How to Cite a Website in APA, MLA, Harvard and Chicago

Key takeaways

• Every website citation needs the same core details: author, date, page title, website name and URL.
• When there's no author, start with the organization or the page title. When there's no date, use n.d. (APA, Harvard).
• Use the exact style your instructor requires, and keep it consistent across the whole paper.

Websites are the most commonly cited sources in student papers, and also the most commonly cited wrongly. Here are copy-ready formats for the four main styles.

Information to collect first

• Author (a person or an organization)
• Date published or updated
• Title of the page or article
• Name of the website
• URL
• Date you accessed it (needed in MLA when there's no date, and in Harvard)

APA 7th edition

Format: Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Site Name. URL

Example: Smith, J. (2025, March 4). How sleep affects memory. Sleep Foundation. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-and-memory

In-text: (Smith, 2025) or Smith (2025)

• Organization as author: World Health Organization. (2024, June 7). Physical activity. https://www.who.int/... (omit the site name when it's the same as the author).
• No date: (Smith, n.d.)
• No author: start with the title: How sleep affects memory. (2025). Sleep Foundation. URL. In-text: (How Sleep Affects Memory, 2025).

More detail in our APA 7th edition formatting guide.

MLA 9th edition

Format: Author Last Name, First Name. "Title of Page." Website Name, Day Month Year, URL.

Example: Smith, John. "How Sleep Affects Memory." Sleep Foundation, 4 Mar. 2025, www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-and-memory.

In-text: (Smith)

• No author: start with the page title: "How Sleep Affects Memory." In-text: ("How Sleep")
• No date: add an access date at the end: Accessed 12 Sept. 2026.
• MLA drops "https://" from URLs.

See our MLA 9th edition guide.

Harvard

Harvard varies between universities. This follows the widely used Cite Them Right version.

Format: Author, A. (Year) Title of page. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).

Example: Smith, J. (2025) How sleep affects memory. Available at: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-and-memory (Accessed: 12 September 2026).

In-text: (Smith, 2025)

• No date: (Smith, no date)
• No author: use the organization, or the title if there's no organization.

Full details in our Harvard referencing guide.

Chicago (17th edition, notes and bibliography)

Footnote:

1. John Smith, "How Sleep Affects Memory," Sleep Foundation, March 4, 2025, https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-and-memory.

Bibliography: Smith, John. "How Sleep Affects Memory." Sleep Foundation. March 4, 2025. https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleep-and-memory.

• No date: add an access date: Accessed September 12, 2026.

Quick comparison

Common mistakes

• Citing Google or a search results page instead of the actual website
• Using the website name as the author when a named author is listed
• Leaving out the date when one is shown at the top or bottom of the page
• Mixing styles within one paper

Frequently asked questions

How do I cite a website with no author?

Use the organization that published it as the author. If there's no organization either, start the citation with the page title.

What if the website has no date?

Use "n.d." in APA, "no date" in Harvard, and add an access date in MLA and Chicago.

Should I include the full URL?

Yes, in APA, Harvard and Chicago. In MLA, drop the "https://" but keep the rest. Remove tracking codes after a "?" when you can.

Is Wikipedia a good source to cite?

Most instructors don't accept Wikipedia as an academic source. Use it to find the original sources listed in its references, and cite those instead.