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 web pages when information is missing.
Jump to more specific examples by using the table below:
| Web Page | 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).
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 Web page.
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.
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.
Leave out the Source or Publisher element if it is virtually the same as the Author.
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.
Only if a source meets all three of these criteria would you use the Retrieved from date as part of your citation.
