To cite a website, give the author, the date, the page title, the website name and the URL, and in some styles the date you accessed it. Each style arranges these details differently.
This guide uses one example page throughout and formats it in APA 7th, MLA 9th, Harvard, Chicago, Vancouver, IEEE and AMA, then covers missing authors, dates and page numbers.
The Six Details a Web Citation Needs
- Author: a person or the organization responsible.
- Date published or last updated.
- Title of the specific page.
- Name of the website as a whole.
- URL of the specific page.
- Access date, where your style requires one.
Where to Find the Details
Look for a byline first. If there is no named person, the organization behind the site is the author. The date usually sits near the title or in a "last updated" line.
A copyright year in the footer, such as "© 2026", is not a publication date. It usually just shows the current year. If there is no dated byline or update line, treat the page as undated.
Our example page. Author: World Health Organization. Date: 2 March 2023. Page title: Adolescent mental health. Website: World Health Organization. URL: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-mental-health. Accessed: 4 May 2026.
The Example in Seven Styles
APA 7th Edition
World Health Organization. (2023, March 2). Adolescent mental health. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-mental-health
In-text: (World Health Organization, 2023). The site name is left out because it matches the author. APA adds a retrieval date only for pages designed to change over time.
MLA 9th Edition
"Adolescent Mental Health." World Health Organization, 2 Mar. 2023, www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-mental-health.
In-text: ("Adolescent Mental Health"). When the organization is both author and publisher, MLA begins with the title. An access date is optional but recommended for pages that may change.
Harvard (Cite Them Right)
World Health Organization (2023) Adolescent mental health. Available at: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-mental-health (Accessed: 4 May 2026).
In-text: (World Health Organization, 2023). Harvard versions vary between universities, so follow your own guide.
Chicago (Notes-Bibliography)
1. "Adolescent Mental Health," World Health Organization, March 2, 2023, https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-mental-health. World Health Organization. "Adolescent Mental Health." March 2, 2023. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-mental-health.
Vancouver
1. World Health Organization. Adolescent mental health [Internet]. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2023 Mar 2 [cited 2026 May 4]. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-mental-health
IEEE
[1] World Health Organization, "Adolescent mental health," WHO. Accessed: May 4, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-mental-health
AMA 11th Edition
1. Adolescent mental health. World Health Organization. March 2, 2023. Accessed May 4, 2026. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/adolescent-mental-health
Website Citations Compared
| Style | Page title | Access date | In-text |
|---|---|---|---|
| APA 7th | Italic, sentence case | Only for changing pages | (Author, Year) |
| MLA 9th | Quotation marks, title case | Optional | (Author) or ("Short Title") |
| Harvard | Italic | Required | (Author, Year) |
| Chicago | Quotation marks | Only if no date | Footnote number |
| Vancouver | Plain, with [Internet] | Required, as [cited] | Number |
| IEEE | Quotation marks | Required | [Number] |
| AMA 11th | Plain, sentence case | Required | Superscript number |
No Author, No Date or No Page Numbers
No Named Author
The organization behind the site is usually the author. Do not write "Anonymous". If the page truly has no identifiable author, start the reference with the page title.
No Date
In APA and Harvard, write "n.d." where the year would go, for example (World Health Organization, n.d.), and include an access or retrieval date. In MLA, leave out the date and add an access date.
No Page Numbers
For a direct quotation, point to a paragraph number or section heading instead. In APA: (World Health Organization, 2023, para. 3).
Access Dates Explained
An access date records when you read a page, because web content changes or disappears. Harvard, Vancouver, IEEE and AMA generally expect one; APA asks for it only for pages designed to change, and MLA treats it as optional.
Sources with a DOI do not need an access date, because the identifier points to a fixed version. Keep a note of access dates as you research so you are not guessing later.
Is the Page Worth Citing?
Before formatting a citation, ask whether the page is credible enough for academic work. Prefer governments, established organizations, universities and recognized publications.
- Is there an identifiable author or organization?
- Is the page dated and current enough for your topic?
- Does it cite its own evidence?
- Is its purpose to inform rather than to sell?
Citing a weak source correctly does not make it a strong source. Markers judge the quality of your evidence as well as your formatting.
Common Website Citation Mistakes
- Using the footer copyright year as the publication date.
- Citing the homepage instead of the specific page URL.
- Writing "Anonymous" instead of the organization.
- Leaving out the access date where the style requires it.
- Repeating the organization as both author and site name in APA.
- Mixing title formats, such as italics in one entry and quotation marks in another.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Use the organization responsible as the author. If there is none, begin the reference with the page title and use a shortened title in the in-text citation.
In APA and Harvard, use "n.d." in place of the year and add an access date. In MLA, omit the date and add an access date.
Harvard, Vancouver, IEEE and AMA usually expect one. APA needs it only for pages designed to change, and MLA treats it as optional.
APA, Harvard, Chicago and most numbered styles keep it. MLA 9th usually drops "http://" and "https://".
It depends on the style: italic in APA and Harvard, in quotation marks in MLA, Chicago and IEEE, and plain in Vancouver and AMA.
Check your tutor's policy. Many prefer you to use Wikipedia to find sources and then cite those original sources instead.