APA 7
When the site name and the author are identical, omit the site name to avoid repetition.
Author, A. A. (2023, May 8). Title of the page in sentence case. Site Name. https://example.org/page
Organisation as author:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024, January 3). Handwashing facts. https://www.cdc.gov/handwashing
No date:
Aikens, R. (n.d.). Study cycles explained. Learning Lab. https://example.org/cyclesMLA 9
MLA drops the http:// prefix and adds an access date only when the page is undated or likely to change: Accessed 4 Sept. 2026.
Aikens, Rosa. "Study Cycles Explained." Learning Lab, 8 May 2023, example.org/cycles.
No author:
"Study Cycles Explained." Learning Lab, 8 May 2023, example.org/cycles.Chicago (notes)
1. Rosa Aikens, "Study Cycles Explained," Learning Lab, May 8, 2023, https://example.org/cycles.Missing elements: what to substitute
- No author: move the page title into the author position
- No date: APA uses (n.d.); MLA and Chicago add an access date
- No page title: describe the content in square brackets in APA
- Content behind a login or likely to change: consider archiving the page and citing the archived link
Before you cite it, decide whether you should
Course rubrics often restrict web sources. A government agency, university or peer-reviewed publisher is usually acceptable; a content-farm article, an AI chatbot transcript or an anonymous blog usually is not. Check the rubric before building an argument on a source that will not count.
Key takeaways
- Substitute missing elements in a fixed order rather than guessing
- APA uses (n.d.) for undated pages; MLA and Chicago add access dates
- Omit the site name in APA when it duplicates the author
- Check whether your rubric even allows the web source