How to Cite a Source with No Author in APA

Many credible sources lack an individual author, from website pages to government documents to organizational reports. APA 7th edition provides clear guidelines for citing these sources. This comprehensive guide shows you how to handle situations where authorship is unclear, corporate, or unavailable.

When There’s No Individual Author

Sources without individual authors are common in academic research. Common scenarios include:

• Website pages without an article author
• Videos where the creator is unclear
• Reports from organizations or government agencies
• Social media posts without personal attribution
• Online images or photographs from collections
• Government documents from agencies

Basic Format: Use Organization as Author

When no individual author is listed, use the organization, institution, or publisher responsible for the content.

Organization Name. (Year). *Title of work*. Publisher or Source. URL or DOI

Example:

American Psychological Association. (2023). *Understanding mental health and wellness*.
American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/mental-health

Using Organization as Author

Reference List Format

List the organization name as the author, alphabetized by the organization’s name.

World Health Organization. (2023). *Global health monitoring report 2023*.
WHO. https://www.who.int/reports

In-Text Citation

Use the organization name as you would use an author’s name.

Paraphrase:

The World Health Organization reports that vaccination rates have improved significantly
(World Health Organization, 2023).

Direct Quote:

"Global health security depends on coordinated international efforts" (World Health Organization,
2023, p. 45).

Examples: Organization as Author

Government Agency

Reference:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). *Vaccination schedules for children*.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules

In-text:
(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2023)

Nonprofit Organization

Reference:
American Red Cross. (2023). *Disaster preparedness guide*. American Red Cross.
https://www.redcross.org/preparedness

In-text:
(American Red Cross, 2023)

Research Institution

Reference:
Pew Research Center. (2023). *Social media usage among Americans*. Pew Research Center.
https://www.pewresearch.org/reports

In-text:
(Pew Research Center, 2023)

University or Educational Institution

Reference:
Stanford University. (2023). *Research integrity and compliance guidelines*.
Stanford University. https://research.stanford.edu/guidelines

In-text:
(Stanford University, 2023)

When Organization Is Both Author and Publisher

When the organization is both the author and publisher, still use the organization name as the author, and the publisher can be simplified or same organization noted.

American Psychological Association. (2023). *Publication manual of the American
Psychological Association* (7th ed.). American Psychological Association.

In-text:

(American Psychological Association, 2023)

Using Title When No Author or Organization Is Available

In rare cases where neither an individual author nor a clear organization is listed, use the title as the first element.

Reference List Format

Start with the title (italicized) and use the first significant word for alphabetization (ignoring “A,” “An,” “The”).

*Title of the article*. (Year). Website or Publication Name. URL

Example:

*How to improve your writing skills*. (2023). Writing Center Resources. Retrieved from
https://writingcenter.edu/articles/improve-writing

In-Text Citation

Use the title in quotation marks (shortened if necessary) with the year.

("How to Improve Your Writing Skills," 2023)

Examples: Title as First Element

Website Article

Reference:
*Understanding climate change impacts*. (2023). Climate Action Network.
Retrieved from https://climateaction.org/understanding-climate

In-text:
("Understanding Climate Change Impacts," 2023)

Online Video

Reference:
*Introduction to machine learning*. (2023). [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved from
https://youtube.com/watch?v=ml-intro

In-text:
("Introduction to Machine Learning," 2023)

Online Document

Reference:
*Employee handbook and policy guide*. (2023). TechCorp Corporation. Retrieved from
https://techcorp.com/employee-handbook

In-text:
("Employee Handbook," 2023)

Shortened Organization Names

For organizations with long names, you can shorten the name in subsequent in-text citations:

First In-Text Citation

(American Psychological Association [APA], 2023)

Subsequent Citations

(APA, 2023)

Examples with Different Source Types

Website Page Without Author

Reference:
National Institutes of Health. (2023). *Drug abuse and addiction: Prevention strategies*.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.nih.gov/drug-prevention

In-text:
(National Institutes of Health, 2023)

Government Report Without Individual Author

Reference:
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. (2023). *Air quality standards compliance report*.
Government Printing Office. https://www.epa.gov/air-quality

In-text:
(U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2023)

Online Article Without Author

Reference:
*The future of renewable energy*. (2023). Energy Institute. Retrieved from
https://energyinstitute.org/renewable-future

In-text:
("The Future of Renewable Energy," 2023)

Video Without Individual Creator

Reference:
NASA. (2023). *Mars rover discoveries and innovations* [Video]. YouTube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nasa-mars

In-text:
(NASA, 2023)

Social Media Post Without Personal Attribution

Reference:
CDC. (2023, March 15). *New vaccination guidelines announced* [Status update].
Twitter. Retrieved from https://twitter.com/CDC/status/123456789

In-text:
(CDC, 2023)

Report Without Named Author

Reference:
World Bank. (2023). *Global economic outlook 2023*. World Bank Publications.
https://www.worldbank.org/publications

In-text:
(World Bank, 2023)

Alphabetizing Sources Without Individual Authors

By Organization Name

American Cancer Society. (2023). ...

American Heart Association. (2023). ...

American Psychological Association. (2023). ...

Alphabetize by the first significant word of the organization name.

By Title (When No Organization)

*Climate change and agriculture*. (2023). ...

*Digital transformation strategies*. (2023). ...

*Environmental sustainability practices*. (2023). ...

Ignore articles (“A,” “An,” “The”) when alphabetizing by title.

Government and Institutional Sources Without Personal Authors

Federal Agency

Reference:
U.S. Department of Education. (2023). *National education statistics report*.
Government Printing Office. https://www.ed.gov/statistics

In-text:
(U.S. Department of Education, 2023)

State Agency

Reference:
California Department of Public Health. (2023). *State health assessment report*.
State of California. https://www.cdph.ca.gov

In-text:
(California Department of Public Health, 2023)

International Organization

Reference:
United Nations Environment Programme. (2023). *Global environmental outlook 2023*.
UNEP. https://www.unep.org/reports

In-text:
(United Nations Environment Programme, 2023)

Corporate and Business Sources

Company Website

Reference:
Microsoft Corporation. (2023). *Cloud computing and data security*. Microsoft.
https://www.microsoft.com/cloud

In-text:
(Microsoft Corporation, 2023)

Industry Association

Reference:
American Medical Association. (2023). *Healthcare workforce trends report*.
American Medical Association. https://www.ama-assn.org/reports

In-text:
(American Medical Association, 2023)

Common Errors with No-Author Citations

• Forgetting to use organization name - Always identify responsible organization if available
• Using “Anonymous” - Don’t use unless source specifically identifies as such
• Incorrect alphabetization - Alphabetize by organization or title’s first significant word
• Missing publication details - Include year, title, and source information
• Not including URL when available - Always include URLs for online sources
• Confusing title-based entries - Remember to ignore articles (“A,” “An,” “The”) in titles
• Inconsistent formatting - Use same format as author-based citations
• Missing or incorrect punctuation - Follow APA format precisely
• Wrong capitalization in titles - Use sentence case for titles
• Forgetting to italicize titles - Always italicize source titles

When to Look Harder for an Author

Before treating a source as having no author:

1. Check the page footer - Author info often appears at bottom
2. Review the “About” section - Many websites list authors there
3. Look for bylines - Article authors might appear near the title
4. Check metadata - Page source code may contain author information
5. Search for copyright information - Copyright notices sometimes name creators

If no author is found after thorough checking, proceed with organization or title.

Using GenText for No-Author Citations

Creating citations for sources without individual authors requires careful identification of the responsible organization or use of the source title. GenText’s citation generator handles these cases automatically. Input the organization name (or title if needed), year, source details, and URL, and GenText generates a properly formatted citation.

Visit /tools/citation-generator/apa/ to generate no-author citations in seconds.

Verification Checklist

Before including a no-author citation in your reference list, verify:

• ✓ Organization or title is correctly identified as first element
• ✓ Publication year is in parentheses
• ✓ Title is italicized and uses sentence case
• ✓ Publisher/source is identified
• ✓ URL or DOI is complete and functional
• ✓ Alphabetization is correct (by organization or first significant word of title)
• ✓ No quotation marks around titles (unless citing a specific section)
• ✓ Hanging indent is properly applied
• ✓ In-text citation uses correct format (organization or title)
• ✓ All required elements are present

Related Guides

• Complete APA 7th Edition Citation Guide
• How to Cite a Website in APA 7th Edition
• How to Cite a Government Document in APA
• APA In-Text Citation Guide

Many valuable sources lack individual authors. By properly citing these sources using APA 7th edition guidelines, you acknowledge the responsible organizations or documents while maintaining academic integrity and helping readers locate your sources.