When citing sources within your text without an author, there are several guidelines you can follow to ensure your citations are accurate and compliant with APA style. Here are 8 tips for in-text citations when the author is not specified:
Use the Title in the Signal Phrase: If the source does not have an author, use the title in the signal phrase or in parentheses. For example: (“Global Warming,” 2022) or The report “Global Warming” (2022) states that…
Italics for Long Works: For long works like books, use italics for the title in the signal phrase or in parentheses. For instance: (The Handbook of Economics, 2019) or The handbook (The Handbook of Economics, 2019) provides an overview…
Quotation Marks for Short Works: If you’re citing a short work like an article without an author, use quotation marks around the title. For example: (“The Impact of Climate Change,” 2022) or According to “The Impact of Climate Change” (2022),…
Year of Publication: Always include the year of publication in the citation, if it’s available. If the year of publication is not available, use “n.d.” (for “no date”). For example: (“Understanding Psychology,” n.d.) or Understanding Psychology (n.d.) discusses…
Use “n.d.” for Undated Sources: For sources without a publication date, use “n.d.” in the in-text citation and in the reference list entry.
Page Numbers: When quoting directly from a source without an author, include the page number(s) in the citation. For example: (“Environmental Studies,” 2020, p. 12) or As noted in Environmental Studies (2020, p. 12),…
Multiple Sources with Same Title: If you have multiple sources with the same title and no author, differentiate them by year of publication in the in-text citation. For example: (“Education Reform,” 2018) vs. (“Education Reform,” 2020).
Reference List Entry: Ensure the reference list entry matches the in-text citation. For sources without an author, start the reference list entry with the title of the source, followed by the year of publication, and then other publication details as applicable.
Following these guidelines will help you provide accurate and clear citations for sources without authors in APA style, ensuring that your academic work is well-documented and credible.
