You thought that your citation game was strong. But, you’ve hit a blog. Don’t stress. Blog style citations typically break down the who, when, what and where of the blog you used. Just so you are prepared for anything that comes your way, learn the formats for APA, MLA, Harvard and Chicago.
How to Cite a Blog in APA
Listen up social science, education or psychology writers. Because, this is for you. Blog citations in your APA reference list will follow: who, when, what and where.
- Who: This could be the author name or a screen name. While author name is preferred, you have to use what you have.
- When: The date of the post (e.g., 2018, November 30).
- What: The title of the post (only the first letter will be capitalized). Then, add the medium (e.g., blog) in brackets.
- Where: This is easy. For this part, just provide the URL.
Examples
McAdoo, T. (2016, April 5). How to cite a blog post in APA style [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2016/04/how-to-cite-a-blog-post-in-apa-style.html
Freakonomics. (2018, November 29). How to be happy [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://freakonomics.com/podcast/how-to-be-happy_radio/
No writer? No problem! Learn how to cite a blog with no author in a click.
Citing a Blog in MLA
Humanities writing more your game? Then, MLA style is what you are looking for. Citing blogs in your MLA Works Cited page gets a bit more in-depth. These citations include:
- Author name (name, screen name, handle, etc.): If both the author’s name and screen name are available, list the author’s name in brackets after the screen name (e.g., Crashtastic [Jennifer Betts]).
- Post title in quotations
- Name of the website in italics
- Version, if available
- Sponsor or publisher affiliated with the blog
- URL or DOI
- Access date
Example
Timothy McAdoo. “How to Cite a Blog Post in APA Style.” APA Style. American Psychological Association, blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2016/04/how-to-cite-a-blog-post-in-apa-style.html2018, 30 November, 2018
Chicago Blog Citations
Chicago style is an all-around formatting style that can be used for humanities and social science writing. While not as in-depth as MLA, it does ask for a little more information than APA.
- Author: This can include the first and last name if available or the screen name.
- Title of the post in quotation marks
- Blog title
- Medium in brackets, if blog isn’t in the name
- Publisher or sponsor, if available
- Date (month, date, year)
- URL
Example
McAdoo, Timothy, “How to Cite a Blog Post in APA Style,” APA Style (blog), American Psychological Association, April 5, 2016, https://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2016/04/how-to-cite-a-blog-post-in-apa-style.html.
Harvard Style Blog Citations
Harvard blog citations really aren’t that different than their other style cousins. They look for the same info and tell you that you will be citing a blog. Check out the format.
- Author: last, first or screen name.
- Year published in parentheses
- Title of the blog
- Medium in brackets (e.g. [Blog])
- Blog title in italics
- URL
- Accessed date (day, month, year) in parentheses
Example
McAdoo, Timothy. (2016). How to cite a blog in APA format [Blog]. APA style.Available at: https://blog.apastyle.org/apastyle/2016/04/how-to-cite-a-blog-post-in-apa-style.html (Accessed: 30 November, 2018)
Perfect Blog Citations Every Time
Whew, that was a lot! However, now you have the tools for perfection. Whether you need to cite a blog in APA, Harvard, Chicago or MLA, follow the rules above and you will become a blog citing master.