Best examples of citing a source with no author in-text example (APA, MLA, Chicago)

Start with real examples of citing a source with no author in-text

Let’s skip the theory and jump straight into examples of citing a source with no author in-text example formats. Then we’ll unpack what’s going on.

Imagine you’re using a webpage from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) about flu prevention. The page lists CDC as the organization, but there’s no personal author.

APA example (website, no individual author)

In-text (parenthetical): (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2024)
In-text (narrative): According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2024), flu vaccination rates have increased.

Here, the organization is treated like the author. This is one of the most common examples of citing a source with no author in-text example style for government or institutional pages.

Now try a website with no personal author and no clear organization as author, just a title. Say you’re citing a webpage called 10 Study Hacks for Busy College Students published in 2024, but there’s no author name.

APA example (website, title as author)

In-text (parenthetical): ("10 Study Hacks for Busy College Students,” 2024)
In-text (narrative): In “10 Study Hacks for Busy College Students” (2024), time-blocking is recommended for managing heavy course loads.

When there’s no author, APA tells you to move the title into the author position. In-text, you use a shortened version of that title in quotation marks for articles or webpages.

Examples of citing a source with no author in-text example (APA style)

APA (7th edition) is used a lot in psychology, education, and the social sciences. When you’re hunting for examples of citing a source with no author in-text example citations in APA, the rule is simple:

• If there’s no person listed, use the organization as the author.
• If there’s no person and no organization, use the title.

Let’s walk through several real-world style examples.

1. Government report with no individual author (APA)

Say you’re citing a CDC page on teen mental health from 2024.

In-text (parenthetical): (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024)
In-text (narrative): Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2024) data show rising rates of reported anxiety among teens.

Even though there’s no named person, CDC is treated as the author. This fits APA’s best examples of corporate authors.

If you want to see how CDC actually presents its pages, check out their mental health resources at cdc.gov.

2. PDF report from an organization, no person listed (APA)

Imagine a PDF from the American Psychological Association titled Stress in America 2024 with no individual author.

In-text (parenthetical): (American Psychological Association, 2024)
In-text (narrative): The American Psychological Association (2024) reports that financial concerns remain a leading source of stress.

Same pattern: organization in the author slot, year in parentheses. These are classic examples of citing a source with no author in-text example style for institutional PDFs.

3. News article with no author (APA)

You find an unsigned news article online titled College Tuition Costs Hit New Highs published in 2024.

In-text (parenthetical): ("College Tuition Costs Hit New Highs,” 2024)
In-text (narrative): “College Tuition Costs Hit New Highs” (2024) reports that average tuition has risen faster than inflation.

Notice how the title is shortened in the in-text citation and put in quotation marks. APA uses quotation marks for article and webpage titles in in-text citations.

4. Long title, no author (APA)

If the title is long, you don’t need to torture your reader by pasting the whole thing into your sentence. Use a shortened version.

Full title: A National Survey of College Students’ Sleep Habits and Academic Performance in 2024.

In-text (parenthetical): ("National Survey of College Students’ Sleep Habits,” 2024)
In-text (narrative): In the “National Survey of College Students’ Sleep Habits” (2024), fewer than half of respondents reported getting seven hours of sleep.

These are some of the best examples of how APA asks you to trim titles while still making them recognizable.

For more APA guidance, the official APA Style site is always worth bookmarking: https://apastyle.apa.org.

Examples of citing a source with no author in-text example (MLA style)

MLA (9th edition) is common in English, humanities, and many high school classes. MLA in-text citations focus on author + page number. If there’s no author, MLA uses the title instead.

Here’s the basic idea:

• No author? Use a shortened title in quotation marks (for articles/webpages) or italics (for books, reports).
• MLA usually does not include the year in the in-text citation.

5. Web article with no author (MLA)

Take that same article, College Tuition Costs Hit New Highs, with no author and no page numbers.

In-text: ("College Tuition Costs")
In-text (narrative): According to “College Tuition Costs,” prices have risen faster than wages.

No year, no page number—just the shortened title. This is one of the most common MLA examples of citing a source with no author in-text example practice.

6. PDF report with page numbers, no author (MLA)

Imagine a PDF report titled Student Mental Health on Campus published by a university counseling center, with no individual author but clear page numbers.

In-text (parenthetical): (Student Mental Health 14)
In-text (narrative): The report Student Mental Health on Campus notes that counseling wait times increased significantly in 2023 (14).

Because it’s a standalone report, the title is italicized. The page number still appears at the end.

For more MLA examples, the Purdue OWL’s MLA section is consistently helpful: https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/research_and_citation/mla_style/mla_style_introduction.html.

Chicago-style examples of citing a source with no author in-text

Chicago style comes in two big flavors: Notes and Bibliography (footnotes) and Author-Date (similar to APA). Both have clear examples of citing a source with no author in-text example formats.

7. Chicago Author-Date, no author

Let’s reuse our fictional report Stress in America 2024 from the American Psychological Association with no named author.

In-text (parenthetical): (American Psychological Association 2024, 22)
In-text (narrative): According to the American Psychological Association (2024, 22), financial stress remains high.

Chicago Author-Date looks a lot like APA but adds page numbers when available.

8. Chicago Notes and Bibliography, no author

In Notes and Bibliography, you’ll use footnotes. Suppose you’re citing a webpage titled Supporting Student Mental Health from a university site with no author.

Footnote (first citation):

1. Supporting Student Mental Health, University Counseling Center, accessed March 5, 2025, URL.

In the text, you just have the superscript number. Chicago’s manual has more real examples at https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org.

How to decide what to use when there’s no author

When you’re trying to create your own examples of citing a source with no author in-text example references, run through this quick mental checklist:

Ask yourself:

• Is there an organization or agency listed?
  If yes, treat it as the author: (National Institutes of Health, 2024).
  This is common for sites like NIH.gov and CDC.gov.

• Is there only a title and a date?
  Use a shortened version of the title in the in-text citation, plus the date if your style requires it.

• Is the title very long?
  Keep the first few words that clearly identify it, like ("National Survey of College Students’ Sleep Habits,” 2024).

• Are you in APA, MLA, or Chicago?
  APA and Chicago Author-Date want the year in-text.
  MLA wants page numbers when available, but not the year.

Once you’ve walked through that, you can build your own best examples that match the pattern your instructor or journal expects.

More real examples: websites, statistics, and anonymous works

To make this feel less abstract, here are more realistic scenarios that match what students actually cite.

Health statistics page, no personal author (APA)

You’re citing a CDC statistics page on adult obesity, updated 2024.

In-text (parenthetical): (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024)
In-text (narrative): The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2024) reports that obesity affects a large percentage of U.S. adults.

This is one of the clearest examples of citing a source with no author in-text example style when a government agency stands in as author.

Education resource from a university, no author (APA vs. MLA)

Suppose Harvard’s Graduate School of Education posts a page titled Supporting First-Generation College Students with no named author.

APA in-text:

(Harvard Graduate School of Education, 2023)
or: Harvard Graduate School of Education (2023) recommends targeted mentoring programs.

MLA in-text:

("Supporting First-Generation")
or: According to “Supporting First-Generation,” peer mentoring improves retention.

Same source, two different systems—two different examples of how to handle the missing author.

Anonymous or explicitly “Anonymous” author

Sometimes a work is literally credited to Anonymous.

In APA, you treat Anonymous as if it were the author’s name:

(Anonymous, 2024)

In MLA, you do the same:

(Anonymous 24)

These are odd but valid examples of citing a source with no author in-text example situations where the work is intentionally anonymous.

Common mistakes to avoid when citing no-author sources

When students look for examples of citing a source with no author in-text example usage, they often copy patterns that are slightly off. Watch out for these frequent errors:

• Using the URL instead of the title or organization.
  In-text citations should not look like (www.cdc.gov/obesity). Use the organization or title instead.

• Dropping the year in APA or Chicago Author-Date.
  APA and Chicago Author-Date both want the year: (National Institutes of Health, 2024), not just (National Institutes of Health).

• Including full titles when they’re very long.
  In APA and MLA, you should shorten long titles in the in-text citation to keep them readable.

• Switching styles mid-paper.
  Don’t mix APA examples with MLA examples in the same assignment. Pick one system and stick with it.

If you’re unsure, compare your citation to the official style guides or trusted examples from sites like Purdue OWL or your university writing center.

FAQ: Short answers and quick examples

What are some quick examples of citing a source with no author in-text?

Here are three fast patterns you can model:

• APA, organization as author: (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024)
• APA, title as author: ("College Tuition Costs Hit New Highs,” 2024)
• MLA, title as author: ("College Tuition Costs")

These are simple examples of citations you can adapt to your own sources.

How do I know whether to use the title or the organization?

If a clear organization is listed—like CDC, NIH, or a university—treat it as the author in APA and Chicago Author-Date. If there’s no person and no organization, use the title instead. MLA leans on the title more often, especially for web pages.

Do I still need a reference list or Works Cited if there’s no author?

Yes. The in-text citation is only half the job. You still need a full reference, even when there’s no author. In the reference list or Works Cited, the entry usually starts with the title or the organization name, matching what you used in your in-text citation.

Is it okay if my in-text citation starts with a long title?

It’s allowed, but not ideal. Most style guides encourage shortening long titles in your in-text citation. For example, instead of ("A National Survey of College Students’ Sleep Habits and Academic Performance in 2024,” 2024), shorten it to ("National Survey of College Students’ Sleep Habits,” 2024).

Where can I see more official examples of no-author citations?

For updated 2024–2025 guidance and more real examples of citing a source with no author in-text example formats, check these:

• APA Style: https://apastyle.apa.org
• Purdue OWL (APA, MLA, Chicago): https://owl.purdue.edu
• Chicago Manual of Style: https://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org

Use these side by side with the examples in this guide, and you’ll be in very good shape the next time a source shows up without an author’s name.