It is one of the most common referencing problems and one of the least well explained. A government web page, a company policy document, an NHS information leaflet: none of them list a person as the author, and every referencing guide seems to assume yours does.
The rule for how to reference a website with no author is straightforward once you know it. You move the title into the author position. What follows is how that works in each major style, and the mistakes that cost marks.
The principle behind the rule
A reference exists so a reader can find the source. The first element of any entry is whatever comes first alphabetically in your reference list, which is normally the author surname.
When there is no author, the title takes that position. You do not write Anonymous, and you do not write No author. Both are wrong in every major style.
APA seventh edition
Move the title to the front, then the year, then the site name and the link.
Understanding type 2 diabetes. (2024). NHS. https://www.example.nhs.uk/diabetes
For the in text citation, use the first few words of the title in quotation marks, followed by the year. If the page has no date either, use n.d. in place of the year.
Harvard
Harvard is not a single standard, so check your own institution’s guide first. The common pattern places the title first, then the year in brackets, then availability and the access date.
Understanding type 2 diabetes (2024) NHS. Available at: https://www.example.nhs.uk/diabetes (Accessed: 14 March 2026).
In text, use a shortened form of the title and the year.
MLA ninth edition
Title first in quotation marks, then the site name in italics, then the date and the link.
“Understanding Type 2 Diabetes.” NHS, 2024, www.example.nhs.uk/diabetes.
Before you assume there is no author
Look properly first, because a surprising number of pages do have one.
- Check the very bottom of the page, below the main content
- Look for a byline near the heading or publication date
- Check an About or Contact page for the responsible department
- View the page source and look for an author meta tag
- For a downloadable report, open the file and check the title page
When the organisation is the author
This is the distinction students most often get wrong, and it matters.
If a page is published by an organisation and no individual is named, the organisation is usually the author rather than there being no author at all. World Health Organization, Department for Education and Bank of England all function as corporate authors.
World Health Organization. (2024). Global report on diabetes. https://www.example.who.int/report
Only treat a source as having no author when there is genuinely no person and no organisation taking responsibility for it. That is rarer than it seems, and if a page has nobody at all standing behind it, ask whether it is a source worth citing.
Mistakes that lose marks
- Writing Anonymous. Reserve that only for sources genuinely published under that name.
- Starting with the URL. A link is never the first element of a reference.
- Using the website name when a page title exists. The specific page title comes first.
- Alphabetising under A for Anonymous. File it under the first significant word of the title, ignoring The, A and An.
- Forgetting the access date. Harvard and MLA usually want it. APA generally does not for stable pages.
Check the generator’s output
Citation tools handle authorless sources badly. They frequently insert the website name where the page title belongs, invent an author from the domain, or omit the access date entirely. Read what they produce before you submit it.
Related reading
If you are unsure which style your department wants in the first place, our guide comparing Harvard and APA referencing explains the real differences and why Harvard varies between institutions.
We format references as standard in everything we write. For work already drafted where the referencing needs checking, proofreading and editing covers exactly that. For new work see essay writing help or assignment writing help.