How do I reference a source with missing information (no author, no page numbers, no date etc.)? (APA)
Answer
Some sources may have elements missing. For example, you may have a source with no author, or no page numbers. See below for examples of how to reference sources with missing information.
No author
First, check the source thoroughly to make sure there is not a person or organisation you could list as the author.
Sometimes a source will not have a clear author (e.g. religious works). In this case, use the title as the author in the in-text citations, and move the title to the front of the list of references entry:
Examples (In-text citation and reference)
(The Torah, 2015)
The Torah: The five books of Moses (3rd ed.). (2015). Jewish Publication Society
Notes:
- Because the title is in italics in the list of references, it is also in italics in the in-text citation.
- If the title is long, you can shorten it for the in-text citation as in the example above.
No date
If a source does not have a date, replace the year with n.d. - this stands for 'no date'.
Example
(World Health Organisation, n.d.)
No page numbers
If a source does not have a page number (e.g. a webpage) you can normally just leave this out. However, some sources may be clearly separated into sections other than page numbers. Particularly when the whole source is quite long, and you have taken information from a specific part, you can use things like:
- Chapter
- Section
- Part
- para. (for one paragraph) or paras. (for multiple paragraphs)
- Slide
- A timestamp
- Act, scene and page numbers in a play
- Standardised formats for numbering religious or classical works
Example 1 (A chapter in a book with no page numbers)
(The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, 2021, Chapter 4)
Example 2 (A timestamp in a video)
(NASA, 2012, 1:12:15)
Example 3 (A line in a play)
(Shakespeare, 1623/2010, 2.1.201)
Other missing information
Sometimes certain information about a source might not exist. You might be referencing a journal article without an issue number, or a song that was not released on an album. In this case, just leave that part of the reference out. Make sure the reader would still be able to find the source with the information you have provided.