How do you cite a website with no date

Most items you find in print or in the library's online databases will have a date. But when you are using material from websites, there may not be one.

If there is definitely no date posted or date updated, APA uses the abbreviation n.d. (short for "no date") in the parenthesis where the date would normally go in your citation: (n.d.) 

But first please make sure there really is no date. Blog posts are usually dated near the top of the article; so are news items or events listings. Online magazines, newspapers, and reports should have dates also.

Webpages with reliable information usually have a "date updated", so you know whether the facts are current, or may have changed. If it's not near the top of the article, scroll down to the bottom of the page, or the bottom of the whole topic if it goes on for multiple pages. 

APA Example Reference with no date:

Author, A. (n.d.). Title of document [such as article, book chapter, webpage]. Title of where it is found [such as magazine, journal, book or website]. http://URL 

Bear, Y. (n.d.). I'm smarter than the average bear! Yellowstone Park Stories. http://yellowstone.com/YogiBear1....

In-Text Citation:  n.d. is also used in the in-text citation after the author.

(Author, n.d.); (Bear, n.d.)

Retrieval Dates (Accession Dates):

APA recommends including a retrieval date (accession date or the date you saw the material) only if an online work is not archived and it's likely to change over time. Most references do not need retrieval dates, but you may want to do it when there is no date on a webpage, or on pages that frequently change, like Census pages or COVID-19 statistics or company webpages. Here's an example from the APA Style website:

APA Sample Reference with Retrieval date:
When a retrieval date is needed, use the following format for it, as the last line of your full reference: 
Retrieved Month dd, yyyy, from URL 

U.S. Census Bureau. (n.d.). U.S. and world population clock. U.S. Department of Commerce.
Retrieved January 9, 2020, from https://www.census.gov/popclock/

The in-text citation remains the same: (U.S. Census Bureau, n.d.)

See the links below for more information.

The following directions from American University of Sharjah gives great information about citing a website in APA with no author and no date in the reference list and the in-text citation. The link to see the information in context can be found here.

Website with no author and no date

Proper Bibliographic Reference Format:

• Bibliographic references are double-spaced and indented half an inch after the first line.
• If there is no author, the article title comes first.
• If there is no date, use the abbreviation n.d.
• It is no longer necessary to include the date of retrieval.

United Arab Emirates architecture. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.uaeinteract.com/

In-Text Citations:

• Citations are placed in the context of discussion using the author’s last name and date of publication.
• When a work has no identified author, cite in text the first few words of the article title using double quotation marks, “headline-style" capitalization, and the year.

(“United Arab Emirates Architecture,” n.d.)

• Alternatively, you can integrate the citation into the sentence by means of narrative.
• There must be a total match between the reference list and the parenthetical citation, so the article title must stand in place of an author’s name in the essay.

“United Arab Emirates Architecture” (n.d.) describes building materials used in early settlements.

Answered By: Jennifer HarrisLast Updated: Aug 19, 2022     Views: 298738

Generally speaking, if you cannot identify the author of a source, you move the title to the author position in the reference list/works cited and use a shortened version of the title for the in-text citation. If you cannot identify the publication date, you substitute n.d. for “no date.” Here are examples of how it works in the three major citation styles:

APA Style

No Author or Date

If a source is missing both the author or publication date, the citation will include the title, "n.d." for "no date," and the source. Make sure that there is no identifiable author. Sometimes the author is a company or other group rather than an individual.

Reference Page

General Format

Title of resource. (n.d.). Source.

NOTE: The General Format doesn't include italics. This is because italic formatting of the title or source varies by resource type.

In-Text Citation

General Format

(Title, n.d.)

Title (n.d.)

For additional examples and tips on citing sources with no author or date in APA Style, check out the APA Style's page Missing Reference Information This link opens in a new window.

For a complete walk-through of citing sources in APA, check out the APA 7th Edition This link opens in a new window playlist.

MLA Style

No Author or Date

Works Cited Entry

If there isn't an author, even an organizational/corporate entity, begin the citation with the title of the source. If there isn't a date, you just omit that information entirely.

General Format

Title. Publisher.

"Article Title." Journal Title, vol. #, no. #. pp. #-#. DOI.

Approximate or Uncertain Dates

If a source has an approximate date (e.g. circa 1500 or early 17th century), the MLA Handbook states that you should record the date as given. You will write out dates (e.g. 15th century becomes fifteenth century). See page 186 for more information.

If a source has an uncertain date (e.g. possibly 1890 or 1765?) list the date followed by a question mark. See page 186 for more information.

Works Cited Entry Examples

Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Canterbury Tales. Circa 1400-10, British Library, London, Harley MS 7334.

Dickinson, Emily. "Distance - is not the Realm of Fox." 1870?, Pierpont Morgan Library, New York City. Manuscript.

For additional examples and tips on citing sources with no author or date in MLA Style, check out the Purdue OWL (Works Cited This link opens in a new window, Parenthetical Reference This link opens in a new window).

Chicago Style

No Author or Date

If the author or editor is unknown, the note or bibliography entry should normally begin with the title. An initial article is ignored in alphabetizing. When the publication date of a printed work cannot be ascertained, the abbreviation n.d. takes the place of the year in the publication details. A guessed-at date may either be substituted (in brackets) or added. The rest of the citation will follow the format of the source (book, journal, website, other medium).

Bibliography Entry

General Format

Title. Location: Publisher, n.d.

"Title." Source vol#, issue no. (n.d.): page(s).

Note Entry

General Format

2. Title (Location: Publisher, n.d.), page(s).

3. "Title," Source vol#, issue no. (n.d.): page(s).

More information

• Citing Your Sources Guide (Shapiro Library)  

Further Help

This information is intended to be a guideline, not expert advice. Please be sure to speak to your professor about the appropriate way to cite sources in your class assignments and projects.

Campus Students

To access Academic Support, visit your Brightspace course and select “Tutoring and Mentoring” from the Academic Support pulldown menu.

Online Students

To access help with citations and more, visit the Academic Support via modules in Brightspace:

• Academic Support Overview: Getting Help with your Schoolwork This link opens in a new window

References

American Psychological Association. (2020). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (7th ed.). https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000

The Modern Language Association of America. (2016). MLA Handbook. Modern Language Association of America.

University of Chicago. (2017). The Chicago Manual of Style. University of Chicago Press.

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