Contents
What You Need from the Webpage
| Element | Where to find it | What to do if missing |
|---|---|---|
| Author | Byline, About page | Use site/organisation name as author |
| Publication or update date | Below the title or at the page footer | Use "n.d." (APA/Harvard) or "no date" |
| Title of the page/article | Page heading or browser tab | Describe content in brackets [Description] |
| Website/organisation name | Site header, logo, About page | Not always required if same as author |
| URL | Browser address bar | Use stable permalink if available |
Standard Webpage
APA 7th. Named Author
Cuncic, A. (2023, October 12). Signs and symptoms of social anxiety disorder. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/social-anxiety-disorder-4157220
MLA 9th
Cuncic, Arlin. "Signs and Symptoms of Social Anxiety Disorder." Verywell Mind, 12 Oct. 2023, www.verywellmind.com/social-anxiety-disorder-4157220.
Harvard
Cuncic, A. (2023) Signs and symptoms of social anxiety disorder. Available at: https://www.verywellmind.com/social-anxiety-disorder-4157220 (Accessed: 14 January 2025).
Online News Article
APA 7th
Sample, I. (2023, March 31). What is GPT-4 and how does it differ from ChatGPT? The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/mar/31/what-is-gpt-4
MLA 9th
Sample, Ian. "What Is GPT-4 and How Does It Differ from ChatGPT?" The Guardian, 31 Mar. 2023, www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/mar/31/what-is-gpt-4.
Chicago NB. Footnote
Ian Sample, "What Is GPT-4 and How Does It Differ from ChatGPT?" The Guardian, 31 March 2023, https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/mar/31/what-is-gpt-4.
Government and Organisation Pages
APA 7th. Organisation Author
World Health Organization. (2022, September 21). Suicide. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/suicide
Harvard. Government Report
Department for Education (2023) State of the nation 2023: children and young people's wellbeing. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications (Accessed: 5 February 2025).
Social Media
Social media posts are cited with caution. They are volatile sources that may be deleted. Screenshot the post if you intend to cite it, and check whether your institution accepts social media as a source.
APA 7th. Twitter/X Post
Obama, B. [@BarackObama]. (2021, January 20). Congratulations to President @JoeBiden and Vice President @KamalaHarris! [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/BarackObama/status/[tweet-id]
MLA 9th. Instagram Post
NASA [@nasa]. "The first image from the James Webb Space Telescope." Instagram, 11 July 2022, www.instagram.com/p/[post-id].
No Author
When no author is identifiable, the title of the page moves to the author position.
APA 7th, No Author
COVID-19 vaccine FAQs. (2023). NHS. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/coronavirus-vaccine-faq/
MLA 9th, No Author
"COVID-19 Vaccine FAQs." NHS, 2023, www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/coronavirus-vaccination/coronavirus-vaccine-faq/.
No Date
APA 7th, No Date
National Health Service. (n.d.). High blood pressure (hypertension). https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/high-blood-pressure-hypertension/
Harvard, No Date
National Health Service (no date) High blood pressure (hypertension). Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/high-blood-pressure-hypertension/ (Accessed: 14 January 2025).
When to Add a Retrieval Date
| Style | Retrieval date required? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| APA 7th | Only if content may change (wikis, databases) | Omit for stable dated pages |
| MLA 9th | Optional; recommended for undated pages | "Accessed [date]" at end of entry |
| Harvard | Always required | (Accessed: [date]) at end of entry |
| Chicago NB/AD | Recommended for pages without publication date | "accessed [date]" before URL |
| Vancouver | Always required for online sources | [cited date] in brackets |
Using the Wayback Machine
If a webpage you cited has since been deleted or changed, the Internet Archive's Wayback Machine (web.archive.org) may have a snapshot. Use the archived URL rather than the original when the original is no longer accessible:
Archived URL
https://web.archive.org/web/20230315123456/https://www.originalsite.com/page
Save pages you intend to cite
Use the Wayback Machine's "Save Page Now" feature when you find a key source, before you submit. This gives you a stable archived URL if the original changes or disappears.