Worked citation example

How to Cite a Website in IEEE, APA, BibTeX, and LaTeX

Cite a website in IEEE, APA, BibTeX, and LaTeX with a group-author example, access-date guidance, and common checks.

Website5 minute read

A website citation should identify the author or responsible organization, page title, site, publication or update date when available, URL, and an access date when the style or changing content requires it.

Use the individual page you read, not only the site's homepage. This example uses a technical standard maintained by a group author and shows how to keep the title, version, date, and URL together.

One verified record

See how the source changes by format.

Each output below uses the same metadata.

Source recordIEEEAPA 7BibTeXLaTeX citation

Source metadata

Group author
World Wide Web Consortium
Page title
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2
Publication date
October 5, 2023
URL
https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG22/
Access date
September 8, 2026

IEEE

World Wide Web Consortium, "Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2," Oct. 5, 2023. Accessed: Sep. 8, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG22/

IEEE web references commonly include the publication date, access date, Online label, and URL.

APA 7

World Wide Web Consortium. (2023, October 5). Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2. https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG22/

APA omits a retrieval date for stable pages but may require one for content designed to change over time.

BibTeX

@misc{w3c2023wcag,
  author       = {{World Wide Web Consortium}},
  title        = {Web Content Accessibility Guidelines ({WCAG}) 2.2},
  year         = {2023},
  month        = oct,
  howpublished = {\url{https://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG22/}},
  note         = {Accessed September 8, 2026}
}

Wrap a group author in a second pair of braces so BibTeX does not split it into personal names.

LaTeX citation

The interface follows the current accessibility guidance \cite{w3c2023wcag}.

Load a URL-capable bibliography setup so the long address can break safely in the reference list.

Practical workflow

Check the record before formatting it.

  1. Open the exact page that supports the statement rather than citing the site homepage.

  2. Identify a personal author or responsible organization and keep group names intact.

  3. Record the publication or last-updated date only when the page supplies one.

  4. Save the stable canonical URL and record an access date when required.

  5. Reopen the link before submission and confirm that the cited content is still present.

Questions students ask

Frequently asked questions

What if the website has no author?

Look for a responsible organization before concluding that no author exists. If neither a person nor organization is credited, begin the reference with the page title according to the selected style.

Do I always need an access date?

IEEE web references commonly use one. APA generally reserves retrieval dates for content intended to change, although course or publisher instructions can require a different treatment.

Can I cite the homepage?

Cite the homepage only when the homepage itself is the source. For a fact, definition, standard, or report, cite the exact page that contains it.

Reference standards

Check the required style before you submit.

Continue the workflow