X

Library Services

UCL LIBRARY SERVICES

  • Guides and databases
  • Library skills

References with missing details

  • A-Z of Harvard references
  • Citing authors with Harvard
  • Page numbers and punctuation
  • Secondary referencing
  • Example reference list
  • Journal article
  • Magazine article
  • Newspaper article
  • Online video
  • Radio and internet radio
  • Television advertisement
  • Television programme
  • Ancient text
  • Bibliography
  • Book (printed, one author or editor)
  • Book (printed, multiple authors or editors)
  • Book (printed, with no author)
  • Chapter in a book (print)
  • Collected works
  • Dictionaries and Encyclopedia entries
  • Multivolume work
  • Religious text
  • Thesis or dissertation
  • Translated work
  • Census data
  • Financial report
  • Mathematical equation
  • Scientific dataset
  • Book illustration, Figure or Diagram
  • Inscription on a building
  • Installation
  • Painting or Drawing
  • Interview (on the internet)
  • Interview (newspaper)
  • Interview (radio or television)
  • Interview (as part of research)
  • Act of the UK parliament (statute)
  • Bill (House of Commons/Lords)
  • Birth/Death/Marriage certificate
  • British standards
  • Command paper
  • European Union publication
  • Government/Official publication
  • House of Commons/Lords paper
  • Legislation from UK devolved assemblies
  • Statutory instrument
  • Military record
  • Film/Television script
  • Musical score
  • Play (live performance)
  • Play script
  • Song lyrics
  • Conference paper
  • Conference proceedings
  • Discussion paper
  • Minutes of meeting
  • Personal communication
  • PowerPoint presentation
  • Published report
  • Student's own work
  • Tutor materials for academic course
  • Unpublished report
  • Working paper
  • Referencing glossary

When you use Harvard as your referencing style, the full reference to each source that you cite in your work should be included in a References section. The information included varies depending on the type of source, but usually includes:

  • Who  produced or created the source.
  • When  it was published or created (year).
  • What  it is called – the title.
  • Where  it was published, produced, accessed

However, sometimes you will find that the source you are referencing is missing some details which should be included in your Reference list. This page gives you guidelines and examples on what to do when sources are missing information.

Sources with no author

If the source you are referencing is missing an author, use the source's title instead of the author's name in your in-text citation. 

In your Reference list, use the source's title in place of the author's name. 

The rest of the reference should follow the usual style for the type of source you are citing.  

In-text citation:

( Medicine in old age,  1985, p.74)

Reference list:

Medicine in old age  (1985). 2nd end. London: British Medical Association.

Works with no date

If the source you are referencing is missing a year of publication, use the words 'no date' instead of a year in your in-text citation. 

In your Reference list, use the words 'no date' in place of the year of publication. 

(d'Arbois de Jubainville, no date)

Reference List:

d'arbois de Jubainville, H. (no date).  Celtes et Germains, étude grammaticale.  Paris: Impr.nationale.

Works with no publisher information

If the source you are referencing is missing a publisher or place of publication, use the words '[no publisher]' or '[no place]' in your Reference list.

You only need to include [no publisher] or [no place] if you are citing a source which includes publication information in its full reference. For example, journal articles need to be referenced with publication information, but personal communications do not. 

The rest of the reference should follow the usual style for the type of source you are citing. 

Works with no pagination

With any in-text citations, you must include a page number/s when you cite a source and are either directly quoting or paraphrasing the source. 

Some sources, such as blogs , do not have page numbers, so you do not need to include them. 

If you are citing a source which you would usually expect to include page numbers, such as a book , and they are missing, use the words '[no pagination]' in your in-text citation in place of 'p.' or 'pp.'

  • Learn more about pagination in referencing.

Quick links

  • Harvard references A-Z
  • << Previous: Page numbers and punctuation
  • Next: Secondary referencing >>
  • Last Updated: Feb 28, 2024 12:08 PM
  • URL: https://library-guides.ucl.ac.uk/harvard

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser to improve your experience.

  • Exhibitions
  • Visit and Contact
  • UCD Library
  • Current Students
  • News & Opinion
  • Staff Directory
  • UCD Connect

Harvard Style Guide: No author

  • Introduction
  • Harvard Tutorial
  • In-text citations
  • Book with one author
  • Book with two or three authors
  • Book with four or more authors
  • Book with a corporate author
  • Book with editor
  • Chapter in an edited book
  • Translated book
  • Translated ancient texts
  • Print journal article, one author
  • Print journal article, two or three authors
  • Print journal article, four or more authors
  • eJournal article
  • Journal article ePublication (ahead of print)
  • Secondary sources
  • Generative AI
  • Images or photographs
  • Lectures/ presentations
  • Film/ television
  • YouTube Film or Talk
  • Music/ audio
  • Encyclopaedia and dictionaries
  • Email communication
  • Conferences
  • Official publications
  • Book reviews
  • Case studies
  • Group or individual assignments
  • Legal Cases (Law Reports)
  • No date of publication
  • Personal communications
  • Repository item
  • Citing same author, multiple works, same year

Back to Academic Integrity guide

Reference : Journal Title (Year)   ‘Article title’, Volume(Issue), pp. page numbers. Available at: URL (Accessed Day Month Year).

Example : Dyslexia  (2006) ‘Genetic influences on reading difficulties in boys and girls: the Colorado twin study’, 12(1), pp. 21-29 . Available at:  https://doi-org.ucd.idm.oclc.org/10.1002/dys.301 (Accessed 10 February 2009).

In-Text-Citation :

  • Journal Title/Item Title (Year)
  • ( Journal Title/Item Title , Year)
  • In Dyslexia (2006) argue ….
  • Others have shown ( Dyslexia , 2006).... 

Still unsure what in-text citation and referencing mean? Check here .

Still unsure why you need to reference all this information? Check here .

Creative Commons License

  • << Previous: Legal Cases (Law Reports)
  • Next: No date of publication >>
  • Last Updated: Mar 22, 2024 9:51 AM
  • URL: https://libguides.ucd.ie/harvardstyle

Home / Guides / Citation Guides / Citation Basics / How to Cite a Website with No Author

How to Cite a Website with No Author

The exact formatting of website citations for websites without an author depends on which citation style you are using, but the general rules are the same. For example, it is usually preferable to list the title of the webpage article first if no author is available.

Here is how to cite a webpage without an author in three of the most popular citation styles: APA 7, MLA 9, and Chicago (17th ed.).

Reference Entry Template:

Title of webpage/article. (Year, Month Date of publication). In Website Name . URL

Reference Entry Example:

Giant panda. (2022, June 29). In Wikipedia . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giant_panda

When there isn’t a known author, use the source’s title in the in-text citation. For titles usually italicized in the reference entry (books, films, etc.), italicize the title in the in-text citation. For titles that aren’t italicized (magazine articles, reference book entries, etc.), enclose the title in double quotation marks.

Parenthetical Citation:

(“Title,” Year) or ( Title , Year)

(“Giant Panda,” 2022)

Narrative Citation:

“Title” (Year) or ( Title , Year)

“Giant Panda” (2022)

Works Cited Entry Template:

“Title of the Webpage/Entry.” Title of the Website , Name of the publisher (if different from the website name), Date of publication, URL.

“Taiwan Cool to China Panda-plomacy.” CNN.com , 6 Jan. 2006, http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/01/06/china.taiwan.ap/index.html

Citation in Prose:

“Title” (page number)

“Taiwan Cool to China Panda-plomacy” says Taiwan may not accept the gift of two pandas (1).

(“Title” Page #) or ( Title Page #)

Taiwan may not accept the gift of two pandas (“Tawain Cool to China Panda-plomacy 1).

Chicago (17th ed., note-bibliography style)

Note Template:

  • “Article Title,” Website Title , Month Day, Year, URL.

Note Example:

  • “Taiwan Cool to China Panda-plomacy.” CNN.com , January 6, 2006, http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/01/06/china.taiwan.ap/index.html.

Bibliography Template:

“Article Title.” Website Title . Month Day, Year. URL.

Bibliography Example:

“Taiwan Cool to China Panda-plomacy.” CNN.com . January 6, 2006. http://www.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/asiapcf/01/06/china.taiwan.ap/index.html.

For more citation help, visit the  EasyBib Writing Center !

Citation Guides

  • Annotated Bibliography
  • Block Quotes
  • Citation Examples
  • et al Usage
  • In-text Citations
  • Page Numbers
  • Reference Page
  • Sample Paper
  • APA 7 Updates
  • View APA Guide
  • Bibliography
  • Works Cited
  • MLA 8 Updates
  • View MLA Guide

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

We are sorry that this post was not useful for you!

Let us improve this post!

Tell us how we can improve this post?

To cite a website with no author, date, or title in MLA format, it is important that you know the name of the website and URL. As the publication date is not available, it is important to add the accessed date after the URL in the works cited list entry. The templates and examples for an in-text citation and works cited list entry for a webpage with no author, date, or title are provided below:

In-text citation template and example:

(Website Name)

Works cited list entry template and example:

Name of the Website , URL. Accessed Day Month Year.

Chegg ,  www.cheggindia.com . Accessed 21 Aug. 2021.

Abbreviate the month in the accessed date field.

Citation Basics

Harvard Referencing

Plagiarism Basics

Plagiarism Checker

Upload a paper to check for plagiarism against billions of sources and get advanced writing suggestions for clarity and style.

Get Started

Banner

Harvard Referencing Guide: Webpage - No Author - No Date

  • Introduction to the Guide
  • The Harvard Referencing Method
  • Cite Them Right Style
  • Referencing Example
  • Cite-Them-Right Text Book
  • Online Tutorials
  • Reference List / Bibliography

Introduction

  • Short Quotations
  • Long Quotations
  • Single Author
  • Two Authors
  • Three Authors
  • Four or More Authors
  • 2nd Edition
  • Chapter in an Edited Book
  • Journal Article - Online
  • Journal Article - Printed
  • Newspaper Article - Online
  • Newspaper Article - Printed
  • Webpage - Introduction
  • Webpage - Individual Authors
  • Webpage - Corporate Authors
  • Webpage - No Author - No Date
  • Film / Movie
  • TV Programme
  • PowerPoint Presentations
  • YouTube Video
  • Images - Introduction
  • Images - Figure from a book
  • Images - Online Figure
  • Images - Online Table
  • Twitter Tweet
  • Personal Communication
  • Email message in a Public Domain
  • Course notes on the VLE
  • Computer Games
  • Computer Program
  • General Referencing Guide >>>
  • APA Referencing Guide >>>
  • IEEE Referencing Guide >>>
  • Research Guide >>>

Webpage - No Author - No Date

Webpage -  No Author - No Date

  • Where no authors at all can be identified, you should use the URL .
  • Where no date of publication/update can be found, you should use..  'no date'

referencing a website no author harvard

In-text citation

 Full reference for the Reference list / Bibliography

I ndividual author

Corporate author

No author - No date

Harvard Referencing Guide: A - Z

  • APA Referencing Guide >>>
  • Bibliography
  • Books / eBooks - 2 Authors
  • Books / eBooks - 2nd Edition
  • Books / eBooks - 3 Authors
  • Books / eBooks - Individual Chapter
  • Books / eBooks - Introduction
  • Books / eBooks - More than 3 Authors
  • Books / eBooks - Single Author
  • Chapter in an edited book
  • Cite Them Right - Style
  • Cite Them Right - Text book
  • Conversation - Personal
  • Direct Quotations - Introduction
  • Direct Quotations - Long
  • Direct Quotations - Short
  • Emails - In a Public Domain
  • Emails - Personal
  • Fax message
  • General Referencing Guide >>>
  • Harvard Referencing Method
  • PowerPoint Presentation
  • Reference List
  • Skype Conversation - Personal
  • Support - 'Cite Them Right' textbook
  • Support - Online tutorials
  • Text Message
  • Webpage - Corporate Author
  • Webpage - Individual Author
  • << Previous: Webpage - Corporate Authors
  • Next: Audiovisual Material >>
  • Last Updated: Mar 13, 2024 11:31 AM
  • URL: https://libguides.wigan-leigh.ac.uk/HarvardReferencing

Harvard Citation Style: Internet / Websites

Introduction

  • Books / E-Books

Company Information

Conference Proceedings

  • Internet / Websites

Journal Articles

Lecture Notes

  • Multi-Media Formats
  • Patents and Standards

All Examples

  • Writing Support
  • Citation Support

In This Guide...

Click on the links below for further information on referencing each material type

  • Why is Referencing Important?
  • Getting Started

Reference Formats

  • References by Format
  • Citing Info Someone Else has Cited

Books/eBooks

  • 1, 2 or More Authors
  • 1, 2 or More Editors
  • Chapters in Books
  • Company Reports
  • Company Profiles

Internet/Websites

  • Web Documents
  • Computer Software
  • CMO Articles

Multimedia Formats

  • Audio-Visual Material

Newspaper Articles

Patents & Standards

  • Citing Patents: Examples
  • Citing Patents: Standards
  • Citing Theses: Examples
  • A table of examples in all formats for quick reference

Citing Material from the Internet / Websites

When citing web sites or pages which may change it's important to make a note of the date you accessed the page or retrieved information from the page, and also note the URL of the page. You will need this information for your references.

Websites can sometimes be difficult to cite as you might have to draw information from different areas of the webpage or website to put into your citation. Some information, like authorship or publication date can be hard to find or identify. Scroll to the bottom of this page to see two brief video tutorials that give you some useful tips on where to look for information to make your citation as complete as possible.

Citing Material from the Internet/Websites: Examples

Video tutorials on citing websites.

  • << Previous: Conference Proceedings
  • Next: Journal Articles >>

Creative Commons License

  • Last Updated: Feb 6, 2024 10:18 AM
  • URL: https://guides.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/harvard_citation

GW logo

  • Himmelfarb Intranet
  • Privacy Notice
  • Terms of Use
  • GW is committed to digital accessibility. If you experience a barrier that affects your ability to access content on this page, let us know via the Accessibility Feedback Form .
  • Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library
  • 2300 Eye St., NW, Washington, DC 20037
  • Phone: (202) 994-2850
  • [email protected]
  • https://himmelfarb.gwu.edu

Banner

  • SCU Library
  • Library guides
  • Referencing Guides

Harvard Referencing Guide

About citing websites.

  • Use the same capitalisation as the organisation uses for the name of a website.
  • You don’t need to include the URL at the end of the reference in digital content.
  • Hyperlink the title of the webpage.
  • If the source is behind a paywall, hyperlink to the homepage of the website.
  • Include the date you accessed the work. This is important because online sources can change. The information you’re linking to could be different to what users will find in the future.

Basic elements you need to reference a web page / document

  • Author (person or organization)
  • Year (or most recent date page created or revised) 
  • Title of the website / webpage / blog / document / etc
  • Name of website
  • Date accessed (Day Month Year)

Entire website

  • Hyperlink the name of the website . 
  • Always include the date you accessed the site at the end of the reference.
  • Include the word ‘website’ after the name of the website in square brackets.
  • You can include the website URL after the website name (optional). If you do this omit the word website in square brackets.

Elements of the reference

Author a (year)  name of website , url [optional], accessed day month year., in-text citation, (esafety commissioner n.d.), australian public service commission (apsc 2021), reference list, esafety commissioner (n.d.)  esafety  [website], accessed 3 december 2020. , url included, apsc (australian public service commission) (2021)  australian government style manual , stylemanual.gov.au, accessed 3 october 2021., webpages and webpage content.

  • Hyperlink the title of the webpage . Don’t link to PDFs or other downloadable documents. Instead link to the page that hosts the document.
  • Include the word ‘website’ after the name of the website, unless the name of the website is a URL, for example WA.gov.au.

Webpage with authors listed

  • Italicise title of webpage

Author A (Year) Title of webpage , Name of Website website, accessed Day Month Year.

(clement 2020), clement j (2020) device usage of facebook users worldwide as of july 2020 , statista website, accessed 16 september 2020., webpage written by an organisation, organisation name or abbreviation (year) title of webpage , name of website website, accessed day month year., (department of the prime minister and cabinet n.d.), department of the prime minister and cabinet (n.d.) australian national anthem , pm&c website, accessed 20 january 2020., webpage as part of a larger publication or series.

  • Italicise the name of publication or series

Author A (Year) ‘Title of webpage’, Name of larger publication or series , Name of Website website, accessed Day Month Year.

Australian public service commission (apsc 2021), world wide web consortium (w3c 2019), apsc (australian public service commission) (2021) ‘author–date’ , australian government style manual , stylemanual.gov.au, accessed 3 october 2021., w3c (world wide web consortium) (2019) ‘audio content and video content’ , making audio and video content accessible , w3c website, accessed 25 august 2020., image found on the web.

  • Hyperlink the title of the image .

Author A (Year)  Title of image (or a description)  [description of image type] ( i.e. photograph, cartoon, digital image of painting, etc), Name of Website website, accessed Day Month Year.

(arttower n.d.), arttower (n.d.)  humpback whale   [photograph], pixabay website, accessed 8 march 2022., blog or blog post.

  • Hyperlink and italicise  the title of the blog.

Author A (Year)  Title of blog  [format], accessed Day Month Year.

(strong 2016) or strong (2016) .., strong f (2016)  sword and the script   [blog], accessed 23 july 2016..

For blog posts,  hyperlink the title .

Italicise the name of the blog.

Include the date you accessed the post at the end of the reference.

If a post doesn’t list an author, use the name of the blog.

Author A (Day Month Year) ‘Title of post: subtitle’,  Name of Blog,  accessed Day Month Year.

Name of blog (day month year) ‘title of post: subtitle’,  name of blog ,   accessed day month year., peascod (2019) .., (mashable me 2022) .., peascod s (19 december 2019) ‘ the future of work is learning ’,  digital transformation agency blog , accessed 4 january 2020., mashable me (10 march 2022) 'new mac mini will include apple's m2 and m2 pro processors' , mashable me blog , accessed 11 march 2022., comment on a blog post, author a (day month year) ‘re: title of post: subtitle’ [blog comment],  name of blog , accessed day month year., mullins p (1 january 2020) ‘re:  capturing attention in feed: the science behind effective video creative ’ [blog comment],  facebook for business , accessed 4 february 2020..

Hyperlink the title of the post .

Italicise the title of the Wiki

Author A (Year) 'Title of post',  Title of Wiki , accessed Day Month Year. 'Title of post' (Year)  Title of Wiki , accessed Day Month Year.

In-text citation , (roussel 2008), (cultural issues 2007), (cultural issues 2007, para. 2), roussel s (2008) 'sustainability indicators' ,  coastal wiki , accessed 25 may 2013.  'cultural issues affecting international trade'  (2007)  wikiversity , accessed 27 october 2009..

  • << Previous: Social media and forum posts
  • Next: Print this guide >>
  • Last Updated: Mar 5, 2024 8:33 PM
  • URL: https://libguides.scu.edu.au/harvard

Southern Cross University acknowledges and pays respect to the ancestors, Elders and descendants of the Lands upon which we meet and study. We are mindful that within and without the buildings, these Lands always were and always will be Aboriginal Land.

  • Link to facebook
  • Link to linkedin
  • Link to twitter
  • Link to youtube
  • Writing Tips

How to Cite a Website in Harvard Referencing

3-minute read

  • 11th June 2019

With so much information now available online, you may need to cite a website in a piece of academic writing at some point.

But since most referencing systems focus on books and journals, knowing how this works can be tricky. Thus, to help out, we’ve prepared this quick guide to citing a website using Harvard referencing .

In-Text Citations (Named Author)

To cite a website in Harvard referencing, you will need to give the author’s surname and a year of publication. For instance:

Rousseau converted to Catholicism in 1728 (Bertram, 2010).

If you have already named the author in the main text, though, you don’t need to duplicate this information in the citation. Instead, you can just give a year of publication in brackets after the author’s name.

In addition, since websites don’t have page numbers, you will not usually need to give a pinpoint citation when quoting an online source.

However, for long or complicated texts, you could include a paragraph or section number (use “para.” to signal a paragraph number or the “§”  symbol to denote a section). So to cite a website like this, we would write:

According to Bertram (2010, § 2.1), Rousseau thought morality had been displaced by “the impulse to dominate, oppress and exploit.”

Make sure to check your style guide for information on citing sources with no page numbers, though, as different places will have different rules.

In-Text Citations (No Named Author/Date of Publication)

To cite a website that does not name its author, the best approach is usually to reference an organizational author instead. This will be the company or organization that runs the website:

Tax avoidance often involves using contrived transactions that serve no purpose other than exploiting legal loopholes (HMRC, 2016).

Find this useful?

Subscribe to our newsletter and get writing tips from our editors straight to your inbox.

If no date of publication is available, you can use “n.d.” in its place:

Moths are “an essential part of food chains” (RSPB, n.d.).

It can be hard to spot the author and publication date for websites, though, so make sure to check carefully before omitting this information from citations.

How to Cite a Website in the Reference List

As with any source in your work, you should add all cited websites to a reference list at the end of your document. The information you need here is:

Author Surname, Initial(s). (Year or Publication/Last Update) Title of Web Page [Online]. Available at: URL [Accessed date].

In practice, then, the reference list entry for a website would look like this:

Bertram, C. (2010) Jean Jacques Rousseau [Online]. Available at: plato.stanford.edu/entries/rousseau/ [Accessed 24 October 2016].

Of course, if a webpage is missing a named author or date of publication, this should also be indicated in the reference list:

RSPB (n.d.) Grow Food for Moths [Online]. Available at: https://ww2.rspb.org.uk/makeahomeforwildlife/givenatureahomeinyourgarden/gardenactivities/growfoodformoths/ [Accessed 19 September 2016].

A Quick Note on Harvard Referencing

Although Harvard referencing is a common citation style, it is not a single unified system. As such, the rules your school uses may differ, so you should always check your style guide if you are not sure how to cite sources.

Share this article:

Post A New Comment

Got content that needs a quick turnaround? Let us polish your work. Explore our editorial business services.

9-minute read

How to Use Infographics to Boost Your Presentation

Is your content getting noticed? Capturing and maintaining an audience’s attention is a challenge when...

8-minute read

Why Interactive PDFs Are Better for Engagement

Are you looking to enhance engagement and captivate your audience through your professional documents? Interactive...

7-minute read

Seven Key Strategies for Voice Search Optimization

Voice search optimization is rapidly shaping the digital landscape, requiring content professionals to adapt their...

4-minute read

Five Creative Ways to Showcase Your Digital Portfolio

Are you a creative freelancer looking to make a lasting impression on potential clients or...

How to Ace Slack Messaging for Contractors and Freelancers

Effective professional communication is an important skill for contractors and freelancers navigating remote work environments....

How to Insert a Text Box in a Google Doc

Google Docs is a powerful collaborative tool, and mastering its features can significantly enhance your...

Logo Harvard University

Make sure your writing is the best it can be with our expert English proofreading and editing.

  • TutorHome |
  • IntranetHome |
  • Contact the OU Contact the OU Contact the OU |
  • Accessibility Accessibility
  • StudentHome
  • Help Centre

You are here

Help and support.

  • Referencing and plagiarism
  • I have found a web page with no author, date or publisher - how do I reference it?
  • Site Accessibility: Library Services

referencing a website no author harvard

If you can’t find out who has written or published the content of a website, you should first consider if it is suitable for use in academic work. This Being Digital activity about evaluating information will help with this.

You can still create a reference by using the page title in place of the author and 'no date' for the year. You should be able to work out the publisher by checking links to the homepage, and you could use that as the author in your reference.

You can complete this short  Referencing websites activity on Being Digital to learn more.

  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Getting started with the online library
  • Disabled user support
  • Finding resources for your assignment
  • Finding ejournals and articles
  • Access eresources using Google Scholar
  • Help with online resources
  • Finding and using books and theses
  • Finding information on your research topic
  • Quick guide to Harvard referencing (Cite Them Right)
  • Quick guide to Cite Them Right referencing for Law modules
  • The Classical Studies guide to referencing
  • Bibliographic management
  • What if I cannot find the reference type I need in my referencing guide?
  • Training and skills
  • Study materials
  • Using other libraries and SCONUL Access
  • Borrowing at the Walton Hall Library
  • OU Glossary
  • Contacting the helpdesk

The why and how of referencing

Wednesday, 12 June, 2024 - 19:30

Learn why referencing is important, how to construct references and where to go for help and support.

referencing a website no author harvard

Library Helpdesk

Chat to a Librarian  - Available 24/7

Other ways to contact the Library Helpdesk

The Open University

  • Study with us
  • Supported distance learning
  • Funding your studies
  • International students
  • Global reputation
  • Apprenticeships
  • Develop your workforce
  • News & media
  • Contact the OU

Undergraduate

  • Arts and Humanities
  • Art History
  • Business and Management
  • Combined Studies
  • Computing and IT
  • Counselling
  • Creative Writing
  • Criminology
  • Early Years
  • Electronic Engineering
  • Engineering
  • Environment
  • Film and Media
  • Health and Social Care
  • Health and Wellbeing
  • Health Sciences
  • International Studies
  • Mathematics
  • Mental Health
  • Nursing and Healthcare
  • Religious Studies
  • Social Sciences
  • Social Work
  • Software Engineering
  • Sport and Fitness

Postgraduate

  • Postgraduate study
  • Research degrees
  • Masters in Art History (MA)
  • Masters in Computing (MSc)
  • Masters in Creative Writing (MA)
  • Masters degree in Education
  • Masters in Engineering (MSc)
  • Masters in English Literature (MA)
  • Masters in History (MA)
  • Master of Laws (LLM)
  • Masters in Mathematics (MSc)
  • Masters in Psychology (MSc)
  • A to Z of Masters degrees
  • Accessibility statement
  • Conditions of use
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookie policy
  • Manage cookie preferences
  • Modern slavery act (pdf 149kb)

Follow us on Social media

Google+

  • Student Policies and Regulations
  • Student Charter
  • System Status
  • Contact the OU Contact the OU
  • Modern Slavery Act (pdf 149kb)

© . . .

Banner

Harvard Referencing Style Guide: Internet / websites

  • Introduction
  • Reference by Format
  • Books / e-Books
  • Cases and legislation
  • Company information
  • Conference proceedings
  • Internet / websites
  • Journal articles
  • Lecture notes
  • Multi-media formats
  • Patents and standards
  • All examples

Citing material from the Internet / websites

When citing web sites or pages which may change it's important to make a note of the date you accessed the page or retrieved information from the page, and also note the URL of the page. You will need this information for your references.

Websites can sometimes be difficult to cite as you might have to draw information from different areas of the webpage or website to put into your citation. Some information, like authorship or publication date can be hard to find or identify. Scroll to the bottom of this page to see two brief video tutorials that give you some useful tips on where to look for information to make your citation as complete as possible.

Citing material from the Internet/websites: examples

Video tutorials on citing websites.

  • << Previous: Conference proceedings
  • Next: Journal articles >>
  • Last Updated: May 3, 2021 3:12 PM
  • URL: https://ufh.za.libguides.com/harvard_referencing

RefME Logo

Cite A Website in Harvard style

Powered by chegg.

  • Select style:
  • Archive material
  • Chapter of an edited book
  • Conference proceedings
  • Dictionary entry
  • Dissertation
  • DVD, video, or film
  • E-book or PDF
  • Edited book
  • Encyclopedia article
  • Government publication
  • Music or recording
  • Online image or video
  • Presentation
  • Press release
  • Religious text

Use the following template or our Harvard Referencing Generator to cite a website. For help with other source types, like books, PDFs, or websites, check out our other guides. To have your reference list or bibliography automatically made for you, try our free citation generator .

Reference list

Place this part in your bibliography or reference list at the end of your assignment.

In-text citation

Place this part right after the quote or reference to the source in your assignment.

Popular Harvard Citation Guides

  • How to cite a Book in Harvard style
  • How to cite a Website in Harvard style
  • How to cite a Journal in Harvard style
  • How to cite a DVD, video, or film in Harvard style
  • How to cite a Online image or video in Harvard style

Other Harvard Citation Guides

  • How to cite a Archive material in Harvard style
  • How to cite a Artwork in Harvard style
  • How to cite a Blog in Harvard style
  • How to cite a Broadcast in Harvard style
  • How to cite a Chapter of an edited book in Harvard style
  • How to cite a Conference proceedings in Harvard style
  • How to cite a Court case in Harvard style
  • How to cite a Dictionary entry in Harvard style
  • How to cite a Dissertation in Harvard style
  • How to cite a E-book or PDF in Harvard style
  • How to cite a Edited book in Harvard style
  • How to cite a Email in Harvard style
  • How to cite a Encyclopedia article in Harvard style
  • How to cite a Government publication in Harvard style
  • How to cite a Interview in Harvard style
  • How to cite a Legislation in Harvard style
  • How to cite a Magazine in Harvard style
  • How to cite a Music or recording in Harvard style
  • How to cite a Newspaper in Harvard style
  • How to cite a Patent in Harvard style
  • How to cite a Podcast in Harvard style
  • How to cite a Presentation or lecture in Harvard style
  • How to cite a Press release in Harvard style
  • How to cite a Religious text in Harvard style
  • How to cite a Report in Harvard style
  • How to cite a Software in Harvard style
  • Utility Menu

University Logo

fa3d988da6f218669ec27d6b6019a0cd

A publication of the harvard college writing program.

Harvard Guide to Using Sources 

  • The Honor Code
  • In-Text Citation Examples
  • When neither the author nor the page number is mentioned in the body of the sentence, you should include both the author’s last name and the page number in the parenthetical citation.

Colleges and universities need to create policies that foster inclusion for low-income students (Jack 24).

  • When the author’s name is mentioned in the sentence, you should include only the page number in your parenthetical citation.

As Anthony Jack argues, colleges and universities need to create policies that foster inclusion for low-income students (24).

  • If the source you are writing about does not have page numbers, or if you consulted an e-book version of the source, you should include only the author’s name in the parenthetical citation:

Colleges and universities need to create policies that foster inclusion for low-income students (Jack).

  • If you mention the author in the body of the sentence and there is no page number in the source, you should not include a parenthetical citation.

As Anthony Jack argues, colleges and universities need to create policies that foster inclusion for low-income students.

  • If you are referring to an entire work rather than a specific page, you do not need to include a page number.

In The Privileged Poor, Anthony Jack describes many obstacles that low-income students face at selective colleges and universities.

  • If you are referring to a source that has no listed author, you should include the title (or a shortened version of the title) in your parenthetical citation.

Harvard College promises “to educate the citizens and citizen-leaders for our society” (“Mission, Vision, & History”).

  • If you are referring to a source that has two authors, you should include both authors in your parenthetical citation.

The researchers tested whether an intervention during the first year of college could improve student well-being (Walton and Cohen 1448).

  • If you refer to a source that has more than two authors, you should include the first author’s name followed by et al. ( Et al. is an abbreviation for et alia which means “and others” in Latin.) When you use et al. in a citation, you should not put it in italics.

The researchers studied more than 12,000 students who were interested in STEM fields (LaCosse et al. 8).

  • If you refer to more than one source by the same author in your paper, you should include the title (or a shortened version of the title) in your parenthetical citation so that readers will know which source to look for in your Works Cited list. If you mention the author’s name in the sentence, you only need to include the title and page number. If you mention the author and title in the sentence, you only need to include the page number.

Colleges and universities need to create policies that foster inclusion for low-income students (Jack, Privileged Poor 24).

According to Anthony Jack, colleges and universities need to create policies that foster inclusion for low-income students ( Privileged Poor 24).

As Anthony Jack writes in Privileged Poor, colleges and universities need to create policies that foster inclusion for low-income students (24).

  • If you want to credit multiple authors for making the same point, you can include them all in one parenthetical citation. 

Students who possess cultural capital, measured by proxies like involvement in literature, art, and classical music, tend to perform better in school (Bourdieu and Passeron; Dumais; Orr).

  • If you refer to a source that includes line numbers in the margins, numbered paragraphs, numbered chapters, or numbered sections rather than page numbers, you should include the number in your parenthetical citation, along with “line,” “ch./ chs.,” or “sec./secs.”   You can include stable numbering like chapters even when there are no stable page numbers (as in an e-book). You should separate “line” or other designation from the work’s title or author’s name with a comma.  If the source does not include this type of numbering, you should not include it either.

We learn that when he went to the store to buy clothes for his son, “a frantic inspection of the boys’ department revealed no suits to fit the new-born Button” (Fitzgerald, ch.2).

  • If you are citing a play, you should include the act and scene along with line numbers (for verse) or page numbers, followed by act and scene, (for prose).

Guildenstern tells Hamlet that “there has been much throwing about of brains” (Shakespeare, 2.2. 381-382).

Chris is in this mindset when he says, “a couple minutes, and your whole life changes, that’s it. It’s gone” (Nottage, 13; act 1, scene1).

  • If you are referring to a video or audio recording that contains time stamps, you should include the time in your parenthetical citation to make it easy for your readers to find the part of the recording that you are citing.

In the Stranger Things official trailer, the audience knows that something unusual is going to happen from the moment the boys get on their bicycles to ride off into the night (0:16).

  • Citation Management Tools
  • In-Text Citations
  • Works Cited Format
  • Examples of Commonly Cited Sources
  • Frequently Asked Questions about Citing Sources in MLA Format
  • Sample Works Cited List

PDFs for This Section

  • Citing Sources
  • Online Library and Citation Tools
  • Free Tools for Students
  • Harvard Referencing Generator

Free Harvard Referencing Generator

Generate accurate Harvard reference lists quickly and for FREE, with MyBib!

🤔 What is a Harvard Referencing Generator?

A Harvard Referencing Generator is a tool that automatically generates formatted academic references in the Harvard style.

It takes in relevant details about a source -- usually critical information like author names, article titles, publish dates, and URLs -- and adds the correct punctuation and formatting required by the Harvard referencing style.

The generated references can be copied into a reference list or bibliography, and then collectively appended to the end of an academic assignment. This is the standard way to give credit to sources used in the main body of an assignment.

👩‍🎓 Who uses a Harvard Referencing Generator?

Harvard is the main referencing style at colleges and universities in the United Kingdom and Australia. It is also very popular in other English-speaking countries such as South Africa, Hong Kong, and New Zealand. University-level students in these countries are most likely to use a Harvard generator to aid them with their undergraduate assignments (and often post-graduate too).

🙌 Why should I use a Harvard Referencing Generator?

A Harvard Referencing Generator solves two problems:

  • It provides a way to organise and keep track of the sources referenced in the content of an academic paper.
  • It ensures that references are formatted correctly -- inline with the Harvard referencing style -- and it does so considerably faster than writing them out manually.

A well-formatted and broad bibliography can account for up to 20% of the total grade for an undergraduate-level project, and using a generator tool can contribute significantly towards earning them.

⚙️ How do I use MyBib's Harvard Referencing Generator?

Here's how to use our reference generator:

  • If citing a book, website, journal, or video: enter the URL or title into the search bar at the top of the page and press the search button.
  • Choose the most relevant results from the list of search results.
  • Our generator will automatically locate the source details and format them in the correct Harvard format. You can make further changes if required.
  • Then either copy the formatted reference directly into your reference list by clicking the 'copy' button, or save it to your MyBib account for later.

MyBib supports the following for Harvard style:

🍏 What other versions of Harvard referencing exist?

There isn't "one true way" to do Harvard referencing, and many universities have their own slightly different guidelines for the style. Our generator can adapt to handle the following list of different Harvard styles:

  • Cite Them Right
  • Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU)
  • University of the West of England (UWE)

Image of daniel-elias

Daniel is a qualified librarian, former teacher, and citation expert. He has been contributing to MyBib since 2018.

Have a language expert improve your writing

Run a free plagiarism check in 10 minutes, automatically generate references for free.

  • Knowledge Base
  • Referencing
  • Harvard In-Text Citation | A Complete Guide & Examples

Harvard In-Text Citation | A Complete Guide & Examples

Published on 30 April 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on 5 May 2022.

An in-text citation should appear wherever you quote or paraphrase a source in your writing, pointing your reader to the full reference .

In Harvard style , citations appear in brackets in the text. An in-text citation consists of the last name of the author,  the year of publication, and a page number if relevant.

Up to three authors are included in Harvard in-text citations. If there are four or more authors, the citation is shortened with et al .

Instantly correct all language mistakes in your text

Be assured that you'll submit flawless writing. Upload your document to correct all your mistakes.

upload-your-document-ai-proofreader

Table of contents

Including page numbers in citations, where to place harvard in-text citations, citing sources with missing information, frequently asked questions about harvard in-text citations.

When you quote directly from a source or paraphrase a specific passage, your in-text citation must include a page number to specify where the relevant passage is located.

Use ‘p.’ for a single page and ‘pp.’ for a page range:

  • Meanwhile, another commentator asserts that the economy is ‘on the downturn’ (Singh, 2015, p. 13 ).
  • Wilson (2015, pp. 12–14 ) makes an argument for the efficacy of the technique.

If you are summarising the general argument of a source or paraphrasing ideas that recur throughout the text, no page number is needed.

Prevent plagiarism, run a free check.

When incorporating citations into your text, you can either name the author directly in the text or only include the author’s name in brackets.

Naming the author in the text

When you name the author in the sentence itself, the year and (if relevant) page number are typically given in brackets straight after the name:

Naming the author directly in your sentence is the best approach when you want to critique or comment on the source.

Naming the author in brackets

When you  you haven’t mentioned the author’s name in your sentence, include it inside the brackets. The citation is generally placed after the relevant quote or paraphrase, or at the end of the sentence, before the full stop:

Multiple citations can be included in one place, listed in order of publication year and separated by semicolons:

This type of citation is useful when you want to support a claim or summarise the overall findings of sources.

Common mistakes with in-text citations

In-text citations in brackets should not appear as the subject of your sentences. Anything that’s essential to the meaning of a sentence should be written outside the brackets:

  • (Smith, 2019) argues that…
  • Smith (2019) argues that…

Similarly, don’t repeat the author’s name in the bracketed citation and in the sentence itself:

  • As Caulfield (Caulfield, 2020) writes…
  • As Caulfield (2020) writes…

Sometimes you won’t have access to all the source information you need for an in-text citation. Here’s what to do if you’re missing the publication date, author’s name, or page numbers for a source.

If a source doesn’t list a clear publication date, as is sometimes the case with online sources or historical documents, replace the date with the words ‘no date’:

When it’s not clear who the author of a source is, you’ll sometimes be able to substitute a corporate author – the group or organisation responsible for the publication:

When there’s no corporate author to cite, you can use the title of the source in place of the author’s name:

No page numbers

If you quote from a source without page numbers, such as a website, you can just omit this information if it’s a short text – it should be easy enough to find the quote without it.

If you quote from a longer source without page numbers, it’s best to find an alternate location marker, such as a paragraph number or subheading, and include that:

A Harvard in-text citation should appear in brackets every time you quote, paraphrase, or refer to information from a source.

The citation can appear immediately after the quotation or paraphrase, or at the end of the sentence. If you’re quoting, place the citation outside of the quotation marks but before any other punctuation like a comma or full stop.

In Harvard referencing, up to three author names are included in an in-text citation or reference list entry. When there are four or more authors, include only the first, followed by ‘ et al. ’

In Harvard style , when you quote directly from a source that includes page numbers, your in-text citation must include a page number. For example: (Smith, 2014, p. 33).

You can also include page numbers to point the reader towards a passage that you paraphrased . If you refer to the general ideas or findings of the source as a whole, you don’t need to include a page number.

When you want to use a quote but can’t access the original source, you can cite it indirectly. In the in-text citation , first mention the source you want to refer to, and then the source in which you found it. For example:

It’s advisable to avoid indirect citations wherever possible, because they suggest you don’t have full knowledge of the sources you’re citing. Only use an indirect citation if you can’t reasonably gain access to the original source.

In Harvard style referencing , to distinguish between two sources by the same author that were published in the same year, you add a different letter after the year for each source:

  • (Smith, 2019a)
  • (Smith, 2019b)

Add ‘a’ to the first one you cite, ‘b’ to the second, and so on. Do the same in your bibliography or reference list .

Cite this Scribbr article

If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the ‘Cite this Scribbr article’ button to automatically add the citation to our free Reference Generator.

Caulfield, J. (2022, May 05). Harvard In-Text Citation | A Complete Guide & Examples. Scribbr. Retrieved 14 May 2024, from https://www.scribbr.co.uk/referencing/harvard-in-text-citation/

Is this article helpful?

Jack Caulfield

Jack Caulfield

Other students also liked, a quick guide to harvard referencing | citation examples, harvard style bibliography | format & examples, referencing books in harvard style | templates & examples, scribbr apa citation checker.

An innovative new tool that checks your APA citations with AI software. Say goodbye to inaccurate citations!

referencing a website no author harvard

IMAGES

  1. Harvard Referencing & Citation

    referencing a website no author harvard

  2. Harvard Referencing & Citation

    referencing a website no author harvard

  3. A Basic Guide To The Harvard Referencing Style

    referencing a website no author harvard

  4. Harvard Referencing Generator UK

    referencing a website no author harvard

  5. UCS Harvard Referencing

    referencing a website no author harvard

  6. A Basic Guide To The Harvard Referencing Style

    referencing a website no author harvard

VIDEO

  1. Academic Writing

  2. Academic Writing

  3. Harvard Referencing in simple

  4. Learning Harvard referencing Style

  5. A Harvard-Style Guide to Academic Citation

  6. Harvard referencing style in ms word for articles, reports and research papers

COMMENTS

  1. Referencing sources with no author in Harvard style

    If you are referencing a book with no author, simply use the title of the book in italics where you would have used the author's surname. In-text citation template: ( Book name, Publication year, Page number) Examples: The moon orbits the Earth in an elliptical orbit in 27 days and 8 hours ( Children's illustrated treasury of knowledge ...

  2. Reference a Website in Harvard Style

    Revised on 7 November 2022. To reference a website in Harvard style, include the name of the author or organization, the year of publication, the title of the page, the URL, and the date on which you accessed the website. In-text citation example. (Google, 2020) Reference template. Author surname, initial.

  3. Referencing a source with no author in Harvard style

    In general, if no author can be found, Harvard recommends using the title of the source. For web pages with no clear author and no clear title, the website URL may be used. Because Harvard style is not standardised, this guide adheres to the Harvard referencing style as outlined in the 11th edition of Cite them right by Richard Pears and Graham ...

  4. How to reference a website using the Harvard referencing style

    Citation information: Author's name; Mention that no dates were available (use 'no date' in round brackets) Title of the web page, if available (in italics) Available at: URL (Accessed: date) In-text citation. Cuba struggled through the decade (Banana Republic News, no date) facing a constant onslaught of…. Reference list

  5. Guides and databases: Harvard: References with missing details

    When you use Harvard as your referencing style, the full reference to each source that you cite in your work should be included in a References section. The information included varies depending on the type of source, but usually includes: ... If the source you are referencing is missing an author, use the source's title instead of the author's ...

  6. No author

    Harvard Style Guide; No author; Search this Guide Search. Harvard Style Guide: No author. This guide explains how to use the Harvard Style. It includes a short tutorial. Introduction; Harvard Tutorial; ... Reference: Journal Title (Year) 'Article title', Volume(Issue), pp. page numbers. Available at: URL (Accessed Day Month Year).

  7. How to Cite a Website with No Author

    Here is how to cite a webpage without an author in three of the most popular citation styles: APA 7, MLA 9, and Chicago (17th ed.). APA 7. Reference Entry Template: Title of webpage/article. (Year, Month Date of publication). In Website Name. URL. Reference Entry Example: Giant panda. (2022, June 29).

  8. Harvard Referencing Guide: Webpage

    In-text citation Throughout his life, Leonardo da Vinci remained somewhat reserved, and although he was fully aware of the value of his abilities, he avoided worldly ambitions and personal glory (https://www.leonardodavinci.net, no date).

  9. How to reference a website in Harvard style

    Follow these instructions to manually reference a website in Harvard style. First, you need to locate these details for the website: page or article author, page or article title, website name, published date, access date, page URL (web address). The author can typically be found on the page, but if there isn't one listed you can use the ...

  10. Harvard Citation Style: Internet / Websites

    Websites can sometimes be difficult to cite as you might have to draw information from different areas of the webpage or website to put into your citation. Some information, like authorship or publication date can be hard to find or identify. Scroll to the bottom of this page to see two brief video tutorials that give you some useful tips on ...

  11. Library guides: Harvard Referencing Guide: Websites

    Include the word 'website' after the name of the website, unless the name of the website is a URL, for example WA.gov.au. Webpage with authors listed. Italicise title of webpage; Elements of the reference Author A (Year) Title of webpage, Name of Website website, accessed Day Month Year. In-text citation (Clement 2020) Reference list

  12. How to Cite a Website in Harvard Referencing

    In-Text Citations (Named Author) To cite a website in Harvard referencing, you will need to give the author's surname and a year of publication. For instance: Rousseau converted to Catholicism in 1728 (Bertram, 2010). If you have already named the author in the main text, though, you don't need to duplicate this information in the citation.

  13. Citing a Website Without Authors

    As per the MLA 9 handbook, if you don't find an author's name, don't state it as "Anonymous." Instead, omit the author's name and fill in the next element of the works-cited entry: the name of the webpage.

  14. In-Text Citations

    A Publication of the Harvard College Writing Program. ... Citing when no author is listed To refer to a work that is listed in your reference list by title rather than by author, cite the title or the first few words of the title. The New York Times painted a bleak picture of the climate crisis ("Climate Change Is Not Negotiable," 2022). ...

  15. Quick guide to Harvard referencing (Cite Them Right)

    There are different versions of the Harvard referencing style. This guide is a quick introduction to the commonly-used Cite Them Right version. ... When there is no named author, use the title of the resource in italics; It has been emphasised that good referencing is an important academic skill (The Open University, 2015).

  16. I have found a web page with no author, date or publisher

    You can still create a reference by using the page title in place of the author and 'no date' for the year. You should be able to work out the publisher by checking links to the homepage, and you could use that as the author in your reference. You can complete this short Referencing websites activity on Being Digital to learn more.

  17. A Quick Guide to Harvard Referencing

    When you cite a source with up to three authors, cite all authors' names. For four or more authors, list only the first name, followed by ' et al. ': Number of authors. In-text citation example. 1 author. (Davis, 2019) 2 authors. (Davis and Barrett, 2019) 3 authors.

  18. LibGuides: Harvard Referencing Style Guide: Internet / websites

    Citing material from the Internet / websites. When citing web sites or pages which may change it's important to make a note of the date you accessed the page or retrieved information from the page, and also note the URL of the page. You will need this information for your references. Websites can sometimes be difficult to cite as you might have ...

  19. Cite A Website in Harvard style

    Cite A Website in Harvard style. Use the following template or our Harvard Referencing Generator to cite a website. For help with other source types, like books, PDFs, or websites, check out our other guides. To have your reference list or bibliography automatically made for you, try our free citation generator.

  20. In-Text Citation Examples

    If you refer to a source that has more than two authors, you should include the first author's name followed by et al. ( Et al. is an abbreviation for et alia which means "and others" in Latin.) When you use et al. in a citation, you should not put it in italics. The researchers studied more than 12,000 students who were interested in ...

  21. Free Harvard Referencing Generator

    No author: List the organisation that published the source in the author position. ... Harvard referencing style uses author-date in-text citations, which means including the author's last name and the publication year of the source, like this: (Smith, 2019). This citation points the reader to the corresponding entry in the reference list.

  22. Free Harvard Referencing Generator [Updated for 2024]

    A Harvard Referencing Generator is a tool that automatically generates formatted academic references in the Harvard style. It takes in relevant details about a source -- usually critical information like author names, article titles, publish dates, and URLs -- and adds the correct punctuation and formatting required by the Harvard referencing style.

  23. Home

    Home - Subject and Research Guides - Subject and Research Guides at ...

  24. Full article: Letter to editor regarding the article: resolution of

    The urine and vagino-cervical swabs were normal. In the case presented by Yeo et al. no pathogens were identified in amniotic fluid. The glucose level in amniotic fluid was normal, while interleukin-6 concentration elevated [Citation 1]. This may indicate intraamniotic inflammation. The patient received antibiotic treatment for 11 days.

  25. Harvard In-Text Citation

    In Harvard style, citations appear in brackets in the text. An in-text citation consists of the last name of the author, the year of publication, and a page number if relevant. Up to three authors are included in Harvard in-text citations. If there are four or more authors, the citation is shortened with et al. Harvard in-text citation examples.

  26. Subminute thermal damage to cell types present in the skin

    However, there are two main differences between Henderson et al. (2022) and our current work: exposure time (60 min [Citation 15] versus 2-20 s) and the time of viability measurement (1 h [Citation 15] versus 24 h after hyperthermia). These differences in experimental design may explain why the LT50 of 48 °C is lower than our calculated LT50 ...

  27. Neurobiology-based Cognitive Biotypes Using Multi-scale Intrinsic

    Objective: Understanding the neurobiology of cognitive dysfunction in psychotic disorders remains elusive, as does developing effective interventions. Limited knowledge about the biological heterogeneity of cognitive dysfunction hinders progress. This study aimed to identify subgroups of patients with psychosis with distinct patterns of functional brain alterations related to cognition ...