MLA Website Citation with No Author
In MLA style, if a webpage does not name a person or organization author, begin the Works Cited entry with the webpage title in quotation marks, then add the website name, any distinct publisher, a posted, updated, or copyright date when available, and the URL.
Use this guide when the webpage itself does not credit a person or organization author. If you also need the matching in-text citation, see MLA In-Text Citation for Websites with No Author.
When an MLA webpage has no author
Start the Works Cited entry with the full webpage title in quotation marks.
Add the website name in italics, then a distinct publisher only if one is named separately.
Use a posted, updated, or copyright date if one appears. Omit the date only when the page gives no usable date.
End with the URL. Add an access date when your instructor asks for one or when the page is undated or likely to change.
Need the broader MLA website pattern for pages that name an author or organization?
See the MLA Website Citation Guide.
MLA Rules for Works Cited Entries with No Author
Confirm that the page truly has no author
Before moving the title to the first position, check the page for a byline, an editorial team credit, or an organization that clearly claims responsibility for the content.
Many webpages look anonymous on the surface, but a responsible department, editorial board, or institution appears elsewhere on the page.
If a group author is clearly named and the site has a different name, begin with that group author. If the group name and the site name are the same, MLA often omits the repeated name instead of turning the page into a no-author entry.
Start with the full webpage title in quotation marks
In MLA, the first element of the Works Cited entry moves to the front when no author is listed. For a webpage, that means the full webpage title comes first.
Use title case and place the period inside the closing quotation marks.
Unlike APA, MLA does not turn the webpage title into an italicized title-first reference entry. The webpage title stays in quotation marks.
Add the website name, then a distinct publisher only when needed
After the webpage title, give the overall website name in italics.
If the site also names a distinct publisher and that publisher is not essentially the same as the website name, include it next.
One common MLA error is repeating the same institution as both website name and publisher when one mention is enough.
Use any posted or copyright date before omitting the date
If the page shows a publication, posting, or last-updated date, include that date in day-month-year form.
If no publication or update date appears but the page does show a copyright year, use that copyright year as the date element.
Omit the date only when the page gives no usable date at all. MLA does not insert n.d. in the Works Cited entry.
End with the URL and decide whether an access date helps
Finish the entry with the direct URL for the specific webpage.
MLA access dates are optional in many cases, but they are often useful for undated pages or pages that change over time.
If you include an access date, place it as the final element. Use Accessed Day Mon. Year.
How MLA Differs on This Point
MLA keeps a no-author webpage title in quotation marks and places the website name after it.
APA handles the same situation differently by moving the title into the author position and styling it differently. Chicago Author-Date also handles the date element differently. Keeping those patterns separate helps you avoid mixing citation styles.
How to Format an MLA Website Citation with No Author
Use this sequence when the webpage itself does not credit an author.
- Check the page for a real person or organization author.
- If no author is credited, move the full webpage title to the first position.
- Put the title in quotation marks and use title case.
- Place the period inside the closing quotation marks.
- Add the website name in italics.
- Add the publisher only if it is distinct from the website name.
- Add any publication, update, or copyright date the page provides.
- If the page gives no usable date at all, omit the date element instead of using n.d..
- Finish with the URL.
- If needed, add Accessed Day Mon. Year. as the last element.
“Title of Webpage.” Website Name, Publisher, Day Mon. Year, URL. “Title of Webpage.” Website Name, Year, URL. “Title of Webpage.” Website Name, URL. Accessed Day Mon. Year. MLA Website Citation Examples with No Author
These examples show the Works Cited entry first. For the matching title-based in-text form, use MLA In-Text Citation for Websites with No Author.
Standard no-author webpage
Start with the page title, then add the website name, date, and URL.
Works Cited entry
“Community Solar Incentive Guide.” State Energy Exchange, 18 Jan. 2026, https://www.stateenergyexchange.org/community-solar-guide.
Distinct publisher named separately
Include the publisher when it is not the same as the website name.
Works Cited entry
“Tenant Cooling Center Map.” Metro Heat Response Hub, Office of Emergency Preparedness, 24 June 2025, https://www.metroheathub.gov/cooling-center-map.
Only a copyright year is shown
If the page gives no publication or update date but shows a copyright year, use that year.
Works Cited entry
“Transfer Credit Policies.” Riverview Registrar, 2026, https://www.riverview.edu/registrar/transfer-credit.
Long webpage title with matching in-text start
Keep the full title in Works Cited even if the matching in-text citation will be shortened.
Works Cited entry
“How Community Colleges Support Returning Adult Learners through Evening Advising and Childcare Partnerships.” Open Learning Network, 7 Sept. 2025, https://www.openlearningnetwork.org/adult-learners-evening-advising.
Matching in-text start
The matching MLA in-text citation could begin with (“How Community Colleges Support”).
No publication date, access date added
If the page is undated, omit the date element and add an access date if it helps readers recover the source.
Works Cited entry
“Campus Writing Resources.” Riverview Academic Support, https://www.riverviewsupport.edu/writing-resources. Accessed 13 Mar. 2026.
Page looks anonymous but has a group author
Do not use the no-author pattern if the page clearly credits an organization.
Correct approach
If the page credits Department of Student Aid, start the entry with the organization name rather than the page title.
Common Mistakes in MLA Website Citations with No Author
Treating a group author as if the page were truly anonymous
If a department, nonprofit, or institution clearly authored the page and the site has a different name, that author belongs first.
If the institution name and the site name are the same, MLA drops the repeated name instead of adding it twice.
Wrong
✕ “Emergency Loan Programs.” Campus Finance Portal, 4 Feb. 2026, https://www.campusfinanceportal.org/loans/emergency.
Correct
✓ Department of Student Aid. “Emergency Loan Programs.” Campus Finance Portal, 4 Feb. 2026, https://www.campusfinanceportal.org/loans/emergency.
Italicizing the webpage title instead of putting it in quotation marks
In MLA, webpage titles use quotation marks. The website name, not the webpage title, is the element that usually appears in italics.
Wrong
✕Community Solar Incentive Guide. State Energy Exchange, 18 Jan. 2026, https://www.stateenergyexchange.org/community-solar-guide.
Correct
✓ “Community Solar Incentive Guide.” State Energy Exchange, 18 Jan. 2026, https://www.stateenergyexchange.org/community-solar-guide.
Skipping a copyright year and inserting n.d.
If a page gives no publication or update date but does show a copyright year, use that year. MLA does not insert n.d. in the Works Cited entry.
Wrong
✕ “Campus Writing Resources.” Riverview Academic Support, n.d., https://www.riverviewsupport.edu/writing-resources.
Correct
✓ “Campus Writing Resources.” Riverview Academic Support, 2026, https://www.riverviewsupport.edu/writing-resources.
Repeating the publisher when it is the same as the website name
Repeating the same organization twice adds clutter without helping readers identify the source.
Wrong
✕ “Research Help Desk.” North Valley Public Library, North Valley Public Library, 2025, https://www.nvpl.org/research-help.
Correct
✓ “Research Help Desk.” North Valley Public Library, 2025, https://www.nvpl.org/research-help.
Need the matching title-based in-text form for the same source?
Official MLA References Used for This Page
We aligned this page to MLA 9 guidance for title-led Works Cited entries, copyright-date fallback, optional access dates, and repetition rules for website names and publishers.
- "How do I cite a source that has no author?"
- "What should I do if the web source I am citing does not list a publication date?"
- "Can a copyright date be used as a publication date for a web source?"
- "When should I include an access date for an online work?"
- "If the author, publisher, and name of a website are all the same, do I need to list the author or publisher?"
This guide focuses on the Works Cited entry. For the broader MLA website format, use MLA Website Citation. For the matching title-based in-text form, use MLA In-Text Citation for Websites with No Author.
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