APA In-Text Citation with No Date
In APA style, if a source has no publication date, replace the year with n.d. in the in-text citation.
This guide follows the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association, Seventh Edition.
When an APA source has no date
Replace the year with n.d. in the date position.
Keep the author element as usual (person, group author, or shortened title if no author).
Use the same n.d. form in both parenthetical and narrative citations.
Add a locator (page or paragraph number) for direct quotations.
If the same author has multiple undated works, use letter suffixes such as n.d.-a and n.d.-b.
Need the matching APA reference list entry for the same undated source?
See the APA Citation Guide.
APA Rules for In-Text Citations with No Date
Confirm the source is truly undated
Before using n.d., check whether the source shows a publication, revision, or update date.
Use n.d. only when no usable date is available in the source.
Replace the year with n.d.
In APA in-text citations, n.d. takes the year position whenever the source has no date.
This applies to both parenthetical and narrative citations.
Write it exactly as n.d. (with periods).
Keep the author element the same
Missing date does not change who appears in the author position. Use the same author element you would use for a dated source.
If there is no author, use a shortened title that matches the start of the reference list entry.
Use quotation marks for article, chapter, and webpage titles. Use italics for book and report titles.
Add locators for direct quotations
For direct quotes, include a locator after n.d., such as a page number or paragraph number.
Use paragraph numbers when page numbers are not available.
If a webpage does not number paragraphs, identify the section heading and count paragraphs from that heading.
Distinguish multiple undated works by one author
When the same author has more than one undated source, use letter suffixes after n.d. so each source is distinct.
Use the same suffixes in both in-text citations and the reference list, for example n.d.-a and n.d.-b.
How to Format an APA In-Text Citation with No Date
Use this sequence to build the correct format.
- Check whether the source provides a publication, revision, or update date.
- If no date is available, use n.d. in place of the year.
- Keep the normal APA author element (person, group author, or shortened title).
- For a parenthetical citation, place author (or title) and n.d. in parentheses.
- For a narrative citation, place the author (or title) in the sentence and n.d. in parentheses.
- If you quote directly, add a page or paragraph locator after n.d.
- If one author has multiple undated sources, label them with letter suffixes.
- Use the same n.d. form every time you cite one source.
- Final check. The in-text form should match the corresponding reference list entry.
(Author, n.d.) Author (n.d.) (Group Author, n.d.) ("Shortened Title," n.d.) (Author, n.d.-a) (Author, n.d.-b) (Author, n.d., p. 6) (Author, n.d., para. 4) APA In-Text Citation Examples with No Date
Each example shows how APA handles undated sources in real writing.
Individual author, no date
Replace the year with n.d. and keep the author surname.
Parenthetical citation
Program adherence improved when reminders were personalized (Lopez, n.d.).
Narrative citation
Lopez (n.d.) reports that program adherence improved when reminders were personalized.
Group author, no date
Keep the organization name and replace the year with n.d.
Parenthetical citation
Annual device audits are recommended for account security (National Cybersecurity Center, n.d.).
Narrative citation
National Cybersecurity Center (n.d.) recommends annual device audits for account security.
No author and no date
Use a shortened title in place of the author, plus n.d.
Parenthetical citation
Teams should define escalation paths before incidents occur ("Incident Response Readiness," n.d.).
Narrative citation
"Incident Response Readiness" (n.d.) advises teams to define escalation paths before incidents occur.
Direct quote with page number
Keep n.d. and add a page locator for a quote.
Parenthetical citation
The guideline states that brief checks should be logged daily (Lopez, n.d., p. 6).
Narrative citation
Lopez (n.d., p. 6) states that brief checks should be logged daily.
Direct quote from a webpage with no page numbers
Use paragraph number when no page number exists.
Parenthetical citation
The guidance notes that response roles should be reviewed quarterly ("Emergency Preparedness Basics," n.d., para. 3).
Narrative citation
"Emergency Preparedness Basics" (n.d., para. 3) notes that response roles should be reviewed quarterly.
Same undated source cited more than once
Keep the same n.d. form each time.
The checklist recommends regular password reviews (National Cybersecurity Center, n.d.). The same guidance also recommends account recovery testing (National Cybersecurity Center, n.d.).
Two undated works by the same author
Add letter suffixes to distinguish one work from another.
Parenthetical citations
One report recommends shorter audit cycles (Lopez, n.d.-a). A second report from the same author recommends weekly escalation drills (Lopez, n.d.-b).
Narrative citations
Lopez (n.d.-a) recommends shorter audit cycles, while Lopez (n.d.-b) recommends weekly escalation drills.
Common Mistakes in APA In-Text Citations with No Date
Writing n.d. incorrectly
APA uses n.d. with periods. Do not use nd or n.d without the final period.
Wrong
✕ (Lopez, nd)
Correct
✓ (Lopez, n.d.)
Omitting the date element entirely
APA in-text citations still require a date element when the source is undated, so use n.d. instead of leaving it blank.
Wrong
✕ (Lopez)
Correct
✓ (Lopez, n.d.)
Putting retrieval wording in the in-text citation
In-text citations use author or title plus date element only. Retrieval wording belongs to reference entries, not in-text citations.
Wrong
✕ (Lopez, Retrieved February 20, 2026)
Correct
✓ (Lopez, n.d.)
Using n.d. when the source has a clear year
If the source provides a usable date, cite that date instead of n.d.
Wrong
✕ (Lopez, n.d.) when the source date is 2024
Correct
✓ (Lopez, 2024)
Omitting a locator in a direct quotation
For direct quotes, add a locator after n.d. when available.
Wrong
✕ Lopez (n.d.) states that daily checks are required.
Correct
✓ Lopez (n.d., p. 6) states that daily checks are required.
Missing letter suffixes for multiple undated works
If one author has multiple undated works, use letter suffixes so readers can match each citation to the correct reference.
Wrong
✕ (Lopez, n.d.) and (Lopez, n.d.) for two different sources
Correct
✓ (Lopez, n.d.-a) and (Lopez, n.d.-b)
Using a URL in the in-text citation
APA in-text citations do not use URLs.
Wrong
✕ (https://example.org/incident-readiness)
Correct
✓ ("Incident Response Readiness," n.d.)
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