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APA Help (7th Edition)

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Writing an APA Style Reference When Information Is Missing

Missing information examples.

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From "How to Create a Reference When Information is Missing," by American Psychological Association, 2020, Publication Manual of the

American Psychological Association (7th ed.), p. 284 ( https://doi.org/10.1037/0000165-000 ). Copyright 2020 by the American

Psychological Association.  More information on creating a reference when information is missing is available at

https://apastyle.apa.org/style-grammar-guidelines/references/missing-information

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APA 7th Edition Citation Guide Missing Information

Citing sources with missing information.

In general, resources are cited using the author, year of publication, title, source, and additional information depending on the resource type. If you cannot find something like a link, DOI number, volume number, etc. you may omit that information.

See below for examples for how to cite sources missing pieces of information.

If you are unsure how to format a citation, contact a librarian.

If a source does not have an author or editor, use the title as the first part of the citation. 

For both the reference list and in-text citations, use italics for book titles.

The titles of articles, chapters, and web pages should be in regular font for the reference list but have quotation marks in the in-text citations. Longer titles can be shortened to just a few key words for an in-text citation.

Reference Page Format:

Title. (Year of publication).  Format the remainder according to resource type .

Reference Page Example:

FAQ. (2022). Camp Bow Wow.  https://www.campbowwow.com/about-us/faqs/

In-text Citation Examples:

... ("FAQ," 2022). ... ("FAQ," 2022, para. 3).

Use (n.d.) in place of the year if the source does not have a listed date of publication or last review.

Author, A. A. (n.d.). Format the remainder according to resource type .

Weaver, R. (n.d.). Richard Weaver's enlarged hymn book. Morgan and Chase.

According to Weaver (n.d.) ... ...(Weaver, n.d.). ...(Weaver, n.d., p. 98).

For sources without a title, describe the source in brackets. This will not impact your in-text citations.

Author, A. A. (Year). [Description of source].  Format the remainder according to resource type .

Smith, F. (2018). [Corpus of Amazon reviews for qualitative coding project]. Unpublished raw data.

According to Smith (2018) ... ...(Smith, 2018)

No Page Numbers

A source lacking page numbers will only impact your in-text citations. 

• If the source is short, count paragraphs from the top of the document and include the paragraph number in the in-text citation.
• If the source is long and has section headings, you can include the section heading in lieu of the paragraph number.

Paragraph Number In-text Citation Example:

... (Mayo Clinic, 2022, para. 6).

Section Heading In-text Citation Example:

...(Mayo Clinic, 2022, Complications section).

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How to Cite in APA Style (7th Edition)

• About APA 7th ed.

Basic Rules

Direct quotation of sources, secondary sources, personal communications.

• Webpages, Reports
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• Conference, Theses, Data Sets, etc.
• Sample Reference List
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Author-Date Format

• "Use the author-date citation system to cite references in the text" (Section 8.10) , which is to provide the author's surname and the year of publication, e.g. (Adams, 2012).

Parenthetical vs. Narrative citations

• Parenthetical : the author name and publication date ... appear in parentheses. e.g. (Adams, 2012).
• Narrative : citation is incorporated into the text as part of the sentence. e.g. Adams (2012) found that...
• More details: Parenthetical Versus Narrative In-Text Citations .  (Section 8.11)

When to include page numbers

• When you cite a direct quotation , you're required to include page number.
• When you paraphrase , you're encouraged to provide the page number.
• More details: Direct Quotation with Page Numbers and without Page Numbers .  (Sections 8.25 - 8.28)

Cite only the works you used

• Cite only works that you have read and ideas that you have incorporated in your writing.
• "Each work cited in the text must appear in the reference list, and each work in the reference list must be cited in the text".  (Section 8.4)
• More details: Works Included in a Reference List

Cite original primary sources whenever possible

• In scholarly work, a primary source reports original content; a secondary source refers to the content first reported in another source (e.g. instructor's notes, textbook).
• Rather than citing a secondary source, try your best to find and cite the primary source  when possible.  (Section 8.6)
• If primary source cannot be located, use a secondary source citation instead. See Secondary Source .
• Two authors

Three or more authors

• Group as author
• Unknown author

One author  (Section 8.17)

• Include the author name in every citation. 
• In parenthetical citations: write the author's surname and publication year in parentheses. 
• In narrative citations: cite only the publication year in parentheses. 
• End-of-paper Reference

Two authors  (Section 8.17)

• Cite both names every time the reference occurs in text. 
• In parenthetical citations: use an ampersand (&) between the authors' names.
• In narrative citations: spell out the word " and ".
• Cite only the surname of the first author followed by " et al. " in every citation, including the first, unless doing so would create ambiguity. (Section 8.18)
• In  parenthetical  citations: 

It was found that ... (Reynar et al., 2010). 

• In  narrative  citations:

Reynar et al. (2010) found that ...

• End-of-paper references:  List authors  up to 20 . For 21 or more authors, include the first 19 authors' names, insert an ellipsis (. . .), but no ampersand (&), and then add the final author's name (Section 9.8, Section 10 - Example 4) .

Reynar, A., Phillips, J., & Heumann, S. (2010). New technologies drive CPG media mix optimization. Journal of Advertising Research, 50(4), 416-427. https://doi.org/10.2501/S0021849910091567

• More details:  How many names to include in an APA Style reference

Group / Organization as author  (Section 8.21)

Group name can be abbreviated: 

• In parenthetical citations:
• In narrative citations: 
• You can use the abbreviated group name in the second and subsequent citations if the group name is long and the abbreviation is well-known.
• End-of-paper Reference: Do not abbreviate group name
• See Section 6.25 for details about abbreviations.

Group name cannot be abbreviated:

Unknown or Anonymous author  (Section 8.14)

• For works with an unknown author , write the title and the year. If the title is long, shorten it for in-text citation.
• Use double quotation marks around the title of a webpage, a chapter, or an article; italicize the title if it is a book.  Capitalize these titles in the text using title case, even though sentence case is used in the end-of-paper reference.
• If the work, however, is signed " Anonymous ," use "Anonymous" as the author   (Section 9.12) . Begin the end-of-paper reference with the word "Anonymous," and alphabetize the entry as if Anonymous were a true name (Section 9.49) .
• In parenthetical citations: 
• Further reference:  Missing Reference Information
• Short Quotations (
• Long Quotations (≥40 words)

In general: 

• When reproducing word-for-word material directly from another source, always provide the author , year , and page number in the in-text citation.
• If page number is not available, provide chapter numbers, headings, and/or paragraph numbers if available.  (Sections 8.25, 8.26, & 8.27)

For short quotations (under 40 words):

• Incorporate it into the text and enclose it within double quotation marks .

" critical management scholars have pointed to the ways in which seemingly objective criteria such as those of rationality and efficiency are to some extent socially and politically determined. What counts as rationality, for example, can be contested " (Hendry, 2013, p. 105) .

For long quotations (40 words or more):

• Display it in a standing block of text and omit the quotation marks. Start a block quotation on a new line, indent the whole block 0.5 inch from the left margin, and double-space the entire quotation.
• Parenthetical citation

The following observation has been discussed among the researchers:

A particular focus is on Habermas’s distinction (drawn from Weber) between instructional means-oriented rationality and practical ends-oriented rationality. In the modern corporation, as in modern society more generally, it is argued, means-oriented reasoning lays claim to the whole space for reason, excluding morality, judgement, and the give and take of reasonable dialogue.  (Hendry, 2013, pp. 104-105)

• Narrative citation

Hendry (2013) noticed the following:

A particular focus is on Habermas’s distinction (drawn from Weber) between instructional means-oriented rationality and practical ends-oriented rationality. In the modern corporation, as in modern society more generally, it is argued, means-oriented reasoning lays claim to the whole space for reason, excluding morality, judgement, and the give and take of reasonable dialogue.  (pp. 104-105)

• End-of-paper reference

Hendry, J. (2013). Management: A very short introduction . Oxford University Press.

Try your best to locate and use the original sources when possible. If not, you can cite secondary source citation this way: 

• In-text citation : name the original work and give a citation for the secondary source

According to Smith (1980, as cited in Chen, 1981) , the survey ... 

or omit the year if the year of primary source is unknown:

According to Smith (as cited in Chen, 1981) , the survey ...

• End-of-paper reference : give the secondary source.

Chen, C. H. (1981). Understanding humans . ABC Publishing.

More details: Secondary Sources   Section 8.6

• Works that cannot be recovered by readers are cited in the text as personal communications. Personal communications include emails, text messages, online chats, personal interviews, unrecorded classroom lectures, etc.
• In parenthetical citations:  
• Give the initial(s) and surname of the communicator, and the date of the communication.
• Do not include personal communications in the reference list ; they are cited in the text only.
• More details: Personal Communications   Section 8.9
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APA 7th ed. Style Guide

• Formatting Your Paper
• In-text Citations
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Information about in-text citations can be found in chapter 8 of the APA 7th edition Publication Manual

What is in-text citation.

In-text citation is used to give credit to the research that influenced your work. In-text citations are a shortened form of a full citation found within the body of the text. In-text citations also provide a way for the reader to match the quote with the full citation and do further research of their own. In-text citation should not hinder the reader from understanding or reading your paper.

In-text citations help you avoid plagiarism and self-plagiarism.

Components of in-text citation

In-text citations in APA format are given in author date style. You need:

• Author's last name (first initial if more than one author with same name)
• Publication date
• Page number, paragraph number, line number, etc. (direct quotes ONLY) 

When to use in-text citation?

Each quote or reference in your paper should have an in-text citation. Each in-text citation should have a corresponding full text citation in the reference list UNLESS it is a personal communication, general mention of a whole website, or quotes from research participants.

Types of Quotations

Direct quote:.

Direct quotes copy another work word for word. Use direct quotes sparingly. Direct quotes are appropriate for profound ideas or thoughts and things that cannot be said any other way. 

Short Quotation

• 40 words or less
• written inside quotation marks within the body of the text

Long Quotation

• also called a block quotation
• more than 40 words
• written as a "block" off set from the regular text 

Paraphrase:

Paraphrases are summaries of someone's thoughts, work, or ideas. A paraphrase is written in your own words and not written inside quotation marks.

In-Text Citation Examples

Additional notes:.

• example: (Blume, 1981, p. 77)
• example: ( Life Application Study Bible , 1996/2007, Genesis 1:1)
• example: ( Interpersonal Skills,  2019)
• example: (J. Williams, 2019; P. Williams, 2017)
• example: (Piaget, 1966/2000)
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Author-date citation system

Works by two authors, works by three or more authors, works with no author, more than one work at a time, multiple works by the same author in the same year, group organization author, personal communication, citing a quotation as cited by another author, works with no publication date, works without page numbers.

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General rules

• Every in-text citation must correspond to an entry in your list of references
• If available, in-text citations must include the author's (or editor's) last name and year of publication
• Direct quotes must also include a page number

So how do I put this together?

There are many ways to include this information in your text. Some examples are below. 

Smith (2015) surveyed this phenomenon.

A famous survey of this phenomenon (Smith, 2015) showed that...

In 2015, Smith demonstrated that...

"White rats are the best subjects for this test," said Smith (2015, pp. 50-51).

Smith went on to explain, "Hamsters make better pets than lab rats" (2015, p.51).

The parentheses are used to indicate the parts of an in-text citation not included in prose. Also notice that the parts of the parenthetical citation (author, year, page) are separated with commas . Lastly, notice that the " p ." is used for a citation on one page and " pp ." is used for a citation that spans multiple pages.

Punctuating citations

The punctuation in your own writing follows the parenthetical citation. This is the case even when the citation is for a block quote (a long, indented quote, not surrounded by quotation marks).

Cite both authors throughout the work. Citations inside parentheses use the ampersand (&). Citations outside of the parentheses, use "and."

According to the study, 25% of people prefer cats over dogs (Smith & Brown, 2015).

Smith and Brown (2015) surveyed this phenomenon. 

To cite sources with more than three authors, the last name of the first author is listed and "et al.," is to be included for each citation. The first use of this citation may include the shortened version as well. 

According to the study, the average person owns five or more dogs in their lifetime (Smith et al., 2015).

In the study conducted by Smith et al., the average feline lifespan is twelve years (2015).

If the author is not identified, the title of the work replaces the author's name position within the citation. An unknown authored book would be cited with the title of the book in italics and an article would be in quotations. 

*Please note, when your citation includes a title instead of an author's name, it is correct to capitalize each word of the title within the in-text citation. Sentence case is used within the reference list. 

Book with no identified author: ( Pet Lover's Guide , 2015)

Article with no identified author: ("Human Feline Interaction Study," 2015)

If the author is specifically identified as "Anonymous" this designation will replace the author's name position within the citation. 

(Anonymous, 2015)

As stated by Anonymous (2015), human interactions with pets relieve stress. 

When the citation is for works by the same author , they are ordered chronologically by publication date, stating the author's name only once, followed by the subsequent years. 

Rates of stress relief, with pet therapy, were notably significant (Smith, 2010, 2015, 2020). 

When the citations are to works by different authors , order them alphabetically by last name, separated by semicolons. 

Several surveys (Brown, 2010; Radcliff, 2011; Smith, 2015) noted lower blood pressure measurements following pet interaction. 

If multiple authors are cited within a narrative citation, their order of placement within the narrative is not specified. 

Use lower-case  letters (a, b, c) with the year to order the entries in the reference list. Use the coinciding lower-case letters with the year in the in-text citation. 

In-text examples:

According to the findings (Jensen, 2015a) which stated...while a follow up article (Jensen, 2015b) provided insight for future research. 

Reference list examples: 

Jensen, D. (2015a). A work to be admired . New York, NY: ABC Publishing.

Jensen, D. (2015b). More works to be admired . New York, NY: ABC Publishing.

When citing a group or organization, the full name is spelled out in the first citation, with the abbreviation in brackets. All subsequent citations may use only the abbreviation. Abbreviating the organization name is optional. 

First citation : (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals [ASPCA], 2019).

Subsequent citations : (ASPCA, 2019).

Personal communication is defined as reference to or quotation of another's person's communication which cannot be retrieved by readers. These may include in-person communication, interviews, electronic communications, telephone conversations, written communications, online group discussion boards, speeches and lectures. This form of citation is only utilized when the audience would not be able to access the information. 

Narrative citation:   In earlier discussion with F. Simmons, (personal communication, October 18, 2019) it was determined...

Parenthetical citation: (F. Simmons, personal communication, October 18, 2019).

**This type of source is not listed in the reference list as it cannot be obtained by the reader. **

It is best practice to locate and cite the original source of a quotation. If this is not possible, name the original source in your signal phrase, and cite the secondary source as an in-text citation and in the reference list. 

Anderson claimed, "Cats are better pets than dogs" (as cited in Johnson, 2008, p. 400).

To cite works that do not have a publication date or indication of update, for example a website, substitute (n.d.) for the date. 

Brown's study (n.d.) showed improved concentration abilities following pet interaction. 

(Brown, n.d.).

To cite material (written or electronic) that does not provide page numbers, the location of the referenced material may be indicated by heading or section name, paragraph number or a combination of the two.

(Smith, 2015, para. 5).

(Brown, 2017, About Us, para. 2).

For audiovisual works, a timestamp is documented in substitution of a page number. 

Smith emphasized his findings of "decreased heart rate and blood pressure measurements," with pet interactions (2015, 4:08).

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APA 7th Referencing

• APA 7th referencing
• Author information

In-text citations

• Reference lists
• Journal & newspaper articles
• Books & book chapters
• Websites & social media
• Course materials
• Dictionaries & encyclopedias
• Audio-visual media
• Secondary sources
• Other reference examples
• Education sources
• Health sources
• Indigenous Knowledges
• Legal sources
• Academic Writer & APA style guide
• Referencing tools & training
• More referencing styles This link opens in a new window

Acknowledgement

This guide is based on the University of Queensland's  APA7th Referencing style guide  and is used under a  Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

• Date of publication
• Page numbers
• Can't find it here?
• Parenthetical in-text citations include the author's family name and year of publication within parenthesis (Thompson, 2018).
• Narrative in-text citations include the author's family name in the sentence and the year of publication follows in parenthesis "Thompson (2018) has argued that ......."
• The in-text citation appears within the body of the paper where the information has been referred to – whether that is within the main body of the text or a table, figure, footnote or appendix. This allows readers to find the corresponding entry in the alphabetical reference list at the end of the paper that will contain the full details of the source.
• Each source cited in-text must appear in the reference list, and each source in the reference list must appear in-text (or in a table, figure, footnote, or appendix).

Please refer to  Author information  for detailed advice.

If you have two or more works by different authors

• List works alphabetically (as they appear in the reference list)
• Separate references with a semicolon ;   e.g.  (Noble et al., 2015; Walker, 2011)  OR   Noble et al. (2015) and Walker (2011) stated that ...

If you have two or more works by same author(s)

• Order references by year of publication
• Put n.d. (no date) references first
• Put "in press" references last
• Only use the author family name or groups name once then list the years
• e.g.  (Lewis, n.d., 2012, 2015, 2016, in press) OR  (Education Queensland, 2011, 2013) OR  (Education Queensland, 2011; Lewis, 2012, 2015, 2016, in press)
• E.g. (Cleary, 2019) or "Thompson (2018) argues that ..."
• If the month is provided in the publication details do not include it. 
• E.g. (Harris, n.d.)
• E.g. (Taylor, in press).
• It is sometimes helpful to your reader to be specific about what part of the work contains the relevant information,  e.g. page numbers (Cleary, 2019, p.16) or (Cleary, 2019, pp.16-18).
• When including quotes in-text you should include the specific part of the source that the quote comes from.
• Tables, chapters, paragraphs or figures can also be helpful,  e.g. (Cleary, 2019, Table 3).

For works without a page number , you can add:

• paragraph number (manually count if not listed),  e.g. (Kennedy, 2019, para.8)
• heading or section name,  e.g. (Harris, 2018, Behaviour Therapy section)
• act, scene and line(s) for plays,  e.g. (Wilde, 1895/1997, 1.1.6-8) (means Act 1.Scene 1.Line(s) 6-8)
• canonically numbered sections for religious or classical works,  e.g. (Genesis 15:6) (include book, chapter, verse, line or canto in place of page number)

For a fuller list of examples see  APA Style Citing Specific Parts of a Source

• Academic writer: APA's tool for teaching and learning effective writing This link opens in a new window Academic Writer is produced by APA to help with academic referencing and writing. It provides quick guides, tutorials, self-quizzes, sample papers, sample references, sample tables, and sample figures to help you master the APA style.
• APA Style Blog The APA Style Blog is written by APA Style experts and provides advice on all aspects of the style, including the trickier nuances. Use the search tool for specific queries or browse the Style and Grammar Guidelines from the drop down menu at the top of the page.
• Direct quotes
• Block quotes
• Quoting audiovisual works
• A direct quotation reproduces word-for-word material taken directly from another author’s work, or from your own previously published work.
• If the quotation is fewer than 40 words, incorporate it into your sentences and paragraphs, and enclose it in double quotation marks ( "..." ).
• Include the author, year, and specific page number for that quotation.  Place a comma after the year and use  p.  for single page,  pp.  for multiple pages
• Place the citation directly after the quotation.
• For material without page numbers, give the paragraph number or a time stamp.
• Include a complete reference in the reference list.

David Copperfield starts with "Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show" (Dickens, 1869, p. 1/1998, p. 1).

(Smith, 2003, p. 105)   OR   Smith (2003) has argued that "......" (p. 105)

(Brown, 1999, pp. 49-50) OR   As Brown (1999) found "......" (pp. 49-50) 

If the quotation comprises 40 or more words, include it in an indented, freestanding block of text, without quotation marks. Make it double spaced. For example:

Whether I shall turn out to be the hero of my own life, or whether that station will be held by anybody else, these pages must show. To begin my life with the beginning of my life, I record that I was born (as I have been informed and believe) on a Friday, at twelve o’clock at night. It was remarked that the clock began to strike, and I began to cry, simultaneously. (Dickens, 1896, p. 1/1998, p. 1)

Note that a page number is required. Place a comma after the year and use p. for single page, pp. for multiple pages.

Add a  time stamp  in place of a page number when quoting from audiovisual works such as videos, songs, TV shows.

(Yates, 2019, 1:14)

(Henderson, 2017, 2:30:14)

(Anderson, 2019, 2:17) OR   Anderson (2019) noted that "...." (2:17)

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Apa quick citation guide.

• In-text Citation
• Citing Generative AI
• Citing Web Pages and Social Media
• Citing Articles
• Citing Books
• Citing Business Reports
• Other Formats
• APA Style Quiz

Using In-text Citation

Include an in-text citation when you refer to, summarize, paraphrase, or quote from another source. For every in-text citation in your paper, there must be a corresponding entry in your reference list.

APA in-text citation style uses the author's last name and the year of publication, for example: (Field, 2005). For direct quotations, include the page number as well, for example: (Field, 2005, p. 14). For sources such as websites and e-books that have no page numbers , use a paragraph number, for example: (Field, 2005, para. 1). More information on direct quotation of sources without pagination is given on the APA Style and Grammar Guidelines web page.

Example paragraph with in-text citation

A few researchers in the linguistics field have developed training programs designed to improve native speakers' ability to understand accented speech (Derwing et al., 2002; Thomas, 2004). Their training techniques are based on the research described above indicating that comprehension improves with exposure to non-native speech.   Derwing et al. (2002) conducted their training with students preparing to be social workers, but note that other professionals who work with non-native speakers could benefit from a similar program.

Derwing, T. M., Rossiter, M. J., & Munro, M. J. (2002). Teaching native speakers to listen to foreign-accented speech.  Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development , 23 (4), 245-259.

Thomas, H. K. (2004).  Training strategies for improving listeners' comprehension of foreign-accented speech  (Doctoral dissertation). University of Colorado, Boulder.

Citing Web Pages In Text

Cite web pages in text as you would any other source, using the author and date if known. Keep in mind that the author may be an organization rather than a person. For sources with no author, use the title in place of an author.

For sources with no date use n.d. (for no date) in place of the year: (Smith, n.d.). For more information on citations for sources with no date or other missing information see the page on missing reference information on the APA Style and Grammar Guidelines web page. 

Below are examples of using in-text citation with web pages.

Web page with author:

In-text citation

Heavy social media use can be linked to depression and other mental disorders in teens (Asmelash, 2019).

Reference entry

Asmelash, L. (2019, August 14). Social media use may harm teens' mental health by disrupting positive activities, study says . CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/13/health/social-media-mental-health-trnd/index.html

Web page with organizational author:

More than 300 million people worldwide are affected by depression (World Health Organization, 2018).

World Health Organization. (2018, March 22).  Depression . https://www.who.int/en/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/depression

Web page with no date:

Establishing regular routines, such as exercise, can help survivors of disasters recover from trauma (American Psychological Association [APA], n.d.).

American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Recovering emotionally from disaste r. http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/recovering-disasters.aspx

General Guidelines

In-text references should immediately follow the title, word, or phrase to which they are directly relevant, rather than appearing at the end of long clauses or sentences. In-text references should always precede punctuation marks. Below are examples of using in-text citation.

Author's name in parentheses:

One study found that the most important element in comprehending non-native speech is familiarity with the topic (Gass & Varonis, 1984).

Author's name part of narrative:

Gass and Varonis (1984) found that the most important element in comprehending non-native speech is familiarity with the topic.

Group as author: First citation: (American Psychological Association [APA], 2015) Subsequent citation: (APA, 2015)

Multiple works: (separate each work with semi-colons)

Research shows that listening to a particular accent improves comprehension of accented speech in general (Gass & Varonis, 1984; Krech Thomas, 2004).

Direct quote: (include page number and place quotation marks around the direct quote)

One study found that “the listener's familiarity with the topic of discourse greatly facilitates the interpretation of the entire message” (Gass & Varonis, 1984, p. 85).

Gass and Varonis (1984) found that “the listener’s familiarity with the topic of discourse greatly facilitates the interpretation of the entire message” (p. 85).

Note:  For direct quotations of more than 40 words , display the quote as an indented block of text without quotation marks and include the authors’ names, year, and page number in parentheses at the end of the quote. For example:

This suggests that familiarity with nonnative speech in general, although it is clearly not as important a variable as topic familiarity, may indeed have some effect. That is, prior experience with nonnative speech, such as that gained by listening to the reading, facilitates comprehension. (Gass & Varonis, 1984, p. 77)

Works by Multiple Authors

APA style has specific rules for citing works by multiple authors. Use the following guidelines to determine how to correctly cite works by multiple authors in text. For more information on citing works by multiple authors see the APA Style and Grammar Guidelines page on in-text citation .

Note: When using multiple authors' names as part of your narrative, rather than in parentheses, always spell out the word and. For multiple authors' names within a parenthetic citation, use &.

One author: (Field, 2005)

Two authors: (Gass & Varonis, 1984)

Three or more authors:   (Tremblay et al., 2010)

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Home / Guides / Citation Guides / APA Format / How to cite in APA when there are no authors

How to cite in APA when there are no authors

This article covers how to cite in APA Style (7th ed.) when there are no known authors for a reference or when the author is unknown or cannot be reasonably determined. Before treating a reference as though it has no author, consider whether a group or organization (such as a government agency, association, nonprofit organization, business, hospital, task force, or study group) could be the author by checking the cover or title page.

Citing in-text when there are no authors

APA 7th ed. uses the author-date citation system for citing references in-text. In parenthetical citations, this structure includes the author’s last name and the publication year (with a comma separating them) in parentheses. In narrative citations, the author’s last name is incorporated into the sentence. This formatting applies if your source has one author or if you are citing a source with multiple authors in APA .

Parenthetical citation for source with author:

(Author Last Name, Year Published)

(Cheung, 2013)

Narrative citation for source with author:

Author Last Name (Year Published)

Cheung (2013)

If a reference has an unknown author, the title of the work substitutes as the author name in the in-text citation.

• The title should have each significant word capitalized (basically sentence case).
• This means it is part of a larger work (like when citing a journal article from a journal in APA ).
• If the source title is italicized in the reference list entry, italicize the title in the in-text citation (example: books when cited in APA ).

No author, source title italicized:

(Source Title , year published)

( Park Avenue Summer , 2019)

No author, source title in quotes:

(“Source Title,” year published)

(“22 New Apple Varieties,” 1997)

Author designated as “Anonymous”

Only use the capitalized word “Anonymous” in place of the author’s name when it’s overtly designated, not as a general substitute for a reference with an unknown author.

“Anonymous” as author name:

(Anonymous, year published)

(Anonymous, 2020)

Citing in the reference list when there are no authors

To add a reference with no author to the reference list, first move the title of the reference to the author position in your citation . For further information on creating reference list citations, see this guide on APA citations.

Reference list examples:

Park avenue summer. (2019). Penguin Random House.

22 new apple varieties. (1997). Food Magazine . https://foodmag.com/article/1997/22-new-apple-varietites

If the reference is overtly signed “Anonymous,” then you can add the entry to the reference list as if “Anonymous” were the author’s last name.

Anonymous. (2020). Navigating the high seas. Sea Life. https://sealife.gov

Alphabetizing the reference list for sources with no known author

Reference list entries without an author are alphabetized by the first significant word of the title.

• Ignore the words “A,” “An,” and “The” when putting your reference list in order.
• Begin the entry with the word “Anonymous” only if the work is signed “Anonymous.”
• If the reference has no author and is not signed “Anonymous,” then you can alphabetize it in the reference list based on the work’s title.
• If the title begins with a number, alphabetize the reference as though the number were spelled out. For example, you would alphabetize the number 22 as though it were written as the word “twenty-two.”

Alphabetical order of reference list example:

22 new apple varieties. (1997). Food Magazine . https://foodmag.com/article/1997/11/new-apple-varietites

Published October 28, 2020.

APA Formatting Guide

APA Formatting

• Annotated Bibliography
• Block Quotes
• et al Usage
• In-text Citations
• Multiple Authors
• Paraphrasing
• Page Numbers
• Parenthetical Citations
• Reference Page
• Sample Paper
• APA 7 Updates
• View APA Guide

Citation Examples

• Book Chapter
• Journal Article
• Magazine Article
• Newspaper Article
• Website (no author)
• View all APA Examples

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To cite a source with no author or no date in APA style, it is important that you know some basic information such as the title of the work, publisher if it is a book reference or volume and page details if it is a journal reference, and/or URL (uniform resource locator). The templates and examples for in-text citation and reference list entry of a book with no author and a book with no date are given below.

Book with no author

In-text citation template and example:

Books with no author in general, but not always, are given as parenthetical citations. If the book does not have an author, cite it by its title. If the title is too long, shorten the title in the in-text citation. Italicize the title in the in-text citation. Follow title case in the in-text citation even though the book title is in sentence case in the reference list entry. A parenthetical citation might look like this:

( Title of the Book , Publication Year)

( The Cultural Politics of Emotion , 2014)

Reference list entry template and example:

Title of the book . (Publication Year). Publisher.

The cultural politics of emotion . (2014). Edinburgh University Press

The title of the book is in italics and sentence case. While arranging the reference entry alphabetically in the reference list, arrange the entry by treating the title as author name. Remember that articles (A, An, and The), if present at the beginning of the title, should not be considered for alphabetization. When you have a numeral used in the title, consider it to be in the spelled-out form and arrange it accordingly in the reference list.

  Book with no date

If you cite a book without a date, use “n.d.” in place of the year.

Author Surname (Publication Year)

Cohen (n.d.)

Parenthetical:

(Cohen, n.d.)

Cohen, J. (n.d.). Statistical power analysis for the behavioural sciences (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

To cite a book with no author in APA style, it is important that you know some basic information such as the title of the book, publisher, and/or URL (uniform resource locator). The templates for in-text citation and reference list entry of a book along with examples are given below:

In-text citation template and examples:

Books with no author in general, but not always, are given as parenthetical citations. If the book does not have an author, cite it by its title. If the title is too long, shorten the title in the in-text citation. Italicize the title in the in-text citation. Follow title case in the in-text citation even though the book title is set in sentence case in the reference list entry. A parenthetical citation might look like this:

( Addressing Uncertainty in Oil and Natural Gas Industry , 2009)

Title of the book . (Publication Year). Publisher. URL

Addressing uncertainty in oil and natural gas industry greenhouse gas inventories: Technical considerations and calculation methods . (2009). American Petroleum Institute. http://www.api.org/~/media/Files/EHS/climate-change/Addressing_Uncertainty.pdf

You need to set the title of the book in italics and sentence case. While arranging the reference entry alphabetically in the reference list, arrange the entry by treating the title as author name. Remember that articles (A, An, and The), if present at the beginning of the title, should not be considered for alphabetization. When you have a numeral used in the title, consider it to be in the spelled-out form and arrange it accordingly in the reference list.

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