The American Psychological Association (APA) is the main governing body of psychologists and psychical scientists in North America. The organization provides guidelines on how to format references to journal articles in psychology and psychical sciences. Let’s take a look at how you can cite a website in APA format.
Get The Full URL
When possible, you want to use the full URL of the site you’re citing on your bibliographic list. If you do not have the full URL, you can request it from the website itself (sometimes they will give it to you, sometimes you will have to buy it). Using the URL of the website will make the process of finding the article easy for your readers. In some instances, however, you might not want to use the full URL because of copyright issues. If you are not certain whether or not you will use the URL, it is better to ask the website owner for permission first (but don’t give reasons for wanting the article’s URL, that could come off as dishonest). When you receive permission, you can use the shortened version in your work.
Avoid Captions
It is better to avoid using captions when citing a website, as they often add little value to your work and might even hinder your efforts to be succinct. In some instances, the website you’re citing might not have captions due to space constraints, but in other cases, they might deliberately choose not to add captions to their articles for stylistic reasons (there is no way of knowing whether or not they are available apart from actually trying to cite the article). If you absolutely need to add a caption, then there are a few options available to you including:
- Use a brief caption with a link to the full article (e.g. see Example Website for more information)
- Add a footnote indicating that the information in the caption is further explained in the footnote (e.g. see Example Website for more information (1))
- Use no caption at all (but ensure that the URL is still easily discoverable)
Use Only One Author
When possible, it is preferable to use only one author for a website (even if the website is an collaboration between several people). Why? It makes it much easier for your reader to follow your references (they do not have to go back and forth between several sources, as there is only one article in the whole list). Even if the article you’re citing is an important one, use a single author to avoid unnecessary confusion (and to keep your readers intrigued). In some cases, it might not be possible to use only one author for an article due to space constraints (e.g. see Example Website for further details). In these instances, it is fine to use multiple authors so long as they are all famous psychologists or psychical scientists whose work is highly relevant to your topic. In some instances, it might be better to cite the website itself rather than one of its articles (e.g. see Example Website for more information).
Use Only One Citation
When possible, it is preferable to use only one form of citation for an article or website. Why? It makes it much easier for your reader to find the article you are referring to. Even if you are certain that the article you are citing is important, it still might not be appropriate to use all the different forms of citation available (e.g. see Example Website for further details). In some instances, it may not be possible to use only one form of citation (e.g. see Example Website for more information) because of copyright issues or stylistic reasons. In these cases, you can use a shortened form of the citation (e.g. see Example Website for more information (2)).
Do Not Order Publications By Affiliation
It is better to not order publications by affiliation when citing a website. Why? It makes it much easier for your reader to follow your references (they do not have to go back and forth between several sources, as there is only one article in the whole list). Even if the website you’re citing is extremely relevant to your topic, it still might not be appropriate to order publications by affiliation (e.g. see Example Website for further details). In some instances, it may not be possible to order publications by affiliation because of space constraints (e.g. see Example Website for more information). In these cases, you can use the alternative form of citation (e.g. see Example Website for more information (3)).
Use Only One Numbering System
When possible, it is preferable to use only one form of citation for an article or website. Why? It makes it much easier for your reader to follow your references (they do not have to go back and forth between several sources, as there is only one article in the whole list). Using a number system will make it much easier for others to find your article in the event that they are conducting research on the same topic (it prevents unnecessary confusion). In some instances, it might not be possible to use only one form of citation (e.g. see Example Website for more information). In these cases, you can use a shortened form of the citation (e.g. see Example Website for more information (4)).
Include The Original Publication Year
Include the original publication year for any research paper you’re citing (as APA requires). The primary purpose of including this information is to make the reader aware of when the paper was published (if it was not published recently, then it is preferable to not to include the year). In some instances, it might not be possible to include the publication year (e.g. see Example Website for more information). In these cases, it is preferable to not include the year (e.g. see Example Website for more information).
Use Only One Language
It is preferable to not use any language other than English when citing an article or website (APA specifically prohibits using non-English languages). Why? It makes it much easier for your reader to follow your references (they do not have to go back and forth between several sources, as there is only one article in the whole list). In some instances, it might not be possible to use only one language (e.g. see Example Website for more information). In these cases, it is preferable to use English (e.g. see Example Website for more information).
Keep It Short
The article or website you are citing should be as concise as possible (it should not be a novel or a lengthy piece, as it will be more difficult for your readers to follow your references then). Why? It makes it much easier for them to follow your references (they do not have to go back and forth between several sources, as there is only one article in the whole list). It is also preferable to keep your citations short to prevent unnecessary repetition (your readers should not have to go back and forth multiple times to find all the relevant information, as there is only one source for the information). In some instances, it might not be possible to keep the article brief (e.g. see Example Website for further details). In these cases, it is preferable to not use an abbreviated form of the citation (e.g. see Example Website for more information (5)).