There are several common mistakes that most students make when they write citations, but there are a few things that you should remember to avoid. These mistakes include omitting the author or site name in the source element or using the wrong page number and author position. Here are some tips for writing website citations. Read on to learn how to cite a website article according to the 7th edition of the APA.
Adding extra information to site citations
When citing websites, a common mistake is not including the date of publication. Instead, you can include n.d. (no date). Don’t use the copyright date of a website, as this is often inaccurate. Also, a website’s author can be a group or agency. In these cases, the author of the website is the organization itself, so the title of the page should be used in lieu of an author.
Omitting the site name from the source element
In October 2019, the American Psychological Association introduced the seventh edition of the APA Publication Manual. The changes include updated information on publishers. Instead of citing the location of the publisher and the name of the database, an article can omit the site name from the source element. The same applies to an article published on a website. A website’s name should be included in the citation, unless the site’s owner or author is the same.
A website can be retrieved from any number of online sources, such as articles, books, data sets, reports, and other types of works. The name of the website, however, is not readily visible and must be included in the source element. It is also best to include the URL if the webpage has a changeable URL. For example, a newspaper website may change its content on a daily basis.
Adding a timestamp
Adding a timestamp to a website article is an important part of the citation style. In APA style, the timestamp will serve as a way to identify when a website was updated. A timestamp will also be helpful to the reader when trying to locate the same information in the source. You can also include the page number or section name for the information.
A time stamp can serve as a more convenient in-text citation for videos. In a video, you should include the speaker’s name and the timestamp of when the video was posted. When using a YouTube video, it is best to list the speaker’s name, as well as the time when the video was recorded. If you are citing a TED talk or a YouTube video, make sure to include the speaker’s name and the timestamp.
Using a blog author’s name in the author position
The APA style requires that a blog author’s last name and the website address appear in the author position of an article. If this is not the case, a proper noun such as “blogger” should be used. However, there are other ways to correctly reference the author of a blog. One of the most common ways is by including the website’s URL in the article’s author position.
APA style requires that you cite the website’s title, not the author’s name. However, if the website has no author, you can still cite it as a website. Reputable websites include reputable organizations, government entities, and universities. For example, a blog may contain articles that have been published by the same author as a magazine article.
Citing a photo or video from social media
In an article, citing a photo or video from social media requires the author to use the first twenty words of the caption, unless it’s an excerpt. Likewise, when using a photo from a video sharing website, the author’s name must be included. A shareable link must include the user’s name and the date of creation. Using a hashtag instead of a full name will allow you to cite a video, too.