Blog Post Citation Generator
Cite a blog post: enter the author, the post's title, the blog's name, the exact date and the link, and get the reference and in-text citation in APA 7, MLA 9, Chicago 18 and 10,834 other styles. A blog's own name is cited separately from the post's title. Free, no sign-up.
How to Cite a Blog Post
- 1. Enter the post details. Type the author (a screen name is fine if that's how they publish), the post title, the blog's name, the exact publication date, and the URL. The blog name goes in its own field — don't fold it into the title.
- 2. Pick a style. APA 7th treats a blog like a periodical: the post title stays plain and the blog name is italicized — not the post. MLA 9th puts the post title in quotation marks with the blog name as the italicized container.
- 3. Generate. We build a full blog-post reference with the italics in the right place. Edit any field, then copy or export it to BibTeX, RIS, CSV, or Word.
Blog Post Citation Examples
A post on a blog, with illustrative details (a placeholder web address).
APA 7th edition
Reference list:
Lopez, M. (2024, March 12). How to read a research paper in 20 minutes. The Research Desk. https://example.com/research-desk/read-a-paper
In-text (parenthetical):
(Lopez, 2024)
In-text (narrative):
Lopez (2024)
MLA 9th edition
Works Cited:
Lopez, Maria. “How to Read a Research Paper in 20 Minutes.” The Research Desk, 12 Mar. 2024, example.com/research-desk/read-a-paper.
In-text citation:
(Lopez)
Chicago 18th edition (notes and bibliography)
Footnote:
Maria Lopez, “How to Read a Research Paper in 20 Minutes,” The Research Desk (blog), March 12, 2024, https://example.com/research-desk/read-a-paper.
Bibliography:
Lopez, Maria. “How to Read a Research Paper in 20 Minutes.” The Research Desk (blog), March 12, 2024. https://example.com/research-desk/read-a-paper.
Chicago adds (blog) after the blog's name when that word is not already part of it, and often cites blog posts in notes only. The generator leaves (blog) out, so add it if your title does not already say it.
Post Title or Blog Name: What Is Italic?
A blog post is a short work inside a larger one, so the two titles are treated differently from each other. The blog's name is the container, the post is the part.
| APA 7 | MLA 9 | Chicago 18 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Post title | Plain, sentence case | In quotation marks, Title Case | In quotation marks, Title Case |
| Blog name | Italic | Italic | Italic, with (blog) if needed |
| Date | Year, month and day | Day, month and year | Month, day and year |
| Author | Surname, initial | Surname, First name | First name Surname in a note |
| No author | Post title first | Post title first | Post title first in a note |
Use the date the post was published, which the post shows at the top or the bottom. If it only shows when it was updated, use that and say so only if your style asks. A post with no date takes n.d. in APA and the date is left out in MLA and Chicago, which may add an access date.
Common Mistakes
- Folding the blog's name into the title. The post title and the blog name are separate fields.
- Italicizing the post. In APA the post's title is plain and the blog's name is italic. In MLA and Chicago the post is in quotation marks.
- Leaving out the exact date. Blogs are cited to the day, not just the year.
- Citing the blog's home page. Link to the post itself, using its permanent link.
- Skipping the author. A screen name is acceptable if that is how the author publishes. For a team blog, use the organization.
Which Tool Do You Need?
| You have | Use |
|---|---|
| A post on a blog | This page |
| An article on a news or magazine website | Magazine Citation Generator |
| A page on an ordinary website | Website Citation Generator |
| A social media post | Social Media Citation Generator |
Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I cite a blog post in APA 7?
- Author, the full date, the post's title in plain type, the blog's name in italics and the link: Lopez, M. (2024, March 12). How to read a research paper in 20 minutes. The Research Desk. https://example.com/research-desk/read-a-paper. In text: (Lopez, 2024).
- How do I cite a blog post in MLA 9?
- Author, the post's title in quotation marks, the blog's name in italics, the date and the link without https://: Lopez, Maria. “How to Read a Research Paper in 20 Minutes.” The Research Desk, 12 Mar. 2024, example.com/research-desk/read-a-paper. In text: (Lopez).
- How do I cite a blog post in Chicago style?
- In a note: the author in normal order, the post's title in quotation marks, the blog's name in italics with (blog) if needed, the date and the link. Chicago often cites blog posts in notes only and leaves them out of the bibliography.
- How do I cite a blog comment?
- Name the commenter as the author, give the date of the comment, use the comment's first words or a short description as the title, and name the post it belongs to. Chicago usually cites comments in a note only. The Social Media Citation Generator covers comment threads.
- What if the blog post has no author or no date?
- With no author, start with the post's title. With no date, write n.d. in APA; MLA and Chicago leave the date out and may add the date you accessed the page.
- Which citation styles does the blog post generator support?
- APA 7, MLA 9 and Chicago 18 at the top of the list, and any of the other 10,834 styles. Switch the style and the same details are reformatted.
Related Tools
How to cite a Blog Post in each style
Format rules, templates, and worked examples for the styles most often required.