How to APA Citation Without Author
In academic writing, proper citation is crucial for giving credit to the original authors of the work you reference. However, sometimes you may come across sources that do not have an identifiable author. In such cases, you need to follow a specific format to create an APA citation without an author. This article will guide you through the process of formatting your citation correctly.
Firstly, when citing a source without an author in APA style, you should begin with the title of the source. Place the title in quotation marks and capitalize the first word of each major word in the title. For example, if the title of the source is “Understanding Climate Change,” you would write it as “Understanding Climate Change.”
Next, include the publication date of the source in parentheses immediately following the title. The date should be formatted as (Year, Month Day). For instance, if the publication date is March 15, 2022, you would write it as (2022, Mar. 15).
After the publication date, include the source’s retrieval information, such as a DOI (Digital Object Identifier) or URL (Uniform Resource Locator). If the source has a DOI, place it in square brackets after the publication date. For example, (2022, Mar. 15). DOI: 10.1234/xyz. If the source does not have a DOI, include the URL in parentheses. For example, (2022, Mar. 15). Retrieved from https://www.example.com/source.
Lastly, if the source is part of a larger work, such as a book or journal, include the title of the larger work and its publication information before the source’s retrieval information. For example, if the source is a chapter in a book, you would write it as “Chapter Title” (Year, Month Day). DOI: 10.1234/xyz. In a journal article, you would write it as “Article Title” (Year, Month Day). DOI: 10.1234/xyz.
In conclusion, when citing a source without an author in APA style, follow these steps: 1) start with the title of the source, 2) include the publication date in parentheses, 3) provide the source’s retrieval information (DOI or URL), and 4) if applicable, include the title and publication information of the larger work. By following this format, you can ensure that your citation is accurate and conforms to APA guidelines.
