When a website has no page numbers, cite it in text with the author's last name alone, such as (Patel). If the page has no author, use a shortened version of its title in quotation marks, such as (“How Sleep Affects Memory”). That is the whole rule under the MLA Handbook, 9th edition: no page number, no placeholder, and nothing invented.
The details change with the source, though. Organization pages, untitled posts, and pages with numbered paragraphs each follow a slightly different pattern, and every one is covered below with an example you can copy. For the broader rules, see how to cite in MLA format.
Quick Reference: Website In-Text Citations
Find your situation in the first column and copy the pattern.
| Website Situation | MLA In-Text Citation |
|---|---|
| One author | (Patel) |
| Two authors | (Patel and Kim) |
| Three or more authors | (Patel et al.) |
| No author | (“How Sleep Affects Memory”) |
| Organization is the author, but not the site owner | (American Heart Association) |
| Organization is both author and site owner | (“Flu Symptoms”) |
| Two pages by the same author | (Patel, “Sleep”) |
| Two authors with the same last name | (R. Patel) |
| Page with numbered paragraphs | (Patel, par. 6) |
| Video on a web page | (Patel 00:02:10-00:02:45) |
If you need the full citation quickly, the MLA In-Text Citation Generator builds it once you leave the page field blank.
Parenthetical or Narrative: Which Works Better for Websites?
Without a page number, a parenthetical citation can look thin. Naming the author in your sentence often reads better, and when you do, MLA needs no parentheses at all.
Poor sleep can weaken short-term recall (Patel).
NarrativeRavi Patel explains that poor sleep can weaken short-term recall.
Use the author's full name the first time you mention them in your writing, then the last name only. Place a parenthetical citation right after the borrowed idea, before the period.
Websites With No Author or an Organization as Author
Your in-text citation must start with the same word as your Works Cited entry. When no person is named, that word usually comes from the page title.
- Shorten long titles. Use the first noun phrase: “How Sleep Affects Memory and Learning in Teens” becomes (“How Sleep Affects Memory”).
- Keep the title's formatting. Use quotation marks for a single web page or article and italics for an entire website.
- Organization that also runs the site. When a group writes a page on its own website, MLA starts the Works Cited entry with the title and lists the group as publisher. Cite the shortened title, such as (“Flu Symptoms”).
- Organization that differs from the site owner. Cite the organization's name, such as (American Heart Association), or name it in your sentence to keep the parentheses short.
When to Use Paragraph, Section, or Time Stamp Numbers
Use a number only when the page itself displays it. Never count paragraphs on your own, and never use page numbers that appear when you print a web page.
| Numbering on the Page | MLA In-Text Citation |
|---|---|
| Numbered paragraphs | (Patel, par. 6) or (Patel, pars. 6-7) |
| Numbered sections | (Patel, sec. 3) |
| Chapters in an online book | (Patel, ch. 2) |
| Video or audio clip | (Patel 00:02:10-00:02:45) |
| PDF with fixed page numbers | (Patel 14) |
Notice the comma before par., sec., and ch., but not before a plain page number or time stamp.
Matching Your Works Cited Entry
Every in-text citation points to one Works Cited entry. Here is how the two connect for a web page. The examples are illustrative.
| In-Text Citation | Works Cited Entry |
|---|---|
| (Patel) | Patel, Ravi. “How Sleep Affects Memory.” Health Daily, 12 Mar. 2024, www.healthdaily.com/sleep-memory. |
| (“How Sleep Affects Memory”) | “How Sleep Affects Memory.” Health Daily, 12 Mar. 2024, www.healthdaily.com/sleep-memory. |
If the page shows no publication date, add an access date at the end, such as Accessed 14 Jan. 2025. Build the full entry in seconds with the Works Cited Generator.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
| Mistake | Wrong | Correct |
|---|---|---|
| Using n. pag. from older editions | (Patel n. pag.) | (Patel) |
| Leaving a trailing comma | (Patel,) | (Patel) |
| Putting the URL in parentheses | (www.healthdaily.com) | (Patel) |
| Citing the site name instead of the author | (Health Daily) | (Patel) |
| Mixing in APA style | (Patel, n.d.) | (Patel) |
| Counting unnumbered paragraphs | (Patel, par. 3) | (Patel) |
The abbreviation n. pag. (no pagination) belonged to older MLA editions. MLA 8 and MLA 9 simply leave the page out. See MLA 8 vs MLA 9 for what else changed between editions.
Final Check
A website citation without page numbers is shorter than a book citation, not weaker. As long as the first word in your parentheses matches the first word of the Works Cited entry, your reader can follow the trail.
Before submitting, check that you have not invented a page number, counted paragraphs by hand, or swapped the author for the site name.
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