In APA 7, cite an online review as a webpage: reviewer, date, title or bracketed description, site name, and the URL.
Online reviews on Yelp, Google Maps, Amazon, or app stores can be solid sources when you need a user’s take on a place, product, or service. APA treats these as webpage content. That means you grab four pieces—author, date, title, and source—and arrange them in the right order. The guide below gives you clean patterns, edge-case fixes, and live examples so your references land right the first time.
APA Online Review Elements Checklist
| Element | What To Capture | Where To See It |
|---|---|---|
| Author | Reviewer’s real name or username exactly as shown. | Profile line next to the rating. |
| Date | Full date of the review; if missing, use (n.d.). | Timestamp on the review card. |
| Title | Title of the review; if none, use up to the first 20 words or a bracketed description. | Top of the review text. |
| Description | Square-bracket note like [Review of Cafe Hikari, Dhaka] when clarity helps. | Add after the title position. |
| Site Name | Platform brand in title case. | Yelp, Google Maps, Amazon, App Store. |
| URL | Direct link to the review or its host page. | Share link or page address. |
| Rating | Optional; include only inside the title if the review text uses it. | Stars beside the author line. |
| Permalink | Stable share link when a single-review URL is not shown. | “Share” or “Link” icon on the card. |
How To Cite An Online Review In APA Style
Think of each review as an individual webpage post. Build the reference with the standard sequence: Author. (Year, Month Day). Title of review. Site Name. URL. When there’s no unique title, supply a concise description in square brackets so readers see what was reviewed.
Template for a single online review:
ReviewerLast, R. R. (Year, Month Day). Title of review [Review of Subject]. Site Name. https://full.link
If the review shows only a handle, use that handle as the author. If a date is not present, write (n.d.). Capitalize the review title in sentence case. Keep site names in title case without italics. End the reference with a live URL and no period after it. For structure help, see APA webpage reference examples and the four elements page.
Yelp Or Google Business Review
Chowdhury, M. (2024, July 3). Friendly team, quick service [Review of Cafe Hikari, Dhaka]. Yelp. https://www.yelp.com/biz/cafe-hikari-dhaka
Google Maps Review Without A Title
Akter, S. (2025, January 11). [Review of Gulshan Lake Park, Dhaka]. Google Maps. https://maps.google.com/?cid=123456789
Amazon Product Review
Rahman, T. (2023, November 19). Fits smaller wrists [Review of Zephyr Fitness Band]. Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/review/R123ABC
App Store Or Play Store Review
Nazia. (2024, March 14). Crash fixed in the latest build [Review of FocusFlow app]. Google Play Store. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=focusflow
In-Text Citations For Reviews
Cite the reviewer and year: (Chowdhury, 2024). For narrative style, write Chowdhury (2024) and then the point. For a direct quote from the review text, include a paragraph number if possible: (Akter, 2025, para. 2). When only a handle exists, cite the handle exactly as it appears.
When To Add A Bracketed Description
Use a bracketed description when a review lacks a clear title or you want to name the subject: [Review of Rooftop Grill, Banani] or [Review of Aurora Vacuum Model A9]. Place it after the title position. This short tag helps readers understand the context at a glance.
Link Choice And Stability
Some platforms do not give a stable link to the individual review. If that happens, use the business or product page and keep the reviewer and date the same. A shared link, a permalink, or a mobile share URL all work. Avoid session links that expire.
Style Details That Keep Citations Clean
- Sentence case for the review title; proper nouns stay capitalized.
- Use the exact site name: Yelp, Google Maps, Amazon, App Store, Google Play Store.
- Place only the site name in the source element; do not add the publisher for retail sites.
- No period after a URL, and keep URLs live.
- Prefer real names when shown; otherwise keep the username as is.
Full Examples You Can Reuse
- Chowdhury, M. (2024, July 3). Friendly team, quick service [Review of Cafe Hikari, Dhaka]. Yelp. https://www.yelp.com/biz/cafe-hikari-dhaka
- Akter, S. (2025, January 11). [Review of Gulshan Lake Park, Dhaka]. Google Maps. https://maps.google.com/?cid=123456789
- Rahman, T. (2023, November 19). Fits smaller wrists [Review of Zephyr Fitness Band]. Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/review/R123ABC
- Nazia. (2024, March 14). Crash fixed in the latest build [Review of FocusFlow app]. Google Play Store. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=focusflow
Frequent Edge Cases And Fixes
The chart below maps common snags to quick fixes. Follow the same order of elements while swapping in the right stand-ins.
| Problem | Fix | Sample Pattern |
|---|---|---|
| No author name | Use the username as the author. | Anik123. (2024, May 9). [Review of River View Hotel]. Yelp. https://yelp.com/… |
| No date | Write (n.d.) after the author. | ShilaKhan. (n.d.). [Review of Metro Coffee]. Google Maps. https://maps.google.com/… |
| No title | Use up to the first 20 words or a bracketed description. | Rahim, A. (2025, February 2). [Review of Alpine Backpack]. Amazon. https://amazon.com/… |
| Edited review | Keep the most recent visible date. | Basu, R. (2024, September 8). Update: now works offline [Review of Budget Tracker app]. App Store. https://apps.apple.com/… |
| Star-only review | Create a bracketed description. | Lima, K. (2023, June 12). [Five-star rating for Studio Z]. Google Maps. https://maps.google.com/… |
Formatting Touches That Readers Notice
Hang the second line of each reference entry. Keep double spacing in a paper or manuscript. Avoid bold or italics in the author and date. Italics are not needed for the review title or the site name.
Where The Rules Come From
APA’s guidance for webpages and public comments lays the groundwork for reviews posted on open sites. The webpage reference examples show how to credit a commenter on a page, and the four required elements page explains author, date, title, and source. Those two references cover the patterns used here.
Quick Build Walkthrough
Pick the author. If both a name and a handle appear, use the name and keep the handle in the review text only. Pull the visible date next to the star rating. Copy the title; if none, craft a short bracketed tag. Note the site name and finish with a durable URL.
Now write the parts in sequence. Example with a title: Chowdhury, M. (2024, July 3). Friendly team, quick service [Review of Cafe Hikari, Dhaka]. Yelp. https://www.yelp.com/biz/cafe-hikari-dhaka
And with no title: Akter, S. (2025, January 11). [Review of Gulshan Lake Park, Dhaka]. Google Maps. https://maps.google.com/?cid=123456789