You will need to modify the above based on any parts that you don't have, like a date or a publication number, or add parts that you need, such as a Retrieved from ... date only if the content is designed to change and is unarchived. Web sources vary widely.
If you are missing a lot of the above citation information, be careful about using the source -- sometimes this is a warning sign that this web source is not very high-quality. Look closely for other signs of credible websites. But sometimes it is still all right to use.
Here are some tips for how to cite webpages when information is missing.
Jump to more specific examples by using the table below:
| Webpage | Blog |
| No Author, No Date | Social Media |
| Corporate / Group Author | Unarchived Pages |
Normally, do NOT include the retrieval date. The only exception is for content that is unarchived, has no date, and is easily or frequently changed (e.g., transitory forms of social media, live-update type of web content).
Parenthetical Citation: A Majority of adults in the United States are more likely to talk about their work and family than about mental health with their friends (Goddard, 2023).
Narrative Citation: According Goddard (2023), a majority of adults in the United States are more likely to talk about their work and family than about mental health with their friends.
Remember that APA encourages researchers to use the name of a corporate author, a governmental organization, an office, a department, etc. as the author (see example directly below).
However, if no author can be found, begin the citation with the title of the Webpage.
If no date can be found, you can use n.d. for the date. You may need to include a retrieval date -- see more here.
Other missing information? View this page from APA, Missing reference information.
Parenthetical Citation: Project Gutenberg only ebooks which are in the public domain (Collection Development Policy, n.d).
Narrative Citation: The Collection Development Policy (n.d.) states that Project Gutenberg only accepts ebooks which are only in the public domain.
It is more common to see a corporate author who is also the publisher of the webpage. In such cases, leave out the Source or Publisher element if it is virtually the same as the Author.
Parenthetical Citation: Surge Capacity Force consists of federal employees who volunteer to support FEMA during a catastrophic disaster (U.S. Department of Homeland Security, n.d.).
Narrative Citation: According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (n.d.), the Surge Capacity Force consists of federal employees who volunteer to support FEMA during a catastrophic disaster.
Often for governmental sources, you will have multiple "layers" of offices in the Source / Publisher position, separated by a comma. The most immediate office responsible for writing the content is the Author, and the parent offices are the Source.
Parenthetical Citation: Data on family planning practices, and contraceptives are important to comprehending regional and global fertility levels (United Nations Population Division, n.d.).
Narrative Citation: The United Nations Population Division (n.d.) states that data on family planning practices and contraceptives are important to comprehending regional and global fertility levels.
Blogs are treated more like periodicals than websites, which is why the blog title is italicized, the same as a journal or magazine article, rather than following the other web page citations on this page.
If you can find no author's name, use the screen name. Use the year, month, and day for the date of publication.
Parenthetical Citation: Manuel Quezon helped author a key piece of legislation called the Jones Act which started the Philippines on the path to self-governance (Kratz, 2023).
Narrative Citation: According to Krazt (2023), Manuel Quezon helped author a key piece of legislation called the Jones Act which started the Philippines on the path to self-governance .
Parenthetical Citation: Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is a seminal text of the Civil Rights Movement. (TED-Ed, 2024).
Narrative Citation: According to TED-Ed (2024), Dr. Martin Luther King’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail” is a seminal text of the Civil Rights Movement.
Parenthetical Citation: Anthropogenic pollution has resulted in 2023 being the hottest year on record (NASA Earth, 2024).
Narrative Citation: According to NASA Earth (2024), anthropogenic pollution has resulted in 2023 being the hottest year on record.
Parenthetical Citation: The UAE has provided the world with a space where new ideas, and talent can be nurtured (Museum of the Future, n.d.).
Narrative Citation: According to the Museum of the Future (n.d.), the UAE has provided the world with a space where new ideas and talent can be nurtured.
Only if a source meets all three of these criteria would you use the Retrieved from date as part of your citation.
Parenthetical Citation: In just the first three weeks of 2024, over 210 trillion liters of water was used globally (Worldometer, n.d).
Narrative Citation: According to Worldometer (n.d.), in just the first three weeks of 2024, over 210 trillion liters of water was used globally.