APA citation style

A guide to citing sources using APA Style, 7th edition

Websites

For more information and examples, see section 10.16 (pages 350-352) of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition.

General rules

Do not create an in-text citation or list an entire website in your Reference list. Only cite specific pages on a website, and if you cite multiple pages from the same website, create a separate entry in your Reference list for each page.

Page on a website

Groups, organizations or government departments can often be authors. If the author and the website name are the same, leave out the name of website. If the date the webpage was last updated is provided, use that date in your reference. You may use a shortened URL generated by a link shortener. Either the long or short URL is acceptable.

If the contents of the webpage are designed to change and be updated over time, include a retrieval date before the URL.

Citation format:

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of webpage. Name of Website. URL

Sample reference list entries:

Newfoundland and Labrador Environment Network. (2011, October 7). Voting for the environment: Environment Network releases review of party policies. shorturl.at/eghvG

Statistics Canada. (2019, December 19). Canada's population clock (real-time model). Retrieved January 19, 2020, from shorturl.at/tFY01

Web page with no author

If no author is available, begin with the title of the webpage, followed by the date.

Sample reference list entry:

Climate change: The basics. (2019, July 10). Climate Atlas of Canada. https://climateatlas.ca/climate-change-basics

Web page with no date

If no publication or last updated date is available, use (n.d.) for "no date".

Sample reference list entry:

Emera Newfoundland and Labrador. (n.d.) Maritime link: Overview. shorturl.at/rxFQ5

Social media posts

For more information and examples, see section 10.15 (pages 348-350) of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition. You can also consult the online media section of the APA Style website.

General rules

Cite only original content from social media. If you used social media to discover a source (e.g. a link to a webpage), cite the original source of the information. Include up to the first 20 words of the post, including hashtags, links, and emojis. Do not alter spelling or capitalization. Replicate emojis if possible, or provide emoji name in square brackets. An emoji counts as one word. Reference any attached photos or videos in square brackets, for example: [Image attached]. For more information, see section 10.15 (pages 348-349) of the APA manual.

Citation format:

Author, A. A. [@username]. (Year, Month Day). Title of the post or content of the post up to the first 20 words [Description of audiovisuals]. Site Name. URL.

Tweets

Citation format:

Author, A. A. [@Twitter Handle]. (Year, Month Day). Up to first 20 words of the tweet [Tweet]. Twitter. URL

Sample reference list entry:

Canada Trade. [@CanadaTrade]. (2020, January 17). A HUGE congratulations [clapping hands emoji] to the Canadian firms on the 2020 Global #Cleantech100 List! [trophy emoji] Find out how @TCS_SDC [Infographic attached] [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/CanadaTrade/status/1221926612549193729?s=20

Facebook posts

After the first 20 words of the post, in square brackets describe the post. E.g. [Status update], [Infographic], [Video].

Citation format:

Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Up to first 20 words of the post [Description]. Facebook. URL

Sample reference list entry:

Library and Archives Canada. (2020, January 25). The design results from an unprecedented public process that asked Ottawa residents, Indigenous communities, and Canadians from across the country [Video attached]. Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/LibraryArchives/posts/2802727026440278

YouTube videos

The person or group who uploaded the video is considered the author.

Citation format:

Author, A. A. [Username if it differs from author]. (Year, Month Day). Title of video [Video]. YouTube. URL

Sample reference list entry:

Mattu, A. [The Psych Show]. (2018, August 16). How to deal with emotions in a healthy way [Video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/_PxY-SPGl4w

Blog posts

Blogs are cited much like articles: treat the title of the blog post as an article title, and the title of the blog as the name of the periodical. You may use a shortened URL generated by a link shortener; either the long or short URL is acceptable.

Citation format:

Author, A. A. (Year, month day). Title of post. Title of Blog. URL

Reference list example:

Gautum, S. (2019, December 28). Emotions and motivations. The Mouse Trap. https://the-mouse-trap.com/2019/12/28/emotions-and-motivations/