Using an online article in your paper is fine, but you must cite it correctly. Getting the citation right shows respect for the author’s work and helps readers find the source post. This guide shows how to cite a blog, detailing what you need for each citation style. This article will cover every entry.
TLDR: How to Cite a Blog Post
To reference a blog post, you need the author’s name, the posting title, the blog’s name, the date it was published, and the URL. The format depends on the citation style (MLA, APA). An in-text citation usually needs the author’s last name and year for the blog post.
The Basic Ingredients of a Blog Citation
Before building a reference, gather the ingredients for the blog post. Forgetting one piece can ruin the result. You’re looking for the same core details for any online article you want to cite. Find these key pieces of information for the specific post you’re using in your article.
| Component | What to Look For in a Blog Post |
|---|---|
| Author | The person who wrote the blog post. Check the top or bottom of the article for the author name. |
| Post Title | The title of the individual blog post you are citing. It’s usually the biggest text at the top of the post. |
| Blog Title | The name of the overall blog or website (e.g., “TechCrunch”). This is the main blog title. |
| Publication Date | The exact date the blog post was published. You’ll need the year, month day for the post. |
| Publisher | The company that owns the blog. Only needed if it’s different from the blog’s name. This is the publisher. |
| URL | The web address for the blog post. Copy the full link from your browser. A correct URL should start with https… The URL is vital. Make sure the URL is correct. |
MLA Style
MLA style is for the humanities. Citing a blog post is straightforward, focusing on the author and the title of the specific post. The in-text citation is a simple marker in your article. For more, see Mastering Citations or the official MLA Style guide for an example of a blog post citation.
A quick note: MLA uses “Accessed” for when you viewed the post, but it’s now optional. This is a key detail for any blog post.
Works Cited Format:
Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of the Blog Post.” Name of the Blog, Publisher (if different), Day Month Day Year, URL.
Works Cited Example:
Dean, Brian. “How to Write a Blog Post: The Definitive Guide.” Backlinko, 18 Jan. 2024, backlinko.com/how-to-write-a-blog-post.
In Text Citation Example:
You place the author’s last name in parentheses at the end of the sentence about the blog post. (Dean).
APA Style
APA style is for the social sciences. Its format for a blog post citation emphasizes the publication date. The post title is in sentence case, an APA quirk. Find more official examples on the APA Style blog. Also, a citation generator can help with any blog post citation.
The example below shows how to cite the post, with the URL as the final element.
Reference List Format:
Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of the blog post. Name of the Blog. URL
Reference List Example:
Hudson, K. (2023, November 20). How to use ChatGPT to write an essay. The Verge. https://www.theverge.com/chatgpt-essay-writing-ai
In Text Citation Example:
Include the author’s last name and the year of publication for the blog post. (Hudson, 2023).
Chicago Style
Chicago style has two ways to cite a blog post. For students, it’s usually notes. Chicago often suggests a blog post might not need a full bibliography citation if you mention it in your text with a note. But if the blog post is central to your article, include the post. The format below is a full bibliography example for the blog post.
Bibliography Format:
Last Name, First Name. “Title of Post.” Blog Title (blog), Month Day, Year, URL.
Bibliography Example:
Yong, Ed. “Ivermectin Is the New Hydroxychloroquine.” The Atlantic (blog), August 26, 2021, https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/08/ivermectin-covid-19-hydroxychloroquine/619888/.
Footnote Example:
1. Ed Yong, “Ivermectin Is the New Hydroxychloroquine,” The Atlantic (blog), August 26, 2021, https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2021/08/ivermectin-covid-19-hydroxychloroquine/619888/.
Harvard Style
Harvard is a common citation style, like APA. When you cite a blog post, you must state it’s a blog post. The in-text citation is simple: author and year. This makes referencing a post easy without cluttering your article.
This example is for one blog post. The URL is a key part of the citation.
Reference List Format:
Last name, Initial. (Year) Title of post. [Blog] Blog name. Day Month. Available at: URL.
Reference List Example:
Weller, M. (2021) The VLE is dead. [Blog] The Ed Techie. 10 August. Available at: https://blog.edtechie.net/vle/the-vle-is-dead/.
In Text Citation Example:
It was argued that the VLE is no longer fit for purpose (Weller, 2021).
What If a Detail Is Missing from a Blog Post?
Sometimes, an online article lacks information. This is common when you cite a website in an essay, and any blog post is similar. The title of the post becomes important.
- No Author: If there’s no clear author name, start the citation with the title of the blog post. For the in-text citation, use a shortened posting title in quotes. This posting title is a good example: (“How to Write,” 2024).
- No Date: If no date is found on the post, use (n.d.). This is standard for APA and MLA for any blog post. This means it was not published with a clear date.
- Multiple Authors: For a blog post with two authors, list both. For three+, MLA and APA say list the first author, then “et al.” for the post.
How do I cite the name of a blog?
When you cite a blog post, you reference the individual article or post, not the whole blog. The blog’s name (e.g., The Verge) is the container, like a journal title. In MLA, the blog title is italicized. In APA, the blog title follows the title of the post. You wouldn’t have a citation for just the blog itself unless discussing the site as a whole. Then, mention the title of the site in your text and include a link to the homepage in your bibliography. For more on this, you can check out guidance on citing a personal blog.
What about citing a comment on a blog post?
Yes, you can even cite a comment on a blog post. The commenter is the author. Get their username right. The title is “Re: [Title of the original blog post]”. Indicate it’s a comment on a blog post. The date is when the comment was published. Here’s a quick example of how to cite a blog comment in APA:
Alex B. (2022, May 10). Re: The future of remote work. Future of Work Blog. [Comment on the blog post “The future of remote work”]. https://example.com/blog-post-url