A web document (not a journal article) will often be a link to an attachment in Word or PDF format, available from a website.
Include the URL of the document not the page the document link is on.
In-text citation
(Author, Year)
(Office of the Chief Psychiatrist, 2019)
Author (Year)
Office of the Chief Psychiatrist (2019)
Direct quote:
(Author, Year, p. x)
"Of the 13,183 patients, 81% were seen at an inpatient facility"(Office of the Chief Psychiatrist, 2019, p. 3).
Reference list
Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of work. Site Name/Publisher. https://xxxxx
Office of the Chief Psychiatrist. (2019, September). Chief psychiatrist annual report 2018 -19.
Queensland Government. https://www.health.qld.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0030/888051/Chief-Psychiatrists-Report-2018-19_FINAL.pdf
"When numerous layers of government agencies are listed as the author use the most specific agency as the author" (APA, 2020, p. 288), and the parent body as the publisher.
"If you cite multiple webpages from a website, create a reference for each" (APA, 2020, p. 350).
In-text citation
(Author, Year)
(McLeod, 2020)
Author (Year)
McLeod (2020)
Direct quote:
(Author, Year, para. x)
"The five levels of the hierarchy are physiological, safety, love/belonging, esteem, and self-actualization" (McLeod, 2020, para. 2).
Reference list
Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of work. Site Name/Publisher. https://xxxxx
McLeod, S. (2020, January 24). Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html
When no individual author is attributed to the content on the site the organisation responsible for the site is deemed as the author.
The 'about us' or 'acknowledgements' page can help to identify the organisation responsible for the site (APA, 2020, p. 350).
If the author and the web site name are the same, leave out the site name as the source.
In-text citation
(Author, Year)
(Dementia Australia, 2023)
(Queensland Health, 2016)
Author (Year)
Dementia Australia (2023)
Queensland Health (2016)
Direct quote:
(Author, Year, para. x)
"Alzheimer’s disease causes damage to your neurons – cells in your brain that carry messages" (Dementia Australia, 2023, para. 2).
"Babies need only breastmilk until around six months of age, and a combination of breastmilk and other foods until at least 12 months and beyond" (Queensland Health, 2016, para. 1).
Reference list
Name of organisation in full. (Year, Month Day). Title of work. Site Name/Publisher. http://xxx
Dementia Australia. (2023, November 24). Alzheimer's disease. https://www.dementia.org.au/about-dementia/alzheimers-disease
Queensland Health. (2016, July 12). Introducing complementary foods. Queensland Government. https://www.health.qld.gov.au/clinical-practice/guidelines-procedures/clinical-staff/maternity/nutrition/infants/complementary
"When numerous layers of government agencies are listed as the author use the most specific agency as the author" (APA, 2020, p. 288), and the parent body as the publisher.
If the author and the web site name are the same, leave out the web site name as the source.
The date used should relate to the content on the webpage, ideally use the 'last updated' date.
Do not use the 'last reviewed' date, also "do not use the copyright date a webpage or website footer because this date may not indicate when the content on the site was published (APA, 2020, p. 289)".
Use "n.d." instead of the year when there is no date that relates to the content on a web page.
In-text citation
(Author, Year)
(Nurse & Midwife Support, n.d.)
Author (Year)
Nurse & Midwife Support (n.d.).
Direct quote:
(Author, Year, para. x)
"Remember to not use negative humour, and to be respectful of other cultures and how humour may be perceived" (Nursing & Midwife Support, n.d., para. 7).
Reference list
Author, A. A. (n.d.). Title of work. Site Name/Publisher. https://xxxxx
Nurse & Midwife Support. (n.d.). Communication skills. https://www.nmsupport.org.au/students-and-graduates/communication-skills
If the author and the publisher/site name are the same then omit the publisher/site name.
If the contents of a page are regularly updated, record the date you retrieved the information in the website’s reference list entry using this format: Retrieved Month Day, Year from https://xxxxx (American Psychological Society, 2020).
In-text citation
(Author, Year)
(Bureau of Meteorology, 2022)
Author (Year)
Bureau of Meteorology (2022)
Direct quote: (Author, Year, para. x)
"Strong Wind Warning for the following area: Eden Coast" (Bureau of Meteorology, 2022, para. 1).
Reference list
Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of work. Site Name/Publisher. Retrieved Month Day, Year, from https://xxxx
Bureau of Meteorology. (2022, April 28). Marine wind warning summary: NSW. Australian Government. Retrieved April 28, 2022, from http://www.bom.gov.au/nsw/warnings/marinewind.shtml
An online news site is generally associated with a media company or TV service ie. ABC News or the BBC while an online newspaper is associated with a printed version like The Australian or the New York Times. For online newspaper examples refer to Magazine/Newspaper Article - Electronic.
In-text citation
(Author, Year)
(Groves, 2019)
Author (Year)
Groves (2019)
Direct quote:
(Author, Year, para. x)
"...a gemstone formed over millions of years from silica and water, and found only in this desolate stretch of western Queensland" (Groves, 2019, para. 3).
Reference list
Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of work. Site Name/Publisher. https://xxxx
Groves, M. (2019, November 24). Is this the last generation of opal miners? ABC
News. https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-24/last-generation-of-opal-miners/11538542