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Referencing in APA 7th Style

How to reference websites and reports

Use this format if there is no other category that fits your source. A lot of online sources will categorised as a different type of source than a webpage, don't just presume everything on the internet is classed as a webpage. 

 

When looking for the date check the bottom of the page for a last edited date. If no date can be found on the page use (n.d.) instead.

When using the title of the webpage and the URL ensure you use the details for the exact page you have used, not just the homepage of the overall website. If you use more than one page from the same website you need to reference them separately.

 

Format

Author, N. (Year). Title of the specific webpage. Website Name. www.website.com/page

Organisation. (Year). Title of the specific webpage. www.website.com/page

 

Components

  • Author(s) surname and initial(s)
  • Date attributed to the website
  • Title of the individual page in italics
  • Overall website name - only use when the author name is an individual and not an organisation
  • URL of the specific page

 

News and Blog Webpage Format 

Author, N. (Year, Month Day). Title of the news story/blog article. Website Name. www.website.com/page

 

Components

  • Author(s) surname and initial(s)
  • Exact date of the news story
  • Title of the individual story
  • Overall website name 
  • URL of the specific story page

 

Examples

Webpage on a website with an individual author

Copeland, E. (2021, April 26). START launches new master’s degree program in security and terrorism studies. START. https://www.start.umd.edu/news/start-launches-new-master-s-degree-program-security-and-terrorism-studies

 

Webpage on a website with a group author

World Health Organization. (2015). Biodiversity and health. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/biodiversity-and-health 

 

Webpage on a website with a group author and different website name

The Improvement Hub. (2021). Specialist dementia units. Healthcare Improvement Scotland. https://ihub.scot/improvement-programmes/focus-on-dementia/specialist-dementia-units/

 

Webpage on a news or blog website 

Ries, J. (2021, August 12). What to do if you're fully vaccinated but still anxious about Covid. Huffpost.     https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/fully-vaccinated-but-still-anxious-tips_uk_6113b540e4b0d6935‌978e5e9

 

Webpage on a website that needs a retrieval date - you need to include a retrieval date for webpages where the information is designed to regularly update eg. data dashboards.

Public Health Scotland. (2021, August 13). COVID-19 in Scotland: Daily update. Retrieved August 13, 2021, from https://public.tableau.com/app/profile/phs.covid.19/viz/COVID-19DailyDashboard_15960160643010/Overview

 

Entry on the British National Formulary (BNF) website

Joint Formulary Committee. (2022). Paracetamol. In British national formulary. Retrieved April 21, 2022, from http://www.medicinescomplete.com/ 

 

Entry on the Monthly Index of Medical Specialties (MIMS) website

MIMS. (2022). Paracetamol. In MIMS online. Retrieved April 21, 2022, from https://www.mims.com/singapore/drug/info/paracetamol?mtype=generic 

 

Online reports are often a pdf or other downloadable document and will have PDF in the URL to help you distinguish this.

When using government reports make sure you check if a specific government department is mentioned as producing the report and use the department name as the author.

 

Format 

Author, N. (Year). Title of the report. Publisher Name. www.website.com/report

Organisation. (Year). Title of the report. www.website.com/report

 

Components

  • Author(s) surname and initial(s) or name of the organisation
  • Year the report was published
  • Title of the report in italics
  • Any reference number as applicable
  • Name of the overall organisation that has published the report where there are individual authors, or the name of the publisher is different to the name of the organisational author.
  • URL of the report

 

Examples

Report with individual authors

Basl, J., Sandler, S., & Tiell, S. (2021). Getting from commitment to content in AI and data ethics: Justice and explainability. Atlantic Council. https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-research-reports/report/specifying-normative-content/

 

Report with an organisational author with the same publisher

U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. (2017). Agency financial report: Fiscal year 2017. https://www.sec.gov/files/sec-2017-agency-financial-report.pdf

 

Report with an organisational author with a different publisher

National Cancer Institute. (2018). Facing forward: Life after cancer treatment (NIH Publication No. 18-2424). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health. https://www.cancer.gov/publications/patient-education/life-after-treatment.pdf

 

A government report

Scottish Government. (2020, June 18). Highlands and Islands Enterprise: financial management review of Cairngorm Mountain. https://www.gov.scot/publications/highlands-islands-enterprise-financial-management-review-cairngorm-mountain/

 

A guideline with a reference number

National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. (2020). Supporting adult carers (NICE Guideline NG150). https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng150

 

Market research reports are usually written by companies that specialise in this area.  In some cases an author is attributed to the report, however in other cases the author is the company itself.

 

Format 

Author, N. (Year). Title of the report. Publisher Name. www.website.com

Organisation. (Year). Title of the report. www.website.com

 

Components

  • Author(s) surname and initial(s) or name of the organisation
  • Year the report was published
  • Title of the report in italics
  • Name of the overall organisation that has published the report where there are individual authors, or the name of the publisher is different to the name of the organisational author.
  • URL of the report

 

Examples

Report with individual author(s)

Burgess, T. (2021). Universities in the UK. IBIS World. https://my-ibisworld-com.

 

Report with an organisational author with the same publisher

Euromonitor International. (2021). Dog food in the United Kingdom. www.portal.euromonitor.com.

Note; because you have to login to our databases to access any content, you only need to provide the web address for the login page.

Format 

Organisation. (Year). Title of the report. www.website.com

 

Components

  • Name of the organisation
  • Year the report was published
  • Title of the report in italics
  • URL of the report

 

Example

FAME. (2020). Heart of Midlothian PLC annual report and financial statements for the year ended 30 June 2020. https://fame.bvdinfo.com/

Note; because you have to login to our databases to access any content, you only need to provide the web address for the login page.