To cite a website in a literature review, list author or group, date (or n.d.), page title, URL, and site name when relevant; use author–date in text.
Website sources show up in almost every literature review. Some are policy pages, others are technical notes, blog posts, or data dashboards. The formats shift across styles, but the core moves stay steady: identify who wrote it, when it was posted or updated, what the page is called, where it sits on the site, and the live link. Then pair a clean in-text citation with a full entry in your references list. This guide walks you through those steps with usable patterns you can paste into your draft.
Citing Websites In A Literature Review: Style Notes
Before you start typing the citation, decide which style your department or journal requires. Most literature reviews fall under APA, MLA, or Chicago. Each one treats website pages in a slightly different way, yet they share the same basic parts. The safest rule is consistency. Use one style, follow the same pattern for every web page, and proof it the same way each time. Keep two goals in mind: accuracy for the reader, and traceability for future you. Build a small template and reuse it across entries. Keep punctuation exactly as each style shows always.
What To Collect Before You Write The Citation
Strong citations start with notes. While you read the page, copy the details below into your notes. If a piece is missing, the style gives a fallback. The table comes first so you can grab the right fields before you open your references list.
| What To Capture | Why It Matters | Where It Goes |
|---|---|---|
| Author Or Group | Shows responsibility for the content | Author field; use group name if no person |
| Page Or Article Title | Names the exact page you used | Title element of the entry |
| Site Name | Identifies the host site | After the title when the author is not the same as the site |
| Publication Or Update Date | Tells readers how current the page is | Year or full date; use n.d. if none |
| Section Or Anchor | Points to the exact area used | Include a section name or heading in text when helpful |
| URL | Lets readers locate the source | Placed at the end of the entry |
| Publisher Or Sponsor | Useful when different from the site name | Chicago often lists the owner or sponsor |
| Access Date | Useful for content that changes often | MLA usually adds Accessed day month year |
| Document Type | Clarifies form when needed | APA allows brackets like [Fact sheet] or [Blog post] |
| DOI Or Permalink | Improves stability when available | Use a DOI or stable link instead of a long session URL |
Two quick notes on authorship and dates. If no person is listed, treat the organization as the author. If neither a person nor a group is named, start the entry with the page title. For dates, prefer a clear page date over a site-wide copyright footer. If the page shows both a posted date and a fresh “updated” stamp, use the most specific date you can confirm.
APA, MLA, Chicago: The Core Patterns
APA uses author–date in text and a reference entry with sentence-case page titles, the site name when it differs from the author, and the URL. Retrieval dates appear only when a page is designed to change over time. MLA favors titles in quotation marks, the site name in italics, day-month-year dates, and an accessed date. Chicago offers two systems. Notes-bibliography uses footnotes plus a bibliography. Author-date looks similar to APA, with a year in text and a reference list. When possible, Chicago asks you to cite a specific page instead of a whole site.
See the APA webpage reference examples and the Chicago citation quick guide for full patterns.
For page-by-page details and examples, the official APA guide to webpage references lays out formats and edge cases, including group authors and pages with no date. Chicago’s citation quick guide shows both notes-bibliography and author-date website patterns with samples.
APA Website Basics
In text, cite (Author, Year). For a direct quote, add a locator such as a paragraph number or heading. In your reference list, use the pattern: Author. (Year, Month Day). Page title. Site Name. URL. When the author and the site are the same, omit the site name. Use n.d. when no date appears.
APA Sample Format
Author. (Year, Month Day). Page title. Site Name. URL.
MLA Website Basics
In text, use the author’s last name in parentheses. If no author appears, use a short version of the title. In the works-cited entry, use the pattern: Author. “Page Title.” Website Name, Publisher if different, Day Month Year, URL. Add Accessed Day Month Year at the end when your instructor asks for it or when the page changes often.
Chicago Website Basics
Notes-bibliography uses a footnote like this: Author, “Page Title,” Website Name, Day Month Year, URL. The bibliography entry flips author name order and drops the day-month detail. Author-date uses an in-text citation with year and a reference entry with year first.
In-Text Citations That Read Smoothly
Short web citations should not break your prose. Name the author in the sentence when it helps, then add the year in parentheses. For three or more authors in APA, use the first author’s name followed by et al. If you quote text without page numbers, use a heading or paragraph number as a locator. For MLA, drop the year and use the author’s last name. For Chicago author-date, mirror APA’s rhythm.
Quick Templates By Style
Use this table as a fast fill-in tool when you are drafting. Replace the parts in italics with the details you captured earlier. Keep punctuation, casing, and spacing as shown for each style.
| Style | In-Text | Reference Entry Pattern + Example |
|---|---|---|
| APA | (Author, Year) or Author (Year) | Author. (Year, Month Day). Page title. Site Name. URL — Example: Lee, H. (2024, May 2). Coral reef status. Ocean Watch. https://example.org/reef-status |
| MLA | (Author) or (“Short Title”) | Author. “Page Title.” Website Name, Day Month Year, URL. Accessed Day Month Year — Example: Kumar, A. “Urban Heat Maps.” Climate City, 12 Jan. 2025, https://example.com/heat-maps. Accessed 19 Sept. 2025. |
| Chicago | (Author Year) or Author (Year) | Author. Year. “Page Title.” Website Name. Day Month. URL — Example: Chen, L. 2023. “Genome Data Portal.” BioLab. 4 July. https://example.net/genome. |
Paraphrasing Versus Quoting From Web Pages
Paraphrasing keeps your voice steady and avoids long quotations from informal web prose. Quote only when the exact wording carries weight, such as a policy line or a definition. When you quote, copy capitalization and punctuation and include a locator. If no page numbers appear, use a heading or paragraph number. When you paraphrase, restate the idea in your own words and cite right away.
When To Include A Retrieval Date
APA needs a retrieval date only for content that updates without a stable archive, like a live dashboard. MLA often adds Accessed day-month-year after the URL. Chicago author-date usually omits it; some notes still include an access date. If you add one, place it at the end and match the style’s punctuation.
Handling Missing Pieces
Missing author: move the title to the author spot and sort the list by the first real word of the title. Missing date: write n.d. in APA or omit the date in Chicago notes. Missing title: supply a brief bracketed description like [Press release] or [Fact sheet]. Unclear publisher: for MLA and Chicago, name the site’s sponsor when helpful.
Common Edge Cases
Group author: Use the organization’s full name in the author spot. No author: Start with the page title and move the title into the author position for in-text citations. No date: Use n.d. in APA, skip the date in Chicago notes, and avoid guessing. Multiple dates: Choose the posted date over a site footer. Long URLs: Keep them as is; do not add a period after the link. PDFs on a site: Treat the item by its type, such as a report or brief, and include the site as the publisher when it adds clarity. Whole sites: Cite a specific page instead of the home page whenever possible. Archived pages: Add an archived link when the live page is unstable. Non-Latin scripts: Keep author names as they appear and use the site’s romanization if provided.
Editing Checklist Before You Submit
- Match every in-text mention to a reference entry.
- Use one style across the full draft.
- Check author spellings and initials.
- Confirm dates on the page itself, not only the footer.
- Use sentence case for APA page titles; use title case for MLA.
- Italicize only the parts your style calls for.
- Remove tracking junk from URLs.
- Test each link in a fresh browser window.
- Sort your list exactly as the style asks.
- Run a last read-through for punctuation and spacing.
Ethical And Practical Tips
Prefer pages with named authors or clear group ownership. Favor stable pages with a visible date and a content history. Do not cite summaries when the original source is available. Save a PDF or a snapshot of key pages for your research log. If your supervisor wants access dates on all web entries, add them now so you do not need to revisit every link later. If a page lacks an author and a date, look for a better source.