Answer
Last Updated: Jul 25, 2023     Views: 838

If there is no indicated author of an article, it is general practice to omit the author in the citation OR list the organization as the author.

The following is a break down of what this would look like in APA, MLA, and Chicago:

APA

When the work does not have an author move the title of the work to the beginning of the references and follow with the date of publication. Only use “Anonymous ” if the author is the work is signed “Anonymous.”

  • Example: Merriam-Webster's collegiate dictionary (11th ed.). (2003). Merriam-Webster.
     
  • For in-text citations, if there is no author, use the title in your signal phrase or the first word or two of the title in the parentheses
  • Example: Another study of students and research decisions discovered that students succeeded with tutoring ("Tutoring and APA," 2020.). 

MLA

When the work does not have an author, cite the article’s title first, then finish the citation as you would any other for that kind of periodical.

  • Example: "Aging; Women Expect to Care for Aging Parents but Seldom Prepare." Women's Health Weekly, 10 May 2007, p. 18.
     
  • For in-text citations,w hen a source has no known author, use a shortened title of the work instead of an author name, following these guidelines.
    • Place the title in quotation marks if it's a short work (such as an article) or italicize it if it's a longer work (e.g. plays, books, television shows, entire Web sites) and provide a page number if it is available.
    • Titles longer than a standard noun phrase should be shortened into a noun phrase by excluding articles. For example, To the Lighthouse would be shortened to Lighthouse.
    • If the title cannot be easily shortened into a noun phrase, the title should be cut after the first clause, phrase, or punctuation
  • Example: We see so many global warming hotspots in North America likely because this region has "more readily accessible climatic data and more comprehensive programs to monitor and study environmental change . . ." ("Impact of Global Warming").

Chicago

When a source has no identifiable author, cite it by its title, both on the references page and in shortened form (up to four keywords from that title) in parenthetical citations throughout the text.

  • Full Foot Note: “An Introduction to Research Methods,” Scribbr, accessed June 11, 2020, https://www.scribbr.com/category/methodology/.
  • Short Foot Note: Scribbr, “Research Methods.”
  • Bibliography: Scribbr. “An Introduction to Research Methods.” Accessed June 11, 2020. https://www.scribbr.com/category/methodology/.

The examples above were pulled from Purdue Online Writing Lab and Scribbr

Contact Us

To schedule a research consultation, click on the link below and log in with your UMB email.

Related Topics