How to cite a source with no date

Before deciding there’s no date, look carefully: the bottom of a web page, a “last updated” line, or a copyright year often gives one. Each style handles a truly missing date differently.

APA 7: write “n.d.”

Author. (n.d.). Title. Site Name. URL

Harbor City Botanical Society. (n.d.). Caring for coastal succulents. https://www.example.org/coastal-succulents

• Write “n.d.” (no date) in the reference and in the in-text citation: (Harbor City Botanical Society, n.d.).
• If there’s no author either, move the title to the front: Title. (n.d.). Source.
• A “last updated” date counts as the date if it applies to what you’re citing. A “last reviewed” date doesn’t.
• If you know only an approximate date, use “ca.” (circa).
• “n.d.” doesn’t automatically need a retrieval date. Add “Retrieved Month Day, Year, from URL” only if the page is designed to change and isn’t archived.

MLA 9: leave the date out

“Caring for Coastal Succulents.” Harbor City Botanical Society, www.example.org/coastal-succulents. Accessed 3 Oct. 2026.

• Don’t write “n.d.” unless your instructor asks for it. Just skip the date.
• An access date at the end is optional, but it’s especially useful when there’s no date.
• A copyright date on a web page can be used as the publication date.
• MLA in-text citations never include a date, so they don’t change.

Chicago: “n.d.” and an access date

In author-date style:

Owner. n.d. "Title." Accessed Month Day, Year. URL.

Harbor City Botanical Society. n.d. “Caring for Coastal Succulents.” Accessed October 3, 2026. https://www.example.org/coastal-succulents.

In-text: (Harbor City Botanical Society, n.d.). In notes and bibliography style, give the access date in the note. Instead of an access date, you can link to an archived copy, for example in the Wayback Machine.

(The examples on this page are made up.)