How do I cite a website in APA style?
Answer
Look carefully at the item you want to cite. Many of the documents that you find on the web are more than just "a website." If it is an article in an online journal, then it should be treated as a journal article. If it is an electronic book, the same principle applies.
Other possibilities are blog posts, online videos, electronic mailing list (listserv) posts, technical reports, and raw data sets. In all of these cases, the Publication Manual offers specific guidelines. Only if no more specific category fits your source should you use the guidelines in section 10.16 of the Manual (7th ed.).
The general template for a website citation consists of: author, date, title of work, title of website, URL.
(image from page 351 of the APA Manual)
A "retrieved" date is only needed if you know that the site will change, for example if it features continually updated data.
For more on citation styles, see our Citation guide.