Skip to Main Content

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

Websites

Webpage/Article on a Website with a Group Author
Reference List Citation

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


Note: 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.


Example

Diabetes Canada. (n.d.). Preventing diabeteshttps://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 last updated. Do not use the copyright date of the website.

In-Text Citation: Quote

(Group Name, Year, Location of quote)


Example

(Diabetes Canada, n.d., 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

(Group Name, Year)


Example

(Diabetes Canada, n.d.)

Webpage/Article on a Website by Individual Author
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. 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

(Author's Last Name, Year, Location of quote)


Example

(Button, 2019, 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

(Author's Last Name, Year)


Example

(Button, 2019)

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

(Author's Last Name or Group Name, Year)


Examples

(Autor et al., 2020)

(World Resources Institute, 2019)

Blog Post
Reference List Citation

Author's Last Name, First Initial. (Year of Post, Month Day). Title of blog post. Name of Bloghttp://blogpostURL


Example

Godin, S. (2019, December 3). Attention vs. the chasm. Seth's Bloghttps://seths.blog/2019/12/attention-vs-the-chasm/ 

In-Text Citation: Quote

(Last Name, Year, para. Paragraph Number)


Example

(Godin, 2019, para. 5)

In-Text Citation: Paraphrase

(Last Name, Year)


Example

(Godin, 2019)

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.
  • Use the upload date as the date of the website. If there is no upload date, the APA rule indicates not to use the copyright date, however, Seneca libraries recommends to use the copyright date.
  • The retrieval date is not needed for any websites (Seneca recommendation).