How do I cite a source if there is no author and/or date and/or title?
How to cite sources when there is missing information
Answer
If you cannot find an author, data or titles to write a complete reference adapt the format accordingly:
| Missing Piece/s | Template for Reference List Entry | Template for In-Text Citation |
|---|---|---|
|
Author |
Title. (Date). Source*. |
(Title, year) Title (year) |
|
Date |
Author. (n.d.). Title. Source. |
(Author, n.d.) Author (n.d.) |
|
Title |
Author. (Date). [Description of work]*. Source. |
(Author, year) Author (year) |
|
Author and |
Title. (n.d.). Source. |
(Title, n.d.) Title (n.d.) |
|
Author and |
[Description of work]. (Date). Source. |
([Description of work], year) [Description of work] (year) |
|
Date and title |
Author. (n.d.). [Description of work]. Source. |
(Author, n.d.) Author (n.d.) |
|
Author, date, |
[Description of work]. (n.d.). Source. |
([Description of work], n.d.) [Description of work] (n.d.) |
*Source means where readers can retrieve the cited work such as the title of a book if it is a chapter, the title of a website and URL if it is a whole website, it is the rest of the citation.
The highlighted portion of this citation is the "Source": name of the website and the URL:
Mayo Clinic Staff. (2020, November, 18th). Acidophilus. Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/drugs-supplements-acidophilus/art-20361967
*Description of work: usually name the type of file it is like PDF