How to Cite Online References of Organizations in APA Style

As Internet use has increased, so too has the Internet presence of various organizations. Today, most large organizations, whether corporations or nonprofits, maintain websites. Many smaller organizations also maintain sites online. If you use information from the website of an organization, you must cite it in a reference list at the end of your paper, just like any other source. Luckily, the American Psychological Association (APA) offers simple guidelines for the proper citation of non-periodical websites.

Step 1

List the name of the author in the following format:

Last name, First initial.

For example:

Smith, A.

If no author is listed, list the name of the organization as the author.

For example:

North Central California Healthcare.

Step 2

List the date of publication in parentheses and followed by a period. The date should appear in a year, month day format.

For example:

(2011, March 17).

If no date of publication is given, list the date as follows:

(n.d.).

Step 3

List the title of the article or document, followed by a period. Capitalize only the first letter of the title, as well as the first letters of any proper nouns.

For example:

Hospitals in and around San Francisco.

Step 4

List the full URL in the following format:

Retrieved from http://www.ncch.org/centers/sf

Step 5

Ensure that the finished citation appears in the following format:

North Central California Healthcare. (2011, March 17). Hospitals in and around San Francisco. Retrieved from http://www.ncch.org/centers/sf