To in-text cite a website, you typically need the author’s last name and either a year or page number, depending on your citation style. The exact format varies between APA, MLA, and Chicago, but the core idea is the same: give the reader just enough information inside your sentence to find the full source in your references list. Here’s how to do it in each major style.
APA Style: Author and Year
APA uses the author-date method. Place the author’s last name and the year of publication either in parentheses at the end of your sentence or woven into the sentence itself.
A parenthetical citation puts everything in parentheses at the end:
- Remote work has reshaped hiring practices across industries (Bologna, 2019).
A narrative citation uses the author’s name as part of your sentence, with only the year in parentheses:
- Bologna (2019) found that remote work has reshaped hiring practices across industries.
When the author is an organization rather than a person, use the full organization name. For example: (World Health Organization, 2018) or (National Institute of Mental Health, 2018). If you cite the same organization multiple times and it has a well-known abbreviation, you can introduce the abbreviation in the first citation and use it afterward.
Quoting Directly From a Website
When you quote exact words from a website, you need to point the reader to where in the source those words appear. Websites don’t have page numbers, so use another logical locator: a paragraph number, section heading, or similar marker. For example:
- Jones (1998) identified several causes for dissatisfaction with citation practices (paras. 4–5).
If you’re paraphrasing rather than quoting directly, the author and year alone are enough. You don’t need a paragraph number for a paraphrase.
MLA Style: Author and Page (or Title)
MLA follows the author-page method, but since websites rarely have page numbers, you’ll usually just include the author’s last name with no number after it. Do not count paragraphs yourself or use a browser’s print preview to invent page numbers.
If the author’s name is in your sentence, you don’t need a parenthetical citation at all:
- Roberts argues that social media has changed how news is consumed.
If the author’s name is not in your sentence, add it in parentheses at the end:
- Social media has fundamentally changed how news is consumed (Roberts).
The key rule in MLA is that whatever appears first in your Works Cited entry (usually the author’s last name) is what goes in your in-text citation. This is what lets the reader match your citation to the correct entry on your Works Cited page.
Chicago Style: Two Systems
Chicago offers two citation systems, and which one you use depends on your field or your instructor’s preference.
The notes-bibliography system uses superscript numbers in the text (like this¹) that correspond to footnotes or endnotes at the bottom of the page or end of the paper. Each note contains the full citation details the first time you reference a source, then a shortened version for later mentions. This system is common in the humanities.
The author-date system works much like APA. You place the author’s last name and year in parentheses within the text, such as (Roberts 2020), and include a full reference in a list at the end. This system is more common in the sciences and social sciences.
Both systems use the same style for author names and titles. The difference is simply how the citation appears in your text: a superscript number versus a parenthetical reference.
When the Website Has No Author
Many web pages don’t list an individual author, and each style has a specific workaround.
In APA, move the title of the webpage into the author position. Use the title (or a shortened version of it) in your in-text citation, placed in quotation marks for an article or in italics for a standalone page. For example: (“Mental Health Resources,” 2021). Do not write “Anonymous” unless the page is literally signed “Anonymous.”
In MLA, use a shortened version of the title in your parenthetical citation. Put it in quotation marks if it’s a short work like an article, or italicize it if it’s a longer or standalone work like an entire website. For instance: (“Climate Change FAQ”). When shortening a long title, trim it to a noun phrase by dropping articles like “a,” “an,” or “the” from the beginning.
When the Website Has No Date
In APA, replace the year with “n.d.” (short for “no date”) in both your in-text citation and your reference list. For example: (U.S. Census Bureau, n.d.). If a website is missing both an author and a date, combine both rules: (“Page Title,” n.d.).
In MLA, the missing date is handled in your Works Cited entry rather than in the in-text citation itself. Since MLA in-text citations for websites typically include only the author (or title), the absence of a date doesn’t change what you write in the body of your paper.
Quick Reference by Style
- APA: (Last Name, Year) or Last Name (Year). Use “n.d.” for no date. Use the title for no author.
- MLA: (Last Name) or Last Name in the sentence. Use a shortened title for no author. No paragraph or page numbers for web sources.
- Chicago notes-bibliography: Superscript number linked to a footnote or endnote.
- Chicago author-date: (Last Name Year) in the text, similar to APA but without a comma between the name and year.
Formatting Tips That Apply Across Styles
Place your citation as close to the quoted or paraphrased material as possible, typically at the end of the sentence before the period. If you mention the author’s name naturally in your sentence, you generally don’t need to repeat it in parentheses.
Never include a URL in an in-text citation. URLs belong only in your reference list or Works Cited page. The purpose of the in-text citation is to be short and scannable, giving the reader just enough to locate the full entry at the end of your paper.
When you’re unsure which details a website provides, check for an author name (sometimes listed at the top or bottom of the article), a publication or last-updated date, and the title of the specific page. These three pieces of information will cover what you need for an in-text citation in any style.