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.