How to Cite a Blog: A Comprehensive Guide for Accurate References

You’ve just found the perfect blog post to back your argument. But now, you’re staring at your screen, paralyzed: How do I cite this properly? One wrong comma, a missing date, or a misplaced URL could cost you credibility—or worse, land you in hot water for plagiarism.

Citing blogs isn’t just about ticking boxes. It’s about honoring the creator’s work, safeguarding your reputation, and giving readers a clear path to your sources. Yet, with formats like APA, MLA, Chicago, and Harvard each demanding their own rules, even seasoned writers sweat the details.

This guide cuts through the chaos. Whether you’re a student dodging academic penalties, a researcher building rock-solid references, or a pro crafting airtight reports, you’ll learn how to cite a blog flawlessly in any style—with templates, tools, and real-world examples to erase the guesswork.

Why Citing Blogs Matters?

Information is at the fingertips with the rise of digital communication, but with his ease of access comes the responsibility of giving credit where it’s due. Whether you’re writing an academic paper, a research article, or a professional report, knowing how to cite a blog properly ensures that your work maintains credibility, respects the intellectual property and follows ethical writing standards.

The Role of Blogs in Research and Writing

Unlike traditional books or journal articles, blogs are often written by individuals sharing insights, research, or opinions. While they might not always be peer-reviewed, blogs can provide valuable context, up-to-date information, and diverse perspectives. However, if you use ideas or direct quotes from a blog without proper acknowledgment, it can be considered plagiarism—whether intentional or not. 

Proper blog citation format strengthens your work by establishing credibility, demonstrating thorough research, and ensuring your sources are transparent and verifiable.

Consequences of Improper Citations

Failing to use the correct blog referencing styles can lead to serious consequences. In academic settings, improper citations—or worse, plagiarism—can result in penalties, loss of marks, or even expulsion. 

In professional writing, it can damage your reputation, lead to legal issues, or cause misinformation to spread. Citing a blog correctly ensures that you respect intellectual property, give due recognition to the original author, and provide your readers with a clear path to verify your sources.

Essential Elements of a Blog Citation

There are several ways you can cite a blog, but in almost all of them, there are a few key elements you need to make sure of first. Let’s take a look at what those are:

1. Author Name

The author’s name is the cornerstone of any citation. It acknowledges the individual who crafted the content and allows readers to trace the original source. In most citation styles, the author’s surname is listed first, followed by their first name or initials. For instance, in APA style: Smith, J. If the author’s name isn’t provided, alternative methods are employed, which we’ll discuss later.

2. Blog Post Title

The title of the specific blog post provides insight into the content’s focus. It’s typically placed in quotation marks or italicized, depending on the citation style. For example, in MLA style: “Understanding Renewable Energy”. This element guides readers to the exact post you’re referencing.

3. Blog Name

The overarching blog name, akin to a book’s title, is essential for context. It often appears in italics. For instance, if the post is from “The Green Journal,” the citation would reflect this to inform readers about the platform hosting the content.

4. Publication Date

The publication date indicates when the blog post was made available. Including the full date—day, month, and year—is standard practice. For example, March 15, 2023. This detail helps readers assess the currency and relevance of the information.

5. URL (Uniform Resource Locator)

The URL directs readers to the exact location of the blog post online. It’s crucial to provide a complete and accurate URL to ensure accessibility. For instance: https://www.thegreenjournal.com/understanding-renewable-energy.

6. Access Date (When Applicable)

In certain citation styles, like Chicago, noting the date you accessed the blog is recommended, especially if the content is prone to updates. This is formatted as: Accessed April 10, 2023. It provides a temporal context, indicating when you consulted the material.

7. Handling Missing Information

At times, some citation details might be unavailable. Here’s how to navigate such situations:

• No Author: If the author’s name isn’t provided, begin the citation with the blog post title instead. 
• No Date: When the publication date is missing, use “n.d.” to denote “no date.” 
• No Title: If the post lacks a specific title, provide a brief description in square brackets

Step-by-Step Citation Formats

As we said before, there are multiple blog citation formats. Depending on which one you’re using, you can reference your blog in different ways. Let’s look at the most common ones to  ensure you use them next time when citing a blog:

1. APA Style

The American Psychological Association (APA) style is commonly used in the social sciences. When citing a blog post in APA format, include the following:

• Author’s Last Name, First Initial. (Year, Month Day). Title of the blog post. Title of the Blog. URL

Example:

Smith, J. (2023, January 15). Exploring the impacts of climate change. Environmental Insights. https://www.environmentalinsights.com/climate-change-impacts

In this format, the title of the blog post is in sentence case and italicized, while the blog’s title is also italicized. The retrieval date is generally not required unless the content is likely to change over time.

2. MLA Style

The Modern Language Association (MLA) style is prevalent in the humanities. To cite a blog post in MLA format, use the following structure:

• Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of the Blog Post.” Title of the Blog, Publisher (if different from the blog name), Day Month Year of publication, URL.

Example:

Doe, Jane. “The evolution of digital marketing.” Marketing Today, 10 Feb. 2023, https://www.marketingtoday.com/digital-evolution

In MLA style, the title of the blog post is placed in quotation marks and title case, while the blog’s title is italicized. The publication date is presented in a day-month-year format.

3. Chicago/Turabian Style

The Chicago Manual of Style and its student-friendly version, Turabian, offer two methods for citing sources: the Notes and Bibliography system and the Author-Date system.

Notes and Bibliography (used in humanities):

• Footnote:
  1. Author’s First Name Last Name, “Title of the Blog Post,” Title of the Blog, Month Day, Year, URL.
• Bibliography:
• Author’s Last Name, First Name. “Title of the Blog Post.” Title of the Blog, Month Day, Year. URL.

Example:

• Footnote:
  1. John Smith, “Advancements in renewable energy,” Energy Today, March 5, 2023, https://www.energytoday.com/renewable-advancements.
• Bibliography:
• Smith, John. “Advancements in renewable energy.” Energy Today, March 5, 2023. https://www.energytoday.com/renewable-advancements.

Author-Date (used in sciences):

• In-text citation:

(Author’s Last Name Year)

• Reference list:
  • Author’s Last Name, First Name. Year. “Title of the Blog Post.” Title of the Blog, Month Day. URL.

Example:

• In-text citation:

(Smith 2023)

• Reference list:
  • Smith, John. 2023. “Advancements in renewable energy.” Energy Today, March 5. https://www.energytoday.com/renewable-advancements.

4. Harvard Style

Harvard referencing is an author-date system commonly used in various disciplines. To cite a blog post in Harvard style, follow this format:

• Author’s Last Name, First Initial. Year. ‘Title of the Blog Post’, Title of the Blog, Day Month. Available at: URL (Accessed: Day Month Year).

Example:

Brown, L. 2023. ‘Innovations in artificial intelligence’, Tech Innovations, 20 April. Available at: https://www.techinnovations.com/ai-innovations (Accessed: 25 April 2023).

Some Special Cases in Citing

Blogs have more freedom than articles. With more flexibility, some special cases also arise. What if the blog is co-created with multiple authors? What about guest posts or corporate authors? What if you want to cite it on social media? Or Blogs with no publication date. Let’s cover all of these questions:

Citing Blogs with Multiple Authors, Guest Posts, or Corporate Authors

Multiple Authors:

When a blog post is authored by multiple individuals, it’s essential to credit each contributor appropriately. The formatting varies depending on the citation style:

• APA Style: List up to 20 authors by their last names and initials, separated by commas, with an ampersand before the final author’s name. For example:

Smith, J. A., Johnson, L. M., & Williams, R. T. (2023, March 10). Advancements in renewable energy. Energy Insights. URL

• MLA Style: List the first author’s name in reverse order (Last Name, First Name), followed by the subsequent authors in standard order (First Name Last Name), separated by commas, and ending with a period. For example:

Smith, John A., Lisa M. Johnson, and Robert T. Williams. “Advancements in Renewable Energy.” Energy Insights, 10 Mar. 2023, URL.

Guest Posts:

For guest-authored posts, credit the guest author as the primary author. If the host blog’s author is relevant, you can mention them in your text but not in the citation. For instance:

Doe, Jane. (2023, April 5). The future of urban farming. Sustainable Living Blog. URL

Corporate Authors:

When a blog post is published by an organization without a specific individual author, use the organization’s name as the author:

World Health Organization. (2023, February 20). Global health initiatives for 2023. WHO Updates. URL

How to Cite a Blog Comment or Social Media Share of a Blog Post

Citing a Blog Comment:

When referencing a comment on a blog post, include the commenter’s name (or username if the real name isn’t available), the date of the comment, the title, or up to the first 20 words of the comment in italics, indicate that it’s a comment on the original post, and provide the URL:

MiddleKid. (2007, January 22). Re: The unfortunate prerequisites and consequences of partitioning your mind [Comment on the blog post “The unfortunate prerequisites and consequences of partitioning your mind”]. ScienceBlogs. URL

Citing a Social Media Share:

If you’re citing a social media post that shares a blog link, it’s best to cite the original blog post directly. However, if the commentary in the social media post is pertinent, cite it as follows:

Ardern, J. [@jacindaardern]. (2018, October 15). I salute you, @Kereru4PM #BirdOfTheYear [Tweet]. Twitter. URL

Handling Blogs with No Publication Date or Pagination

No Publication Date:

When a blog post lacks a publication date, indicate this by using “n.d.” (no date) in place of the year:

Smith, J. A. (n.d.). Exploring ancient civilizations. History Uncovered. URL

No Pagination:

Blogs typically don’t have page numbers. When quoting or referring to a specific part of a blog without pagination, you can reference the paragraph number if necessary:

(Smith, n.d., para. 4)

Tools to Simplify Blog Citations

With so many rules to follow, citing blogs can be a real hassle. But who says you have to do all the leg work alone? There are tools online that can help, and if you use Google Docs or Microsoft Word for writing, there are tools here as well that can do the job quickly. Here’s how to do it:

Recommended Citation Generators

1. Zotero

Zotero is a free, open-source reference management tool that helps you collect, organize, and cite your sources. It integrates seamlessly with web browsers, allowing you to save blog posts and other resources directly to your library. Zotero also offers plugins for word processors like Microsoft Word and Google Docs, enabling easy insertion of citations and bibliographies into your documents. 

2. Scribbr

Scribbr provides a user-friendly citation generator supporting various styles, including APA, MLA, and Chicago. You can search for your source by title, URL, ISBN, or DOI, and Scribbr will generate accurate citations in seconds. It also offers features like annotations and the ability to export references to Word or BibTeX formats. 

3. Citation Machine

Citation Machine is an online tool that helps you generate citations in multiple styles. By entering the necessary information about your blog source, Citation Machine creates a properly formatted citation that you can incorporate into your work.

Using Built-in Citation Tools in Word and Google Docs

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Word offers a built-in citation tool that allows you to manage sources and insert citations directly into your document. To use this feature:

1. Navigate to the “References” tab.
2. Click on “Insert Citation” and select “Add New Source.”
3. Choose the source type (e.g., website) and fill in the relevant details about the blog post.
4. Once added, you can insert this citation wherever needed and generate a bibliography at the end of your document.

Google Docs

Google Docs features a citation tool that supports MLA, APA, and Chicago styles. To utilize this tool:

1. Go to “Tools” and select “Citations.”
2. In the sidebar, choose your preferred citation style.
3. Click on “Add citation source” and select the source type (e.g., website).
4. Enter the necessary information about the blog post and click “Add citation source.”
5. To insert the citation, place your cursor in the desired location within your document, select the source from the citations list, and click “Cite.”
6. To add a bibliography, click on “Insert bibliography” in the citations sidebar.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

As we said before, dealing with citations is a pain, and mistakes are bound to happen. Even if you know how to cite a blog, there are some mistakes you need to make sure to avoid:

1. Omitting Necessary Citations

One prevalent mistake is neglecting to cite a source altogether. This oversight can occur when writers are deeply engrossed in their work or fail to track their references meticulously. To prevent this, maintain a comprehensive list of all sources as you research and write, ensuring each is appropriately cited in your document. 

2. Incorrect Formatting

Each citation style has its own set of formatting rules, and misapplying these can lead to inconsistencies. For instance, APA style requires a reference list, while MLA uses a Works Cited page. Adhering to the specific guidelines of your chosen style is essential for maintaining uniformity throughout your paper. 

3. Incomplete Citations

Providing partial information in citations can confuse readers and hinder their ability to locate the original source. Ensure that all necessary details—such as the author’s name, publication date, title, and URL—are included in each citation. Double-checking your citations for completeness can prevent this common error. 

4. Misrepresenting Source Types

Confusing different types of sources can lead to incorrect citations. For example, citing a journal article as a website can result in improper formatting. It’s important to accurately identify the nature of each source and apply the corresponding citation format. 

5. Failing to Cite Paraphrased Material

Even when paraphrasing, it’s imperative to credit the original source. Neglecting to do so constitutes plagiarism. Always provide proper citations for both direct quotes and paraphrased content to uphold academic integrity. 

Final Note

Mastering how to cite a blog is a crucial skill in the digital age. By adhering to proper citation practices, you not only avoid plagiarism and protect your credibility but also contribute to a culture of intellectual honesty and respect for digital content creators. While different citation styles may seem daunting at first, understanding the essential elements and common pitfalls will empower you to cite blogs confidently and accurately. Remember, citing blogs is not just about following rules; it’s about acknowledging the contributions of others, strengthening your own work, and participating responsibly in the global exchange of information.

FAQs – Frequently Asked Questions

Q1: How do I cite a blog with no author?

A: Use the blog post title in place of the author’s name. For example (APA): “Top 10 Writing Tips.” LCW Blog, 2023, www.example.com/blog [invalid URL removed].

Q2: Do I need to include the access date for blog citations?

A: Access date is generally only required in Chicago style if the content is time-sensitive (e.g., news blogs) or likely to change.

Q3: How do I cite a blog in APA 7th edition?

A: Author, A. (Year, Month Day). Blog post title. Blog Name. URL

Q4: Can I cite a blog in academic writing?

A: Yes, but prioritize peer-reviewed sources. Use blogs for supplementary context or contemporary perspectives.

Q5: How do I cite a blog comment?

A: Author of comment. (Year, Month Day). Title or first 20 words of comment [Comment on the blog post “Title of blog post”]. Blog Name. URL