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When a source has no author, APA 7th edition (2020) moves the title of the work into the author position of the reference list entry, and the in-text citation uses a shortened form of that title plus the year. That answers how to cite in APA if there is no author; the rest of this guide shows the order of checks, three worked patterns with matching in-text forms, and the mistakes that trip up manuscripts and theses.
The format: what to do when a source has no author
Work through these checks in order before you decide a source is authorless.
- Look for a group or corporate author. An agency, organisation or company that published the work is its author. If one exists, cite it in the author position and the no-author rules do not apply.
- Use “Anonymous” only if the work itself says so. Two university library guides (Royal Roads University and Western University) state that a resource without an identified author should not be listed with “Anonymous” as the author; use it only when the work explicitly names Anonymous as its author.
- Otherwise, move the title to the author position. APA 7 (p. 289) says to move the title of the work to the author position, followed by a period, before the date of publication.
The reference entry therefore takes this shape, with the element that is normally the author replaced by the title:
- Title of the work. (Year). Source details.
The same answer applies whether you phrase the question as how to cite in APA when there is no author or how to cite a source in APA with no author: the title takes the author’s place and nothing is invented to fill the gap.
Examples: reference list entries with no author
These entries use fictitious sources, labelled as examples. No real authors, titles or publishers are meant. Capitalisation and italics follow the standard APA patterns for each source type: book titles are italic and in sentence case, article titles are not italic and in sentence case, and periodical titles are italic.
| Source type | Reference list entry (example only) |
|---|---|
| Book | A field guide to review boards. (2022). Example Press. |
| Journal article | Notes on sampling and bias in small studies. (2021). Journal of Example Studies, 14(2), 31-40. https://doi.org/10.0000/example.456 |
| Online newspaper article | Campus council revises lab safety rules. (2024, March 12). The Example Gazette. https://example.com/news/lab-safety |
| Report with a group author (check this first) | Example Health Agency. (2025). Annual review of example programs. https://example.org/report.pdf |
The last row is not a no-author case at all. The report has a group author, so the group name goes in the author position. This is why the group-author check comes first. For more on reports, see how to cite a report in APA; for web pages that show a group author or “n.d.”, see citing a website in APA.
In-text citation version
For an unknown author, the in-text citation includes the title and the publication year, in the same author-date comma form used for any other source. The formatting of the title depends on how it appears in your reference list:
- Title is italic in the reference list (a book or report): italicise it in the in-text citation.
- Title is not italic in the reference list (an article): put it in double quotation marks in the in-text citation.
- Long title: shorten it for the in-text citation,.
- Capitalisation: capitalise titles within in-text citations (title case), even though the reference list entry uses sentence case.
| Reference list entry begins | Parenthetical | Narrative |
|---|---|---|
| A field guide to review boards. (2022). | (A Field Guide to Review Boards, 2022) | A Field Guide to Review Boards (2022) |
| Notes on sampling and bias in small studies. (2021). | Shortened title (“Notes on Sampling”) in double quotation marks, then the year 2021, separated by a comma | “Notes on Sampling” (2021) |
| Campus council revises lab safety rules. (2024, March 12). | Shortened title (“Campus Council Revises”) in double quotation marks, then the year 2024, separated by a comma | “Campus Council Revises” (2024) |
If you quote directly, add a locator such as a page number after the year; the author-date pattern for a quotation is (Author, year, p. 20), with the title standing in for the author here. For paraphrasing, see APA paraphrase citation.
Common errors
| Mistake | Correction |
|---|---|
| Writing “Anonymous” as the author because none is shown | Move the title to the author position. Use “Anonymous” only when the work itself gives that as its author. |
| Skipping the group-author check | Look for an organisation or agency first; if there is one, it is the author. |
| Putting an article title in italics in the in-text citation | Italicise in text only what is italic in the reference list; otherwise use double quotation marks. |
| Using the full title when it is long | Shorten it in the in-text citation. |
| Using sentence case in the in-text citation | Use title case in text; the reference list entry keeps sentence case. |
| Dropping the year from the in-text citation | Include both the title and the publication year. |
For manuscripts and theses
A manuscript or thesis tends to cite the same authorless source many times, so the short title you choose the first time is the one you must repeat everywhere. Pick the shortened form once, check that it begins with the same word as the reference list entry, and keep the quotation-mark or italic treatment consistent. Where a journal, department or instructor sets its own rules, those take precedence over the general pattern; the official APA student paper guide itself says instructors’ guidelines supersede APA. For the reference list as a whole, see APA format for the reference page; for a dissertation source, see how to cite a dissertation in APA. If you are working in MLA instead, the pattern differs: see MLA citation with no author.
Style-guide edition
This guide follows the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, 7th edition (2020), as of October 2026. The no-author rule is in section 9.12 (p. 289) of that edition, and the in-text treatment of unknown or anonymous authors is in section 8.14 (pp. 264-265). Both are cited by the two university library guides listed under Sources, which agree with each other; the general reference patterns come from the APA’s official PDF handouts, also listed there.
FAQ
How do I cite in APA when there is no author?
Move the title of the work to the author position, followed by a period, before the date. In the text, use a shortened title and the year: in double quotation marks if the title is not italic in the reference list, in italics if it is.
How do I cite a source in APA with no author and no date?
Use “n.d.” in the date position, as the official APA reference examples do for undated web pages and podcast episodes. Put the title in the author position as usual.
Should I write “Anonymous”?
Only if the work itself names Anonymous as its author. Otherwise the title replaces the author.
Does the title go in quotes or italics in the text?
It follows the reference list: italics if the title is italic there (books, reports), double quotation marks if not (articles, chapters).
Sources
- Royal Roads University Library, “How do I cite a source with no author?” (quoting APA 7th ed., 2020, p. 289 and p. 265): https://writeanswers.royalroads.ca/faq/199130 (page updated Oct 22, 2025; checked 2026-10-29).
- Western University Libraries, APA FAQ on unknown or anonymous authors (APA 7th ed., 2020, sections 8.14 and 9.12): https://help.lib.uwo.ca/apa/faq/202430 (checked 2026-10-29).
- American Psychological Association, APA Style reference examples (PDF, updated March 3, 2026): https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/reference-examples.pdf (checked 2026-10-28).
- American Psychological Association, APA Style reference guide (PDF, updated March 23, 2026): https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/reference-guide.pdf (checked 2026-10-28).
- American Psychological Association, student paper setup guide (PDF, updated October 8, 2025): https://apastyle.apa.org/instructional-aids/student-paper-setup-guide.pdf (checked 2026-10-28).
