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APA Style Guide: Websites, blogs & social media

This guide explains how to use the APA Style. It includes a short tutorial.

Websites

To cite an entire website, just include the web address in the text.
 

In-Text-Citation:
  • (URL)
Example:
  • UCD Library has a dedicated Academic Integrity Guide (https://libguides.ucd.ie/academicintegrity)
     

Note: If you are mentioning a particular document/page in your text or citing a particular piece of information from a website you need to include a reference list entry and an in-text citation. See 'page on a website' for specific guidance.

In-Text-Citation:
  • Author(s) Last name (year)
  • (Author(s) Last name, year)
Example:
  • Gambill (2011) argues….
  • Another approach (Gambill, 2011) suggests….
     

Note: If there are no page numbers, and you need to quote directly from a source, include either a section heading or paragraph number in your in-text-citation, e.g. Gambill, 2011, para. 6.

Reference: 

Organisation/Author(s) Last name, Initials. (Year, month day; n.d. to indicate no date). Title of article. Title of Website. URL

Example:

Gambill, G. (2011, April 6). Assad's survival strategy. Foreign Policy. http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2011/04/06/assads_survival_strategy

Note: when the author is the same as the title of the website, just include the organisation as the author name, omitting the name of the website.

In-Text-Citation:
  • “Title of webpage” (Year)
  • (“Title of webpage”, Year)
Example:
  • The webpage “UCD Library – Online Tutorials” (2014) provides help….
  • There is help completing research from the UCD Library (“UCD Library – Online Tutorials,” 2014).
Reference:

Title of webpage. (Year, month day). URL

Example:

UCD Library – Online Tutorials. (2014, February 5). http://www.ucd.ie/library/supporting_you/tutorials/

In-Text-Citation:
  • Author(s) Last name (year)
  • (Author(s) Last name, year)                                   
Example:
  • Farnan (2017) talks about focusing attention to the here and now in work.
  • In another post (Farnan, 2017) highlighted the importance of staying in the here and now….

Note: titles for items in online communities (e.g. blogs, newsgroups, forums) are not italicized. If the author’s name is not available, provide the screen name in the text or reference list.

Reference:

Author Last name, Initials. (Year, Month Day). Title of post. Title of Blog. URL

Example:

Farnan, C. (2017, February 22). Mindfulness in the workplace. Irish Mindfulness Academic Blog. https://www.irishmindfulnessacademy.ie/single-post/2017/02/22/mindfulness-in-the-workplace

In-Text-Citation:
  • Author last name/Screen name (Year)
  • (Author last name/Screen name, Year)
Example:
  • Leo Varadkar, Minister for Health, noted the HIQUA report on the ambulance service can be used to improve the service (2014).
  • The HIQUA report noted the need for investment in ambulance services (Varadkar, 2014).

Reference:

Author Screen name/Author Last name, Initials. (Year, Month Day). Post or if too long, shortened section. [Facebook update]. Facebook. URL

Example: 

Varadkar, L. (2014, December 2). HIQUA report can be catalyst for further improvement of ambulance services. [Facebook update]. Facebook. http://leovaradkar.ie/2014/12/hiqa-report-can-be-catalyst-for-further-improvement-of-ambulance-services-varadkar/

In-Text-Citation: 
  • (Author Last name, Year)
Example:
  • This longitudinal study examined adolescents’ responses to sectarianism (Taylor, 2020).

Reference:

Author Last name, Initials. [screen name]. (Year, Month Day). Title (up to the first 40 words). [Tweet]. Twitter. URL

Example:

Taylor, L. K. [@lauraktaylorPHD]. (2020, November 17). It's finally out! #SRCDMonograph 6 years of longitudinal data with 1000 youth/mom dyads + 6 years of macrosystem newspaper coded data + thematic analysis of newspaper content. We find adolescents’ response to direct exposure to sectarianism varies with the political … [Tweet]. Twitter. https://twitter.com/lauraktaylorPHD/status/1328794107309854733