name in place of the author's last name/initial when an organization serves as the author of a website document you are citing in APA format.

      Emissions dropped by 32 percent after the classes (Environmental Protection Agency, 2010).

      Your reference list entry appears as follows.

      Environmental Protection Agency. (2010, April 15). Cutting emissions in your own backyard. Retrieved from http://www.epa.gov/includefullurl

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